Indigenous Connections Project Update
By Nathan Richie
Project Beginnings
Golden and all of Colorado has and continues to be Indigenous peoples’ homeland. Presently, the State of Colorado maintains a list of 48 federally recognized tribes with historic ties to Colorado and there is likely a half-dozen or more tribes who have yet to be recognized. Indigenous people have inhabited every corner of our state from the deserts to the alpine peaks to the high plains. Scientific evidence from the Magic Mountain Archaeological Site in Golden has shown that Native people have lived in the area for more than 10,000 years while Indigenous knowledge points to an even longer presence. The region’s first White inhabitants like Alexander Rooney and Thomas Golden knew and wrote about the Native peoples throughout the region. Yet, for all this information, Golden History Museum & Park has presented next to nothing about regional history prior to the 1859 Gold Rush in its nearly 85-year existence. We as a staff have been aware and critical of this glaring omission, and increasingly, museum visitors have also voiced concern and disappointment at the notable absence of Indigenous stories in our sites and publications. We needed a plan for action.
Recognizing the need to make changes was one thing, but creating a viable plan with actionable outcomes was quite another. The museum had virtually no experience working with Native communities and had no contacts on which to draw. This would necessitate meeting knowledgeable, reputable people and earning their trust over time. It would require a sustained commitment from the organization and staff to make long-term relationships. It would also require committing and growing financial resources to implement project initiatives. The first phase of this work could best be described as “research and experimentation.” Museum staff spent months having conversations with colleagues in the museum and cultural field about where to start the process and how to make meaningful change. It also required finding a good starting point to begin our work.
Through conversations with individuals from the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, History Colorado, the Tesoro Foundation, and others, we concluded that the museum needed a baseline understanding of the Golden region from the perspective of its Indigenous peoples. In 2022, GHM&P received a grant from the State Historical Fund to create a regional ethnography—a history of Indigenous peoples as told using Indigenous knowledge. We selected Maren Hopkins of Anthropological Research LLC of Tucson, Arizona, to lead the project. The ethnographic team worked directly with tribal experts from six different tribes in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and Utah. The resulting publication Indigenous Connections: Native American Ethnographic Study of Golden, Colorado and the Clear Creek Valley presents an overview of the region from the perspective of the Núuchiu (Ute), Hinono’ei (Arapaho), and Tsistsistas (Cheyenne) peoples who were the primary residents of the Golden area before Europeans settlers arrived in 1859. This valuable resource can be downloaded free of charge.
Phase Two: Building Relationships
The ethnography was the ignition GHM&P needed to catalyze its Native American outreach. Phase Two of what we began to refer to as the Indigenous Connections Project built upon the foundation that was started with the ethnography and spread across every component of the museum’s work. With the help of Steve LaPointe (Sicangu Lakota) and 1st Tribal Consulting, we established a Native American Advisory Board to review our practices and outputs, suggest how we can elevate Indigenous voice and representation in our work, and give guidance and input on future initiatives.
We started by reviewing what we held in our collection. One frequent criticism Indigenous peoples have for museums is their lack of transparency about what Native American items are held within their collections. Often museums are not forthright about what they own or how they obtained objects, nor do they allow access to cultural property. GHM&P decided to tackle this by doing the exact opposite. We scanned the entirety of our collection for anything that was associated with a tribe or was labeled Native American or Indian. We assembled all the items together in a single display case in the front of the museum for everyone to see, “warts and all,” and invited visitors and our Native advisors to comment on the collection and what next steps the museum should take.
The museum began introducing Native American-centered programming throughout the year including at our signature fall event, Autumn Fest. We worked with tribal liaisons to review existing exhibits and programs for accuracy and to identify opportunities to tell a more inclusive narrative. We received a second grant from the State Historical Fund to build upon the work of the ethnography by hosting tribal site visits to Golden. In 2023, we welcomed tribal representatives from the Northern Arapaho and the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma to deepen relationships and find ways of working together in the future. In 2024, we are working to bring members of the Northern Cheyenne and Southern Ute to Golden.
During the first phase of exploration, we spoke to leaders of many Front Range cultural institutions about their past experiences working with Indigenous communities and lessons we could learn as we began our work. What we discovered was that many, if not most, peer cultural institutions believed they were in a similar position as Golden. They wished to interpret more Native history, they lacked meaningful connections with community members, their collections were lagging, and other priorities were preventing them from making significant progress. So, in the spirit of group learning and improvement, I created the Indigenous Connections Network, an informal group of cultural leaders, educators, and Indigenous knowledge holders. The network has developed into a community of learners who meet quarterly to learn about one another’s projects, make connections, share resources, and seek opportunities to collaborate. In May 2023, GHM&P hosted a cultural awareness training for museum staff and members of the network. On November 29, 2023, GHM&P coordinated a group visit to the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site on the anniversary of the atrocity. Fifty-four Front Range museum and cultural agency leaders as well as GHM&P staff and supporters and City of Golden leaders toured the site and learned firsthand from Cheyenne and Arapaho elders about the importance of the site and how the massacre forever changed their peoples and way of life. Overwhelmingly, participants were moved by the experience, and many felt the need to direct others to visit the site.
Future and Ongoing Efforts
The Indigenous Connections Project continues to grow and mature. What started as an effort to reform GHM&P practices and change how it engages with historically marginalized communities has evolved into a long-term commitment to partnering with Indigenous communities, understanding, and responding to their needs, nurturing trusting relationships, and demonstrating results through deeds and outcomes. Furthermore, through its work to build a regional community of practice, GHM&P is increasingly sought out by peer organizations for our expertise and advice. The next phase of the Indigenous Connections Project is twofold.
First, we will invest in short-and long-term outputs that enhance the museum’s interpretation of Indigenous history and culture. Such projects include the forthcoming exhibit “We Are Still Here: The Endurance of Native Jewels” that opens at the History Museum this August. We Are Still Here is co-curated with our Native American Advisory Board and highlights the use of Native jewels (dentalium shells and elk ivories) in historic and contemporary Indigenous fashion. We will also dedicate a new Native American Arbor (a traditional shaded gathering space) at the History Park. This beautiful new feature will be located on the east side of the park and be enlivened with programs and events throughout the year. To date, the museum has already invested $100,000 with another $200,000 planned for future projects.
Second, GHM&P will expand its role as a convener and educator to advance the understanding of Indigenous history and culture in our museums and schools. The museum will host its first-ever Indigenous Connections Summit with the theme “Beyond the Land Acknowledgement.” It will bring together cultural leaders and Indigenous knowledge holders to talk about practical ways museums can make meaningful changes in their institutions to increase Native American voice and perspectives. We will also tap into our robust network of schoolteachers to learn how we can help develop educator knowledge and resources to teach about Indigenous history in the classroom.
Telling a full and honest history of Golden is central to our organization’s mission. The Indigenous Connections Project is an important institutional commitment and an endeavor to elevate Native American representation in Golden’s past and present. It’s also a significant way GHM&P can have a lasting, positive impact in our community and region.