The Grand Canyon is the ancestral home of several Southwestern tribal nations, and the tribes still rely on the canyon for natural and cultural resources that are important and sacred to their communities.

Additionally, to preserve the natural resources the Grand Canyon offers, tribal leaders from the Federation of Grand Canyon Tribes have expressed support for an initiative to designate land adjacent to Grand Canyon National Park as a National Monument.

“This is our home. .”

The effort has the support of Tucson Democratic Rep. Raul M. Grijalva, who declared the Grand Canyon a National Monument to make the area a better place for everyone, especially the tribes for whom it is sacred. said to be protected.

“The national monument provides security for the Grand Canyon,” Grijalva said Tuesday. “It provides safety for Native Americans and tribes looking deeper and deeper into the Grand Canyon.”

Senators Grijalva and Kirsten Cinema, along with tribal leaders, began working Tuesday to urge President Joe Biden to use his powers under the Relics Act of 1906 to designate the monument. I asked.

“The Grand Canyon is one of Arizona’s many natural treasures and an important part of our history and heritage,” Cinema said. “We are formally requesting the government to make these areas national monuments to protect water and cultural heritage.”

The national monument will be known as Baji Nuwavjoy Itaa Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument, a name that combines the traditional Havasupai and Hopi languages.

Baaj Nwaavjo means ‘where the tribe roams’ for the Havasupai and I’tah Kukveni means ‘our footsteps’ for the Hopi.

Grand Canyon National Park shares its boundaries with three federally recognized tribes, and 11 federally recognized tribes are traditionally associated with the area. National Park Service.

The proposal builds on the tribe’s long-standing efforts to permanently protect the area. Proposed memorials include his 1,102,501 acres near Grand Canyon National Park.

Tilousi said calling on the Biden administration to create the Baazi Nwabjo Ita Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument is a significant moment for the Havasupai people, who have lived in and around the Grand Canyon since time immemorial. said.

“Our ancestors were once widespread throughout this area that later became known as the Grand Canyon National Park,” says Tilousi, before the federal government’s forcible removal of the Havasupai in 1928. said Mr.

“Those events were tragic, but I am proud that I never left the Grand Canyon,” he said. “Our home is still in the Grand Canyon and we are the only ones left here.

Tilousi said the tribe’s sacred sites, medicines, land and water are in and around the Grand Canyon. Designating these areas as national monuments will protect them from pollution, destruction, exploitation and other negative effects of mining, he added.

“As guardians of the Grand Canyon, we have a duty not only to our ancestors, but also to our children and future generations.

National Monument designation honors the tribe’s deep cultural ties to the Grand Canyon and protects the area by making it temporary and permanent. 20-year mining moratorium Strengthen the cultural, natural, recreational and scientific resources of the region.

“It is the indigenous peoples, the tribes, who have acted as primary guardians, guardians and custodians of their true spiritual home, the Grand Canyon,” Grijalva said. They have led the fight to protect the natural heritage of the Grand Canyon.

“This has been a consistent effort over the last 20 years,” said Grijalva, noting that there have been multiple efforts at the legislative level to protect the Grand Canyon area.

“This campaign is not just about making history, it’s about saving history and its spirit,” he added.

Tribes that are part of the Grand Canyon Tribal Union that support the memorial include the Havasupai, Hopi, Hualapai, Kaibab Paiute, Moapa Band of Paiute of Southern Nevada, Las Vegas Band of Paiute, Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, and the Navajo Nation. included. , San Juan Southern Paiute, Yavapai Apache, Zuni’s Pueblo, Colorado River Indians.

Hopi President Tim Nuvanyaoma said, “The Creator has given us a gift, the shape of which is the shape of the Grand Canyon.” must be preserved.”

Nuvangyaoma said the monument initiative is an encouraging step for the Hopi people because they have a cultural tradition associated with the Grand Canyon.

“I don’t think any tribe has lost that[cultural]connection,” he said. The best way for tribes to continue their ties is to ensure that they are available to future generations.

Amelia Flores, president of the Colorado River Indian Tribe Women’s Tribe, said the National Monument designation gives the area recognition not only from the Indigenous community, but also from the federal government and outside communities.

“We are all working to preserve our history and our place in the landscape along the Colorado River,” Flores said, using Havasupai and Hopi as part of the monument’s name. He added that doing so is very important as it provides a spiritual connection.

Mr. Flores respects the indigenous knowledge of these places and shows how these natural places come to life.

If Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument is designated, Grijalva said it could eliminate some of the challenges that affect the Colorado River, including pollution and disruption of water flow.

“We are protecting water resources in seven watershed states, not just Arizona,” Grijalva said, extending protection to currently unprotected watersheds through monument designation.

It has the ability to permanently protect the Grand Canyon area from extraction or destruction, Grijalva added.

Coconino County Superintendent Lena Fowler agreed with Grijalva’s watershed protection, saying the monument will protect communities that depend on natural spring water in the Grand Canyon region and the Colorado River Basin.

“This is our home and we will be able to protect it,” said Fowler, a Navajo.