And representatives from all three tribes were invited to Wednesday’s event. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about private discussions and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. A senior administration official said the tribes expressed support - not opposition - to the monument. By preserving these areas of cultural importance to the Ute people, you are reflecting the significance of Native people and tribal nations to the history and progress of this country,” Baker said.īiden administration officials met with each Ute tribe in the development of the proclamation. “It has been said that what a country saves is what a country chooses to say about itself. Baker, chairman of the Southern Ute Indian Tribal Council.īaker noted that for centuries, the Camp Hale area was home to Ute people and remains culturally important to the Utes. The letters were sent by Manuel Heart, chairman of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and Melvin J. The chairs of both Colorado tribes supported the designation in letters to Biden sent Oct. If I'm just going to be one of the Indians that you want to photograph, I'm the wrong Indian to call." “I don't expect them to roll out a red carpet, but I expect a little common courtesy. “What frustrated us is that they didn't want us there to comment, they wanted us there for the photo opp,” Chapoose said. Chapoose said he was invited and went to Colorado but left early after he says he was made to feel like an afterthought, put on the final bus and never told where to go. He said his tribe asked for time to assess the idea and provide feedback.īut a week later, the administration informed the tribe the monument would be created this week at a ceremony in Colorado. Shaun Chapoose, chairman of the tribe’s Business Committee, which serves as its governing body, said Thursday that his tribe was only made aware that a new monument was under consideration a week ago in a phone call with the White House. Representatives from the other two in Colorado - the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute - were on board with the plan and attended Wednesday's ceremony with Biden but didn't speak on stage.īiden and others addressed the significance of the land to tribes at length, and the White House's official proclamation included a mention of Ute burial sites in the area.īut the Ute Indian Tribe, which has nearly 3,000 members on lands in an area known for oil and gas operations in eastern Utah, claimed in a news release issued late Wednesday night that it wasn't on board with the plan. West that share ancestral ties but operate independently. The Ute Indian Tribe is one of three Ute tribes in the U.S. SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A Utah-based Native American tribe that frequently has sparred with President Joe Biden criticized the White House again for not adequately consulting its leaders ahead of this week's creation of a national monument on ancestral lands in Colorado.
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