The Political Ecology Of Cultural Revitalization: A Tribal Economic Policy Analysis Of Outdoor Recreation And Ecological Restoration For The Southern Ute Tribe
Native Americans are the original land stewards of North America. Historical devastation brought on by colonization had major impacts on Indigenous communities, like the Southern Ute tribe in Southwestern Colorado, creating issues which linger unresolved to this day. Attempts were made to disconnect the Southern Utes from their traditional homelands, restricting them to reservations, and subjecting them to assimilation policies meant to eliminate their language, culture, and traditional economics. Actively recreating connections to landscapes, through language and culture, by developing analog modern economies provides opportunities for resolution.
Often, chronic underfunding of Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and tribal programs hinders adaptation of innovative approaches to address social, ecological, or economic issues. I propose that to achieve the goals of cultural revitalization and resiliency, the Southern Ute (or Tri-Ute intertribal collaboration) develop a demonstration project for outdoor recreation under 25 U.S. Code § 4305 - Intertribal tourism demonstration projects. Under available Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grants for tribal adaptations to climate change the Southern Ute could initiate environmental restoration business cooperative ventures that tie together private and federal contracting for ecological restoration planning and implementation incorporating experiential cultural teachings. The path to economic stability, social equity, and dignity depends on the recognition of human interdependence with the ecological community.
A new generation of Southern Ute educated in the sciences, natural resource management, and cooperative business skills will be able to relate their traditional teachings, language, and values to landscape stewardship strategies. This approach compliments oil and gas development and gaming in current economic development strategies. Federal mitigation polices use the landscape-scale approach in management decisions allowing tribes to collaborate across private and federal land management agencies required to consult with tribes. Synergizing tribal policy to the indigenous Human-in-Ecosystem framework with the landscape-scale approach to land management encourages ecological and cultural resiliency. This benefits tribes, helping to address climate change challenges in the ecological community, while providing benefits to the broader American society.
