Native American Oral History and Cultural Interpretation in Rocky Mountain National Park

This book is designed to provide original ethnographic detail on the very real connections to an ancestral homeland still held by Arapaho and the Ute American Indians. As such, the data relies heavily on oral traditions, shared memories of place, community, and loss. It also examines how culture is inscribed onto the landscape in a real rather than imagined (or theoretical) fashion.It relies heavily on perspectives of place as shared with the author by Native people whose presence in the Park sparked memories, thoughtful reflections, attitudes, and stories. This collection is intended, in part, to take Native American histories and stories out of the fringes and into the consciousness of visitors to Rocky Mountain National Park.The book is divided according to the themes which emerged over a five year period. Therefore, the design is not arbitrary and clearly is not intended to cover every area of Ute or Arapaho culture, but rather to investigate those areas which elicited responses by Native consultants.