Ute people return to Snowmass ancestral lands
Local Skyler Lomahaftewa has organized a homecoming with the support of Aspen One, Aspen Historical Society, Snowmass Tourism and Limelight Snowmass
Tamara Susa/Courtesy photo
Twenty-three members of the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation are returning to their ancestral homelands Tuesday, March 17, for a cultural exchange on Snowmass Mountain.
The event is the vision of Snowboard Pro and Tribal Member Skyler Lomahaftewa. Lomahaftewa has lived in the valley for 20 years after he took an opportunity to come out here through a program set up by a Tribal member who was going to school at Colorado Mountain College. According to Lomahaftewa, he’s been thinking of a way to bring Ute people here for a long time, reconnecting them with the land that, only 150 years ago, was still part of the Ute Reservation.
“I never see any Ute people here ever,” he said. “I got lonely for Indians. (This event) is a reconnection of the Ute people to historical and ancestral homelands. It will be a symbolic representation of Ute people coming back.”
He is welcoming Ute Royalty, or cultural ambassadors of the Tribe that include Miss Ute Tribe and Little Miss Ute Tribe, along with their family members for a day of lessons on Snowmass Mountain.
“Most Ute people aren’t exposed to anything like this,” Lomahaftewa said of Aspen’s winter recreational opportunities. “What I’m seeing is an exchange of cultures. We’re showcasing the return of Indigenous culture to their homeland in exchange for an introduction to snow sports culture.”
The lessons will be followed by the Ute Royalty performing a dance in traditional outfits as Lomahaftewa sings. The performance will primarily be aimed at incorporating Indigenous culture and history in the Aspen Historical Society’s Colorado 150 storytelling initiative, celebrating the state’s milestone birthday and the history over that time.
“In history, we’re overlooked a lot,” he said. “We’re a footnote mentioned. The presence of our people is alive and well, existing and retaining our culture.”
Hannah Berman, Sustainability and Philanthropy director at Aspen One, said that while Aspen One offers free skiing and rentals to Indigenous and Tribal members, this is a “first of its kind” event for them.
“This is a very intentional program in terms of the exchange and education that it will bring,” Berman said. “We really take seriously the lead that Skyler and others have shown, and we are here to support their work. It’s been really exciting to see something come together.”
Vice President of Education and Programs for Aspen Historical Society Amy Honey, a colleague of Lomahaftewa’s, emphasized the importance of making a connection between the Roaring Fork Valley and the Uintah and Ouray Reservation.
“A lot of times we think of native people in the past tense,” Honey said. “Something that Skyler really shares a lot is that the culture is alive, it’s evolved. I’m super proud to be helping to bring the group here. It’s a powerful thing.”
The Ute Royalty will also be visiting Basalt High School for a cultural exchange on Wednesday, continuing the educational work that Lomahaftewa does with the Aspen Historical Society to raise cultural awareness.
“I want people to know modern Ute people who are living and retaining as much as we can of our culture that we lost,” he said. “What we have left, we’re trying really hard to retain that. It helps me feel good that the reconnection is happening in front of me — I’m witnessing our people reconnecting through a positive way. It’s a circle, coming back to the Motherland.”
