As a woman living and working in Denver, Colorado since 1979, and having grown up and attended school in Indiana, I carry a responsibility to honor the enduring connections of Indigenous peoples to their lands and waters. I invite you to reflect on your relationship with the land where you live, work, and travel, as well as its original caretakers.

North America has been home to Indigenous peoples since time immemorial. At least 48 tribal nations have inhabited the Denver area, including the Hinono’ei (Arapaho), Tsistsistas (Cheyenne), and Nuche (Ute) peoples, who are among the most recent traditional residents of the unceded land now called Denver, Colorado. This statement honors the Indigenous peoples and Latino/Chicano/Hispanic peoples who have stewarded this land and recognizes their ongoing contributions and presence in this community.

Though I no longer live there, I feel a connection to and want to honor the place where I grew up — the ancestral lands of many Indigenous peoples, including the Peoria, Myaamia (Miami), Bodwéwadmi (Potawatomi), Kaskaskia, and Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo) nations, who have cared for that land for generations.