First published by the Crestone Eagle: Oct 1. 2024
By: Zaylah Khundmiri
Experts from the Southern Ute Tribe, Pueblo of Acoma, and Taos Pueblo shared their
perspectives on land stewardship and cultural preservation along the Upper Rio Grande during a panel on August 6. Hosted by the San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council (SLVEC), the panel is part of a larger project to gauge the feelings of the community for implementing long-term protection strategies along the Upper Rio Grande in Conejos County.
Though nothing has been proposed, SLVEC is working to recommend the region as a National Conservation Area. Bringing in the voices of the peoples whose ancestors have stewarded this land for thousands of years is vital to this effort. The panel commenced with a land acknowledgment written by 6th generation SLV Native, Anna Lee Vargas, honoring the SLV as the ancestral lands of the Ute, Diné, Comanche, Cheyenne, Jicarilla Apache, Kiowa, Arapaho, Hopi and the Southern Pueblos of Santa Clara, Picuris, Tesuque, Taos, Tiwa and Tewa.
The four panelists spoke on a range of topics, from the Ute Tribe’s past and present connection to the SLV and the meaning of Traditional Ecological Knowledge, to climate change solutions, and sustainable land management practices.
The panelists’ responses are summarized below:
Cornell “Corey” Torivio, New Mexico Representative for Continental Divide Trail Coalition and
Pueblo of Acoma:
At the heart of Torivio’s message to attendees was the importance of coming together,
knowing your neighbor, and listening to one another. He explained that “The one lesson that
Mother Nature is trying to teach us is diversity.” All the different species of the world are
constantly working together to keep life going. Diversity is valued. “Why can’t we do the
same?” Torivio asked.
To Torivio, land stewardship comes from the heart and is a “value,” not a product. “You have to believe that every plant, and every bird, and every tree is a brother and sister.” You protect the land for the future generations. Torivio explained that while this land was stolen from Native tribes, it is now up to the current residents to protect it. He said, “Now you are feeling what we as Indigenous people have been dealing with our entire lives… Now you are feeling what it feels like when someone wants to come in and take your land.”
Torivio continued, “We may never be able to forgive, we may never be able to forget, but that
doesn’t say that we cannot heal together as we move forward for the sake of our children… so
let’s educate one another.” He urged us to find common ground with one another, so that we
can address major challenges to land management: “We don’t all really realize that we all have the same issues and concerns.” He recommended that we take the time to listen, especially to our Youth, Elders, and tribal nations. A terrible history of lies, displacement, forced relocation and genocide has made many First Peoples untrusting of settlers, but through listening, we may begin to heal and come together again.
Crystal Rizzo, Southern Ute Indian Tribe Cultural Preservation Director
Rizzo echoed Torivio in saying that collaborating with one another, despite our differences, is
the way forward. While it’s easy to put up a wall and ignore the beliefs of other people, she
explained that “…we have more common grounds than we expect.” Seeking guidance from our Youth and Elders is also vital. Making a project beneficial to a tribal nation includes listening to a community’s needs, and accepting their decision if they decline a project. For example, “It is a tribe’s right” to say no to a tourism project or a cultural resource display.
Rizzo also explained the sustained connection that her tribe has to the land being discussed for conservation. The Southern Ute continue to bring their Youth to parts of the Upper Rio Grande in Costilla/Conejos counties, their traditional homeland, to learn about plants, history, and the land’s cultural resources. Southern Ute families also travel to the area to trade, visit, and hold ceremonies, as they have done for thousands of years. “We have a stake in making sure this area [the Upper Rio Grande] is protected,” Rizzo explained.
Cassandra Atencio, Southern Ute Indian Tribe Tribal Historic Preservation Officer
Atencio further detailed the Southern Ute Tribe’s deep roots to the Upper Rio Grande. Her
people were here long ago, and still come to gather minerals, to pray, to sit and heal, to gather plants and visit their many sacred grounds. “We are still connected to these areas, regardless of removal [and forced relocation to reservations] or not,” she explained. “We are still here… Our boundaries are bigger than our reservation…”
The Southern Ute sees the world through a holistic view, Atencio continued. The land, the
mountains, the plants and the animals, are all connected. Throughout time, her people used the Upper Rio Grande seasonally, only taking what they needed and staying for short periods before moving to another territory and resource. As a result, living with the seasons is part of caretaking the land.
To Atencio, all areas along the Rio Grande are important to protect because all land is a teacher. For example, Atencio shared that mountains gave her people identity: “Ute People are a mountain tribe... we have always been here…the mountains taught us everything we needed to know.” As a result, the Southern Ute should be included in all conservation plans so that they can monitor their ceremonial areas, brush shelters, culturally modified trees, plant medicines and cultural sites of their homeland.
She specified that because all tribal nations are so unique with their needs, you cannot lump them together to create a land management plan. Trust is built when you recognize that each tribe has unique needs and desires. Atencio asks residents of the SLV to learn about Southern Ute cultural resources so that they can help to protect and monitor them. The importance of collaborating and listening was again emphasized.
George Track, Taos Pueblo Natural Resources Department Director
Track, who is from Taos Pueblo, spoke of his experience managing lands in Taos County as well as his personal perspectives on Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK). Climate change has brought a hotter, dryer climate to Northern New Mexico, which in turn has made resources scarce. All resources are sacred and connect his people to their traditional way of life, he explained. “We pray to the rocks, we pray to the trees, we pray to the water, and we pray for the animals.
Anyone who takes care of the land, listens to the land, lives on the land and sees it change has TEK, Track explained. For example, some non-Native ranchers in the SLV may have important insight into land stewardship because their families have worked and lived on the land for generations. Native or not, we can all collaborate, share our knowledge about the landscape and protect it.
Track also stated that land management can be hard to look at from a Native view, because more oversight often means taking resources away from tribes. For example, in some areas Native Americans must get a permit in-order to collect traditional plants. Since these are their
homelands, Track believes it should be their right to harvest plants and other resources. However, he also sees that not all are honorable in their foraging, and some people take advantage of a landscape which happens on both sides of the fence. For this reason, he sees the value in coming together to ensure that the land is cared for and managed properly.
The panel concluded with a brief Q and A that allowed attendees to share their thoughts,
concerns, and gratitude to panelists and SLVEC.
To learn more about SLVEC’s project, visit: www.slvec.org