Voices of Yellowstone: First Peoples Celebration in Yellowstone National Park
Lighted tipis, Yellowstone National Park, Photo courtesy NPS, Jacob W. Frank
Next week begins an extraordinary event in Gardiner, Montana, at the North Entrance to Yellowstone National Park. Voices of Yellowstone: First Peoples Celebration takes place Aug. 4-10, with special events each day to honor and celebrate the diverse cultures of the Indigenous Peoples of Yellowstone, past, present and future.
There are 27 tribes associated with Yellowstone. For thousands of years, before becoming a national park, tribes hunted, fished, gathered plants, quarried obsidian, and used the thermal waters for religious and medicinal purposes. Ultimately, the tribes were relocated to reservations. While history can’t be rewritten, Yellowstone National Park is making a concerted effort to raise awareness and strengthen the cultural ties and visibility of the Tribes associated with this land.
The celebration begins on Sunday evening with an opening ceremony, which includes a blessing, drum circle, and lighting of the illuminated teepees, titled Building Bridges of Peace. Events throughout the week include a Native Art Market, cultural tours, cultural ambassadors sharing traditions and knowledge, a community potluck and the closing ceremony.
Arch Park, Roosevelt Arch. Photo courtesy NPS / Jacob W. Frank
Tribal Heritage Center
In addition to the week-long celebration, there are more opportunities to learn about Indigenous culture in Yellowstone. The Tribal Heritage Center, located in the Old Faithful area, brings Indigenous artists, scholars and presenters from 27 tribes to engage with visitors through demonstrations, beadwork, discussions, dancing, storytelling, flint knapping, quillwork and more.
An Era of Unity and Inclusivity by Pretty Shield Foundation. Photo courtesy NPS / Jacob W. Frank
Yellowstone Revealed
Through Sept. 9, Yellowstone Revealed, in collaboration with Mountain Time Arts, features a tipi display at each entrance in the Park. This year’s theme, “How the Land Remembers Us: Tribal Tipi Lodge and Buffalo Stories,” is a thought-provoking and visceral experience with art and storytelling to explore the significance of tribal people and their tipis and buffalo.
These experiences are free and open to the public and are a terrific way to begin to understand Native cultures and how the land that spans Yellowstone was such an integral part of their lives. We respectfully hope you can join us.