Sacred Places, Trees, and Songs

Concerned Citizens Urged to Participate in Public Meetings and Workshops Colorado is home to a priceless treasure of waterways, wetlands, snowpacks, and watersheds.  Colorado is a high desert plagued with droughts, wind and dust storms, and extreme erosion.  Both of these statements are true as well as the range of truths between and around them. So, the process of preserving and protecting our waters is complex. It got more challenging last year when the U.S. Supreme Court shot down two major provisions of the Clean Water Act.  The first provides for protection of streams that are ephemeral, existing only during the snowmelt season, for example. Streams and wetlands that dry up periodically could be dredged and filled in to construct homes, roads, or other operations. Wildlife, native plants, habitats, graves, and places sacred to Native American peoples could be destroyed.  The second provision to be removed by the Supreme Court covers streams connected to a water ...

Hello!  Last weekend, people from all over Colorado converged on a 350-acre swath of the Black Forest north of Colorado Springs known as La Forêt. Dense stands of Ponderosa Pines surround a grassy meadow for walking and games. Along the west side meanders a stream in a small floodplain dotted with cottonwood trees.  This bucolic place was the setting for the annual get-together of the Association for Native American Sacred Trees and Places, fondly called NASTaP. Its leader and president is a nonagenarian Ute elder named Dr. James Jefferson. He and his crew drove into the grove in a truck and trailer carrying a large tipi, which was set up on the grounds to mark the place of gathering.  People trickled in and were welcomed with delicious food and greetings all around. A man named Jim Trujillo told stories and led a drumming circle around the campfire. The next day was filled with stories, exchanges, and learning. It concluded with dancing led by Sam Gallegos in full regali...