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Basalt High goes Ute for the day

Dear Editor:Basalt High School students and staff enjoyed an entire day dedicated to learning the history of the Ute Nation and the Aspen Valley. Thanks to the town of Basalt, Aspen Historical Society, and our friends Skyler and Stevie Jean Lomahaftew, students became familiar with the great indigenous people who once roamed and became the first stewards of our beautiful Roaring Fork Valley.Students watched the film “How the West was Lost,” which explores the loss of land, culture, and livelihood of the once proud Ute Nation. The ideas explored in the film were then developed further with the live performance of the Aspen Historic Society’s three-man show, “A Complete History of Aspen,” which covered 130 years of history from the Utes to the discovery of the mammoths. The play was incredible and all valley locals should take the time to see this performance over the summer season. (Contact Aspen Historic Society for more info on future performances.)And finally, students were able to experience live native song and dance with our two residential Ute and Shoshone natives, Skyler and Stevie Jean Lomahaftew. Their performance was followed by an insightful Q&A session with the students. Questions ranged from spirit animals to life on the reservation today. In all, students and staff were moved by this day of local history.Basalt High School would like to thank all who made this day possible, including: Liza DeBartolo Burnham, Nina Gabianelli, the Aspen Historic Society, Michael Monroney, Lee Sullivan, Skyler and Stevie Jean Lomahaftew. We hope these folks continue to teach us, and the entire community, about our colorfully rich and relevant past. Seann Goodman History teacher, Basalt High School

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