Through the experiences shared with my father, like flying in a noisy plane above the green Indian Creek, to hiking through Indian Creek canyons to find petroglyphs 80 feet up the cliff, Lt. Governor Carleton Bowekaty, has been a Bears Ears Coalition board member since 2016. In this role, he has had multiple opportunities to travel, plan, and collaborate with tribes including the Dine', Ute, Hopi, Ute mountain Ute, and of course, Zuni Tribe. 

My most recent experience accompanying my father was when we went up to Bluff, Utah which is roughly sixty-seven miles from Bears Ears National Monument. There we met the totem pole from the House of Tears carvers from the Lummi Tribe, who “rebirthed” the fallen log, into a spirit that carried power and prayer to communities where extraction of natural resources pose a threat to the preservation of our sacred sites like Snake River, Idaho; Bears Ears National Monument; and Standing Rock, North Dakota which are all places where resource extraction will threaten the water, land, and spirit of the land. 

All of this I didn't know, which struck me as curious as to why people would endanger the land for the exploitation of resources. Was it because they didn't care that it was sacred Indigenous land? Nevertheless, I haven’t seen an event this crowded since the pandemic, but I understood why. The first time I laid eyes on that 25-foot tall totem, I was overwhelmed with, grief, respect, and pride as many people came far and wide to pray and to give respect to what this pole represented. Hearing the strong voices tremble with emotion as men and women spoke of the land so dear to them, left me in a state of deep sorrow.

Others may have seen this movement as an attempt to ‘bribe’ the Biden Administration to undo the effects of Trump, but this journey had a much deeper purpose. This pilgrimage from the Northeastern coast of Washington state to Washington, D.C. called “The Red Road to D.C” was born out of an inter-tribal desire to raise awareness to protect sacred places under threat from resource extraction and industrial development. In spite of all of our efforts to heighten awareness for the protection of these sacred areas, there isn't a solid end in sight. “Treaties still matter” (a quote from Native Knowledge 360 on the Dakota Access Pipeline), as tribal sovereign nations continue to struggle with an over-arching government unable to hold up its end of the bargain. An example of this struggle in recent years would be the reduction in size of the Bears Ears National Monument, established in 2016 with Efforts of the Obama Administration, only to be reduced by 85% in December 2017 during the Trump Administration. The Trump Administration's reasoning being, opening leasing opportunities for mineral, oil and gas within the protected lands would ease the regulations on drilling and concerns for wildlife conservation.

Due to this ongoing controversy, Indigenous sovereign nations are coming together and raising awareness through prayer and educating the public in addition to protesting the injustices taking place on sacred lands. The key focus is that people are willing to exploit these resources and endanger the preservation of sacred history within the United States. Although I understand that the Trump Administration's focus was centered on boosting the fossil fuel/natural resource industry, the end result isn't worth the sacrifice of our protected lands. We as a country should begin to look past the monetary value of our natural resources, and begin to preserve the natural history, beauty, and spirit of the land as was the goal of the Red Road to DC.

Across the United States, there are many sites where we continually face the endangerment of our natural land which directly impacts our Indigenous way of life. We should not have to fear whether the next generation of our time will be able to pray to the land, visit the spirits and practice our traditional ways at the same places our ancestors have. As many people today have lost their roots of who they are as an individual and community, and who instead place value on money and power, I believe it is now more important than ever that we cherish where we come from as well as our life purpose. As Zuni or A:shiwi people, our Yaddokya Datchu (Sun Father) brought us from beneath the earth, and it is our responsibility to give prayer and offer cornmeal to the Sun Father, so that He will continue to bless us with moisture, food, and sustenance so that all of the world's people may prosper.