News Release

Ute Cultural Presentation with Roland McCook July 30

Photo 1: Roland McCook in Ute regalia (courtesy Roland McCook) Photo 2: Historic photo of Roland's famous 19th century ancestors Chief Ouray and Chipeta in Washington, DC, 1880 (National Archives)

Courtesy Roland McCook/National Archives

News Release Date: July 15, 2022

Contact: Kathy Faz, 719-378-6341

Great Sand Dunes and the San Luis Valley are an integral part of the traditional homeland of the Ute people. On Saturday, July 30 at 10:00 am, Ute Elder Roland McCook will present Ute culture and history at the park amphitheater, while Morgan Dawn Allen helps children make free beaded bracelets. The event is free, but regular park entrance fees are in effect at the entrance station.

Roland McCook was raised in traditional Ute ways on the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation in Utah. Later sent to boarding school, he resisted attempts to strip him of his heritage and identity. Roland is a member of the Uncompahgre Band of the Ute Tribe, and former chair of the Northern Ute Tribe. He has served in a variety of capacities for his tribe, Native American Cultural Programs (NACP), the Smithsonian’s Native American Repatriation Review Committee, and History Colorado.

This special event is sponsored by Western National Parks Association.