The Ute people and Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes have long crossed paths for generations, as told by many oral stories hailing from each tribe, on Friday, Aug. 7, Edward Box III and the Sky Ute Casino Resort (SUCR) completed an ethical return of a Southern Cheyenne, tipi liner – which was purchased as an art piece and has been displayed over the years in the SUCR Hotel foyer – the experience contributed to the camaraderie between the two tribes. In the Bonny Kent conference room at the SUCR, Box welcomed guests for a viewing of the hand-crafted tipi liner, storytelling, gift exchange, and a blessing of the item ahead of its return to its homelands. The Southern Ute Cultural Center and Museum staff were also present assisting in the proper archival packing of the item, helping to preserve it during transit. Tribal historian Chester Whiteman, who hails from the Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes, made it his mission to be in attendance that Friday morning and to ensure the tipi liner is safely returned. The gatherings outcome created what felt like a full circle moment for all involved, solidifying the fact that the cultural teachings for both tribes are strong and continue to be practiced each day.  

The 6ft by 8ft tipi liner lay across two large tables on Friday morning inside the Bonny Kent conference room, displaying the craftsmanship of the family who created the item many years ago. The tipi liner is known to provide insulation and ventilation inside the traditional cone shaped home – this liner features beaded lane stitch rows spanning the length of the hide, 14 medallions along the width, and hide fringe drops with shells. Southern Ute tribal member and SUCR General Manager Trainee, Edward Box III shared the story of how the item came to be displayed within the SUCR; in his time working in the Cultural Preservation Department, he approached Tribal elders to gain information about the then unknown item. The tipi liner was often misidentified as a calendar or a historical timeline tool, but no one could truly identify the item we now know to be the Southern Cheyenne tipi liner – eventually as Box began his career at SUCR he made the suggestion to have the item either donated or put on loan with the Southern Ute Cultural Center and Museum (SUCCM).    

“I started the collaboration with the [SUCCM] and that’s when I learned from Tallias [Cantsee] that the item was identified as a Southern Cheyenne tipi liner by Chester Whiteman, who was in town for a consultation on another project with SUCCM – after hearing that, I did a search online and found a tipi liner that is listed on the National Museum of the American Indian, one of the Smithsonian’s, and the tipi liner looked almost identical to the one we had,” Box said. “So, I went and told our General Manager that we have a Southern Cheyenne tipi liner in our possession, from there we made the decision to regift it back to their people in a traditional way because that item did not belong here. We housed it, but the tipi liner needed to go back home.”  

“The process began, so in the meantime I started research to figure out how we acquired the tipi liner and we still don’t know where it came from – to my understanding, around 2008 before our grand opening a group of [Southern Ute] tribal members who worked here at the casino were selected to be a part of an art committee and they were in charge of buying artifacts to be displayed in the casino and the tipi liner actually was displayed just right above us [interview location with SU Drum] in the hotel’s lobby,” Box said. “I’ve always felt a strong connection to the item – before my current position I went back to school, but upon my return I realized that the tipi liner had yet to make it over to the museum. I explained to Tallias Cantsee that maybe that’s the reason why the liner never made it to [SUCCM] when I left was because the tipi liner was waiting for me to come back home, so I can help the item get back home.” 

Tallias Cantsee is the Collections Manager for SUCCM, he is a member of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and is a Choctaw descendant. Years ago, the SUCCM staff discovered that there were multiple cultural items within the collections, as defined by the Native American Graves and Repatriation Act or NAGPRA, belonging to the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes. Tribal historians and NAGPRA officers from both Northern and Southern Cheyenne peoples came to Ignacio to consult on the items and proceed with proper procedures, it just so happened that Chester Whiteman, tribal historian from Southern Cheyenne, identified the tipi liner that was on display at the SUCR.  

“Just on a side conversation, [Chester Whiteman] asked me, ‘do you happen to know anything about this tipi liner in the casino?’ which I really had no understanding of it at that time,” Cantsee said. “I just knew that an art committee had purchased a bunch of art for the new casino building, and Chester continued to say, ‘well I have one just like it in my house, that is a Southern Cheyenne tipi liner,’ to me it was ironic that while we were having a consultation he had identified another item within possession of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe that had belonged to their culture.” 

“I was able to put Edward in contact with Chester Whiteman as I had already established a working relationship with him through NAGPRA, Chester also has ties to the Ute people being that he has relatives from both Towaoc and Ignacio. I felt it was the right thing to do to help affect this ethical return,” Cantsee said. “Once I got in contact with Chester, he was so excited and let us know that he would personally be down to pick up the item – so all in all it was a really good effort by the Casino and Tribe to return something where it belonged. Being apart of the event felt really emotional, it was a proud moment for me to be asked to help facilitate the return in a traditional manner, having Rudley Weaver present to provide a blessing and then for myself to be asked to provide a song – it was really powerful.”  

The ethical return made for a heartwarming moment, to wrap up the event Chester Whiteman took time to share his gratitude for the gesture, even sharing oral stories of interactions with Ute tribes hailing from his people. SUCCM staff; Tallias Cantsee, Fabian Martinez, Sheree Mann, and Mallorie King prepared the item for transit – along with assistance from Tribal elder Rudley Weaver – delicately folding the tipi liner and packaging the item in archival grade materials before presenting the item to Chester Whiteman. The tipi liner has since made a safe arrival to its homelands through the collaboration of the Sky Ute Casino Resort, Southern Ute Cultural Center and Museum, and Chester Whiteman of the Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribes. The event served as a reminder to all, that our cultural teachings are still extant and the gesture displayed diplomacy, camaraderie, and genuine nation-to-nation interaction.