by Sarana Riggs, Grand Canyon Manager
The centennial anniversary of Grand Canyon National Park last year was a grain of sand in the canyon’s ancient geologic record, a blink in its human history spanning thousands of years. Yet the moment did not pass without acknowledgement. It not only provided an opportunity to reflect on the past — we have a world-class national park in our backyard because Native peoples were pushed off their ancestral homelands — but also chart a new path forward.
Today, on the park’s 101st anniversary, we solidly step into a new era with the continued commitment to listen, learn, and make strides together. It will be what we make of it, and we invite you to join Native communities, the Trust, the National Park Service, and people around the world to protect the Grand Canyon for centuries to come.
The Voices of Grand Canyon is a collection of stories that grew out of the Intertribal Centennial Conversations, a group of over 30 cultural leaders from Grand Canyon-affiliated tribes that has been gathering since 2017 to discuss the past, present, and future of Grand Canyon National Park. One of the group's priorities is to share contemporary and diverse Native perspectives and true histories of ancestral connections to the Grand Canyon.
The Voices of Grand Canyon speak for themselves. Explore the stories of Jim Enote (Zuni), Nikki Cooley (Navajo), Leigh Kuwanwisiwma (Hopi), Coleen Kaska (Havasupai), and Loretta Jackson-Kelly (Hualapai) below:
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In addition to the education and interpretation initiatives the Intertribal Centennial Conversations group is advancing, members have also been busy speaking at public events, conducting training programs for park service interpreters and hiking and river guides, and working to include Native voices in protecting the Grand Canyon for future generations.
This June, the group will host an intertribal economic summit in partnership with Grand Canyon National Park and the Grand Canyon Conservancy.
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