Grand Canyon: Voices of the people
Instead of entertaining you with descriptions of the Grand Canyon’s splendor, I’m going to focus on its roots. We had the opportunity to learn from a Navajo National Park Services Ranger at the Grand Canyon and this talk was pivotal in my understanding of this awe-inspiring space.
“It’s not the Grand Canyon to us, it is home.
Our stories place us in the canyon since time immemorial,
well before there was a national park.
These voices depict the canyon’s heartbeat.
And as long as the heartbeat is still there, we are still here.”
-Sarana Riggs, Grand Canyon manager at the Grand Canyon trust.
At one time, 11 different tribes of Native Americas, the Havasupai, Hopi, Hualapai, Navajo, Yavapai, Apache, Zuni-Pueblo, Kaibab, Las Vegas Paiute, Moapa Paiute, Utah Paiute, and San Juan Southern Paiute. While each tribe has its own history and beliefs about the Grand Canyon, they all believe that it is a sacred land of their people. Archaeologists believe that humans have been in the Grand Canyon for about 12,000 years. Many of the tribes link an origin story to the Grand Canyon. There is evidence of Pueblo and Anasazi tribes living in the Grand Canyon dating back to 200 b.c. I would urge anyone wanting to understand this history to google “voices of grand canyon.” It is truly incredible to hear from the different tribes.
Respecting nature is a central pillar in Native American beliefs. The tribal people have always believed that they have been given stewardship over the land. Some of the tribes moved with the season from upper to lower rim of the canyon, while others found more stable cliff dwellings.
In 1903, Teddy Roosevelt first visited the Grand Canyon. By 1908, he declared it a national monument. He said, “Leave it as it is. You cannot improve on it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it.” By 1919, Woodrow Wilson declared the Grand Canyon a National Park. During that time, efforts were made to negotiate and later forcibly remove the Native Americans. There were a handful of cliff-dwelling Native Americans that continued to live on the land after this time, moving around in difficult to reach areas of the canyon.
This process of removing the people from their land led to death and oppression in a myriad of ways. The separation from their holy lands caused a similar deep-rooted, long-lasting pain. In the last several decades, the National Park Services has started the process of reincorporating Native American history into the park. When one currently reads the placards around the park, there is talk of “explorers” and the “first people to inhabit” the area. There is a movement towards slowly overhauling the language currently used.
In addition, the Desert View Visitor Center will soon house a tribal cultural heritage site. Ed Keable, Superintendent of the Grand Canyon National Park said, “The first people of the land need to be the first people our visitors see when they visit the Grand Canyon.” The Grand Canyon is already hosting artisans from local tribes to share their stories and art. These activities will be housed in the cultural center which is due to open sometime this summer. In more recent years, all Native Americans have been restored access to their lands. In addition to free admission to the National Park, they have the freedom to participate in ceremonies on this land. The ranger shared that there is a man in his 80s who makes the journey from the top of the rim down into the canyon every single month.
Bison have overrun the North end of the park, so the NPS has drawn the Native Americans into the conversation about protecting the ecosystem of the park. Some bison are being transported to reservations while Native Americans have simultaneously been invited to hunt (using the old ways) bison on the national park land.
There is little question that there is a force bigger than us at play when you soak in the power and beauty of the expanse.
Not all the glitters is gold
We had the immense pleasure of visiting the park on the night of a brand new moon which led to crystal clear star gazing. Grand Canyon National Park is an International Dark Sky Park which means that the nocturnal environment and quality of the starry nights is exemplary and protected for future enjoyment. While super chilly, it was a breathtaking experience.
