In this month’s newsletter:
- Take Action
- Announcements
- Events
- Online Resources
- Volunteering
TAKE ACTION
Urge Boulder County Commissioners to Grant Co-management of Haystack Mountain Open Space to Native People
Boulder County owns 105 acres at Haystack Mountain (5655 Niwot Rd.). This mountain is sacred to many Native tribes. Rick Williams (Lakota & Cheyenne) of People of the Sacred Land said that the tribes would like to have access to this land to establish a Cultural Center there.
It might be possible to follow the model of the Tall Bull Memorial Grounds, an area in Daniels Park reserved for Native Americans to use for ceremonies, powwows, and other activities. This land is owned by Denver Mountain Parks Foundation.
Contact the Boulder County Commissioners, Marta Loachamin, Clair Levy, and Ashley Stolzmann at commissioners@bouldercounty.gov and urge them to grant co-management of Haystack Mountain Open Space to Native Peoples.
Express your Concerns:
Proposed Design for the Fort Chambers Site
Please join Right Relationship Boulder and other organizations (CU’s Center for Indigenous and Native American Studies, Indigenous Allies, Boulder Friends Meeting, Museum of Boulder, etc.) in urging the City’s Open Space and Mountain Parks Department to reject and revise a proposed design for the Fort Chambers site. The design was created by Studio Tectonics, a consulting firm. It fails to:
- implement specific suggestions made by tribal representatives
- acknowledge 13,000 years of Native history in the Boulder Valley prior to the arrival of miners and settlers
- demonstrate the reality of the fort and what happened there
- describe the outcomes of the Sand Creek Massacre for the Arapaho and Cheyenne vs. the people of Boulder
- ask visitors what “right relationship” with the Arapaho and Cheyenne would look like today, and what steps we should take in that direction
It purports to “explain” (excuse?) the Sand Creek Massacre as an outcome of settlers’ fears of Indian attacks. It leaves visitors with a completely unsupported assertion that Native influence and presence in Boulder are increasing.
RRB offers this template to help you craft letters to OSMP, City Council, and the Daily Camera. Please consider which aspects of the proposed design are most important to you, and focus your letter on those. Thank you!
Vote for:
RRB’s Cultivating Connections Group
Click here to vote for RRB for Starburst Award!
We’re excited to announce that Right Relationship Boulder’s Cultivating Connections Group has been selected as a 2026 Starburst Award recipient for their sponsorship of the Arapaho Language and Culture Camp, recognizing excellence in the use of Colorado Lottery funds.
Vote for Right Relationship Boulder once daily from July 1–31 by clicking here!
National Park Signage
Update: A federal judge just ordered the Department of the Interior (DOI) to reinstate signs and exhibits that were recently censored or removed at national parks across Turtle Island. Read more here. Affected parks here.
From:
RRB:
If we care about telling accurate Native history in our National Parks, now is the time to lift our voices! See this Colorado Sun article for more information.
Please click on this link to submit comments to the Department of the Interior today. You can choose to comment about “signs and other information” about any specific site, so choose a site that is important to you. Or choose many sites and submit comments for them all. For example, one Colorado resident submitted this statement about the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site:
It is important to preserve the accurate history of Sand Creek as a massacre site, a massacre perpetrated by the US Cavalry against Native Americans (mostly the elderly, women and children). A marker referring to a supposed “Sand Creek Battleground” was removed in recent years because this was NOT a battleground, but a massacre site. This marker must not be returned to the site, as might be required by the “Secretarial Order” from the current administration. Please do not try to whitewash the history of this site. Historical accuracy is important, current political whims are not. Thank you.
RRB ANNOUNCEMENTS
Join RRB’s fundraising account with King Soopers!
Right Relationship Boulder has set up a fundraising account with King Soopers! Link your King Sooper’s Rewards Card to “Mediators Foundation” (the RRB fiscal sponsor) and King Sooper’s will donate 4% of your purchases to Right Relationship Boulder at no cost to you.
How to sign up:
- Visit: kingsoopers.com/i/community/community-rewards
- Follow the steps to link your rewards card to Mediators Foundation
Why it matters:
- King Sooper’s will donate 4% of your monthly grocery purchases to RRB
Arapaho Unity Youth Gathering
June 14-21, 2026
The Northern and Southern Arapaho youth and elders came together this year for a gathering on their beautiful, ancestral land.
There were 10 Southern Arapaho youth from the Cheyenne & Arapaho Reservation in Oklahoma and 10 Northern Arapaho youth from the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. There were 2 Southern Arapaho elders and 4 Northern Arapaho Elders (who also functioned as chaperones). There were 3 Southern Arapaho chaperones and 1 Northern Arapaho chaperone. There were also had 2 cooks from the Cheyenne & Arapaho Reservation.
The group arrived from Oklahoma on the evening of Sunday, June 14, and stayed at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder (UUCB). They were greeted by members of UUCB and provided with dinner from Right Relationship Boulder (RRB). They received welcome bags decorated by youth from UUCB which included a water bottle from Broomfield Open Space and lots of other goodies. The group also received a welcome bag backpack from the City of Lafayette.
Members of UUCB and the Boulder Valley Unitarian Universalist Church (BVUUC) provided breakfast the next morning, and RRB members met them to help load equipment and go to the Rocky Mountain EcoDharma Retreat Center (RMERC) in the mountains above Jamestown. The Northern Arapaho met us there. We set up 4 tipis on the beautiful land at RMERC.
On Tuesday, they visited the Great Outdoors Waterpark in Lafayette.
On Wednesday, Donald Whyte, a Ute Mountain Ute elder, who recently retired from the National Park Service, met with them to escort them to Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) where they got a personalized Native American tour of their homeland, mixed with friendly banter about the Ute People and the Arapaho People. The group had free entry without reservations to RMNP were able to have a wonderful experience on Trail Ridge Road and a visit to the headwaters of the Colorado River.
On Thursday, Maggie Engelman arranged a fishing experience at Sawhill Ponds with David Ford and some of his staff members from Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks. Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks paid for fishing licenses for the youth who were 16 and older and chaperones and elders who wanted to fish. The fishing trip was a rousing success with people having significant bites, and most catching fish!
Lynn Walker, owner of Colorado Mountain Ranch provided trail rides and archery on Friday. This is always an outstanding experience for the youth. Some of them never rode a horse before this!
The Northern Arapaho left for home on Saturday.The Southern Arapaho wanted one last Boulder Reservoir experience, so they headed down to Boulder in the afternoon.
The Southern Arapaho group left on Sunday. They stopped at Debbie Lanes’s in Longmont where they were graciously provided with brunch before they left for Oklahoma.
In addition to everything listed above, the youth received teachings from the elders that included things such as plains Indians “Hand Talk”.
The trip was made possible through the generous donations of so many individuals, as well as time and services donated by the Rocky Mountain EcoDharma Retreat Center, the Colorado Mountain Ranch, the City of Lafayette, the Boulder Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, The Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder, Broomfield sister-city and Broomfield Open Space, Boulder City Open Space and Mountain Parks, Rocky Mountain National Park, First Congregational Church of Boulder, Tipi Raisers, and the members of Right Relationship Boulder. It took a village!
With gratitude,
Laurie Rugenstein Right Relationship Boulder, Land Group
EVENTS
Free Virtual Event
July 2 at 11am MT
Indian Country Today (ICT) invites audiences to examine America 250 through an Indigenous lens, one that confronts history honestly, centers Native voices and connects the past to the realities of today and the possibilities of tomorrow.
Learn more and stream on youtube here.
Unmasking the 250th: the Indigenous Roots of U.S. Democracy and A Call to Interdependence
Tuesday, July 7 at 1pm MT
Join us on Tuesday, July 7th as we apply a critical, historical lens to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, learn about the Indigenous roots of American democracy, and discuss the unfinished work of truth-telling, repair, and right relationship for the next 250 years.
Register here.
Stay tuned! RRB in-person event dates coming soon
Exhibit Closing Soon: Colorado’s People of the Sacred Land
OPEN APRIL 24, 2026 – JULY 5, 2026
Museum of Boulder
As we consider the meaning of the 250th anniversary of American Independence and the 150th anniversary of Colorado statehood, let’s center the voices and perspectives of Indigenous people, past and present, and reflect on the legacies we inherit. This exhibit highlights key findings from the Truth, Restoration, and Education Commission (TREC) Reports, paired with artwork by Native artists addressing the personal impact of these histories.
The TREC Reports by the People of the Sacred Land detail the losses Colorado’s historic tribes incurred. The Historic Loss Assessment details land cessions – legal, illegal, and coerced – and the underlying circumstances that precipitated such events. Through extensive research of individual title transfers, they report the value of dispossessed lands to be approximately $1.17 trillion (market value in 2021). The Legal and Political History of Colorado Tribes explores the legal and political history of the Apache of Oklahoma, Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, Comanche, Kiowa, Northern Arapaho, Northern Cheyenne, Shoshone, Ute Tribe of Utah, Southern Ute, and Ute Mountain Ute. The third report examines the history of Indian education in Colorado.
More information here.
NEWS
Museum of Boulder
Art Exhibit Highlights Local Indigenous artists
As an Oglala Lakota citizen with Cheyenne ancestry, the idea of celebrating the 150th year of Colorado’s statehood is complicated for Richard Williams.
“When we look back on those 150 years, it hasn’t been pretty for us,” Williams said. “In fact, it’s very difficult to find anything to celebrate.”
Read more here.
New Signage at NOAA Boulder
Why Native Americans Celebrated the Battle of the Greasy Grass
Native News Online, 29 June 2026
From a Native perspective, the Battle of the Greasy Grass was never about defeating a famous military officer. It was about survival and honor. A perspective that was passed down through the generations within the tribes who fought in the battle.
Read more here.
New Episode: Native Bidaské: SD Tribes Unite to Return the Black Hills
w/ NDN Collective’s Dr. Valeriah Big Eagle
Watch episode here.
LAND BACK: All Nine South Dakota Tribes Support Black Hills Land Return
by Levi Rickert, June 10, 2026 – Native News Online
In a historic demonstration of unity, all nine federally recognized Tribal nations in South Dakota have passed resolutions supporting the development of legislation to return federal lands in the Black Hills to the Great Sioux Nation.
Read more here.
Pipestone National Monument under threat
Courtesy of Native Organizer Alliance Action Fund
In modern-day Minnesota, Pipestone National Monument is a sacred place is under threat: The fossil fuel corporation Magellan wants to route an oil pipeline through it.
Submit a public comment here.
New article: A brief history of Indigenous involvement in the U.S. National Climate Assessment
Read here.
Online Resources
NEW: Indigenous House
Welcome to Indigenous House, the new digital media platform and YouTube channel celebrating Indigenous voices, creators, and culture. Building on the groundbreaking work of IllumiNative, we are a visionary lifestyle brand powered by Indigenous cultures, creativity, and community — bold, forward-looking, and unapologetically Native.
Our digital collective brings together diverse voices, stories, and perspectives that celebrate our innovation, joy, and legacy. We don’t just tell stories. We shape the future.
Truth, Restoration, and Education Reports (TREC)
https://peopleofthesacredland.org/trec-reports
The Truth, Restoration & Education Commission, led by the People of the Sacred Land in Colorado, has been examining the legal and political pasts of the state’s tribes, with a focus on restoring the status of tribal nations. In one of the final reports, the commission reveals a history of genocide, land grab, theft in perpetuity and the elimination of Tribal Sovereignty in Colorado, and recommends actions for restoration and reparations.
First Nations’ colleague and People of the Sacred Land President Rick Williams (Oglala Lakota and Cheyenne) tells CBS News, “We would like to see the state of Colorado and the federal government own their responsibility for restoring justice to Indian people in Colorado. It isn’t doing land acknowledgments…. It’s about helping us protect sacred sites. It’s about trying to find ways to maybe bring these people home.” See the 3 min. interview and article here.
The Truth About 250-150 Project
Click here for the StoryMap
The Truth About 250–150 Collective unites Wakáška Yuza – Native Youth Leaders, Control Group Productions, and Create áyA to tell Colorado’s true history through Native-led art, performance, and story. Together, they are developing a mobile history and art exhibit that will travel statewide in 2026, blending Native truth-telling with contemporary creative expression.
At its center is The Breathing Healing Bus, an immersive gallery and theatre experience by Control Group Productions in collaboration with Cinnamon Kills First, Bill TallBull, and Kaden Walksnice (Cheyenne). In 2024, the Bus carried audiences from Denver to the Sand Creek Massacre site, confronting Colorado’s violent origins and offering a space for reflection and healing.
In 2025, the project expanded to tell the broader story of Native Colorado, including the enduring presence of the Ute Nations, through their voices, and to highlight findings from the Truth Restoration Education Commission (TREC) report that includes the legal and political histories of ten Tribal Nations that ceded land to what is now Colorado.
In 2026, the Breathing Healing Bus will anchor the Truth About 250–150 Mobile Tour, a Native-led initiative DISRUPTING Colorado’s official 150th-anniversary celebration. The tour will share untold stories of displacement and resilience while affirming the truth that “We Are Still Here.”
How to Show Up in a Good Way: Lessons for white settlers in Indigenous-led movements
Access the Zine here.
This Zine (a short, illustrated booklet) shares advice from activists with the movement against the Line 3 tar sands pipeline on how white folks can show up in a good way to an Indigenous-led movement.
The Zine is free — please feel free to share, print, and distribute, and consider donating to an Indigenous-led climate justice nonprofit or movement. Brigid Mark and Timothy Cominghay compiled the information in the Zine, and artist Jackie Fawn created the illustrations, and many other activists contributed to and provided feedback on the Zine.
Access the Zine here.
Learn History of Colorado’s Ute Tribes
This PBS Colorado Experience documentary film gives a good overview of the history of the Ute tribes in Colorado, mostly in the words of Ute tribal members themselves.
Building Relationships with Native Peoples: Examples and Tips from Colorado Communities
We invite you to watch this recording of an April 16, 2025 webinar that was hosted by the Toward Right Relationship with Native Peoples program.
Speakers from Right Relationship Boulder, the Longmont-Northern Arapaho Sister Cities program, and the Broomfield-Cheyenne and Arapaho Sister Cities program shared their experiences of building relationships with tribes whose ancestors were forcibly removed from the Boulder Valley. Watch the recording here, and forward it to others who might find it useful and inspiring as they consider ways to build right relationships in their own communities.