Reconciliation Reports
Native American Olympic Team Foundation in the Press!

UTE LEADER TO CARRIES ASPEN'S OLYMPIC TORCH

Roland McCook, the former Chairman of the Northern Ute Tribe of Ft Duschene, Utah, ran with the Olympic Torch through Aspen Saturday. A former Golden Gloves Boxing Champion, he was the first chief asked to do so in America. "You are now the guardians of this land," McCook told the thousands of people at the elegant Coca Cola street party for the torch runners and Aspen Olympians, past and present. 

The Ute Chief was invited by Aspen's new Mayor, Helen Klenderud, as a result of the warm reception at last weekend's Winterskol events honoring the "First People of Aspen." "It was so heart-warming to see the smile on Roland's face with 10 members of his family sharing his experience, along with descendents of Chief Colorow in regalia on stage with him, considering his people had been removed from here to Utah 130 years ago," said Olympian Suzy Chaffee. 

Mayor Klenderud confided, "It was a joy for me to experience the rich culture of our Ute People - a reminder of Aspen's heritage. Growing up in Nebraska I was always attracted to the traditions of the Great Plains Tribes, but never knew how to connect. 

I commend the efforts of Suzy Chaffee and Native American Olympic Team Foundation. We hope to create more opportunities like this in the future." 

McCook was also honored at events in Boulder, Florescent and Denver with Governor Bill Owens. Two Olympic Torch events sponsored by Denver's Burt Chevrolet, featured sports greats like Olympic (Judo) Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, 6 x Gold Medalist Amy Van Diken, Bronco's kicker David Treadwell, and Olympic downhiller and World Freestyle Ski Champion Suzy Chaffee. When Chaffee mentioned to Owens that McCook, the descendent of renowned Chief Ouray and his wife Chipeta, whose tribe had "lived in the Rockies since the beginning of oral history," was being honored in 4 cities in Colorado, Owens replied, "That's because Colorado is a spiritually advanced state."

Another descendent of Chipeta, James Martinez, one of the fastest skiers in the Roaring Fork Valley, also carried the Aspen torch. Martinez was part was part of the Ute team that won the "Ethnic division" of Aspen's Winterskol Parade last Saturday. That victory followed an unveiling of a "Native American Olympic Art Exhibit" at Aspen's Pitkin County Airport, on display for the next year. Music by Native American Award winners piped through the airport transforms people to a distant time in the valley when the land was pristine and sacred to the Utes - "hopefully inspiring visitors to preserve it for their children," said Timothy Marquand, and early Aspenite. Instead of seeing National Gaurdsmen arriving at the airport, visitors last Saturday, were treated to visions of Northern Ute singers, dancers and drummers, as well as Cheyenne Ross Anderson, "The fastest American on Skis," and world class artists, like Ute Robert Colorow and Kessley LaRose, whose brother Paul, wearing his exquisite beadwork, opened the event with a blessing.

Other painters included: the late local Crow Earl Biss, Navajo J.C. Black and Cherokee Joe Andoe who horse studies grace NY's Metropolitan and Museum of Modern Art. (bulletin: A Sports Illustrated writer called saying she's including her magical arrival at the airport in a novel and the Ute Elder, Loya Cesspooch, will be one of her characters.)

"This exhibit is a wonderful prototype and example of how our country can honor and connect with the Native American cultural resources in everyone's backyard," said Ed Hall, BIA Director of the Indian Tourism in Washington. A member of the Arikara/Hidatsu Tribes of North Dakota, and board member of the event organizer Native American Olympic Team Foundation, co-chaired by Chaffee, Hall also came to learn how to ski with 17 Ute and Apache kids. 

Cary Thompson headed the team of 8 Buttermilk Instructors who wore feathers in their hair, given by the Ute kids. "Because everybody was so kind, patient and really helped a lot, we got to snowboard from the top on our second day," said Willy And Patricia Ridley. They were two of the Ute skiers who will dance in the Opening Ceremonies at Salt Lake on February 8th. "We loved it, we loved it, and hope we can come again," chimed the kids. "We have a feeling for the land," explained the favorite teacher/great grandmother/dancer/skier/Elder of the Northern Utes, Loya Cesspooch. 

A highlight of the weekend was a NVF benefit at the Caribou Club. Cara Daniel shared some stunning transformational moments of her one woman show "Her Eyes were Blue," that she'll be performing at the Eccles Center at Park City on February 15th during the Olympics. Cara is one of Aspen's leading actresses, who is a descendent of the Comanche Chief Quana Parker. Using his Anglo mother's name, Quana became a bridge between Washington and Indian rights, and as a friend of Teddy Roosevelt, likely influenced his starting the National Parks Preservation system. 

"With 1 in 4 Americans having Native blood, so many people have come up to me and shared that they too had Native blood," said Daniel. Many of Aspen's most prominent citizens shared that they too had Native blood, following Chaffee's honoring during the parade of all valley residents with Native ancestry for their gifts to humanity." NVF's advisors, Tex Hall, President of the National Congress of American Indians and spiritual leader, Arvol Looking Horse, both champion athletes, believe strongly in supporting NVF's efforts in giving Native youth a chance to experience the wonderful world of skiing and boarding. 

The events were sponsored by the Aspen City Council, Timothy Marquand, Denise Rich, Barry Siegel & Encompass Electrical Technologies, Miners Building, NAMMY Awards, Coors Founation, The Caribou Club, Coca Cola, Southern Wine & Spirits, David Floria Gallery, Connie Baxter Marlow, Florian Scott Halazon, Photographs by Michelle Marie, Suzy's Olympic Teamates for the Havaline Texaco Star Award, Aspen Grove Gallery, Indiana Consortium for Education Toward Sustainability, Peak Bank, Ritz Camera, Jonas Weil, David Sebastian Martinez, Aspen Square, Molly Gibson, Skiers Chalet, La Cocina Restaurant and co-hosted by Chaffee, Lisa Tully and Cara Daniel.