By Anthony Sanchez Jr. / Pueblo of Zuni Tribal Council / May 7, 2024 / Albuquerque Journal

The Zuni people have a profound connection to Bears Ears that transcends government-created boundaries. Our ties to the Bears Ears National Monument are evidenced by the ruins and cultural artifacts left by our ancestors.

The monument’s cultural resources attest to the area’s unique natural resources, resources which drew our ancestors to the area thousands of years ago.

Bears Ears contains the stories of our migration history and spiritual practices that have shaped our identity over millennia. The sacred places across its landscape are chapters in a living history book; its rock markings and structures are an enduring record of Zuni’s ancestral journey.

Now, we are writing the next chapter of Zuni history by returning to Bears Ears, along with four other area tribes, as collaborative managers.

The Zuni Tribe, Ute Indian Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Hopi Tribe, and Navajo Nation constitute the Bears Ears Commission.

In collaboration with our federal partners from the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service, the commission has offered management recommendations drawn from our Traditional Indigenous Knowledge and centuries of stewardship practices.

The recently published draft Resource Management Plan for the monument incorporates our insights, knowledge and expertise in sustainable resource management and cultural resource preservation.

Alternative E of the draft plan is the one that most closely aligns with our tribal values and recommendations.

For the Zuni people, Bears Ears is more than a collection of archeological sites. It is a cathedral, where every inscription and cultural belonging resonates with the spirit of our ancestors and with natural world that drew them to this unique place.

Zuni’s deep connection to the Bears Ears region is documented through oral narratives that trace our origins and migrations, forming an integral part of our collective cultural consciousness. This cultural landscape needs to be protected and preserved, not just for our future generations, but for all future generations.

I hope those interested in the monument will join members of the Bears Ears Commission, along with federal agency partners, at the upcoming informational meeting in Albuquerque to learn more about the proposal for the management of the monument.

We specifically invite you to learn about and support the Bears Ears Commission’s preferred alternative, Alternative E. The public comment period is now underway and will be critical in determining a final plan for the management of this sacred landscape.

The fourth in-person public comment meeting will be held in Albuquerque on Tuesday, May 7, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. MDT. The meeting will be located at the ABQ Marriott Courtyard at 5151 Journal Center Boulevard, 87109.

Anthony Sanchez Jr. is Head Councilman for the Zuni Tribe. He also serves as a Bears Ears Commissioner on behalf of Zuni.