2014: The year in review

Friday - January 9, 2015 by Staff report | The Southern Ute Drum

Team Colorado traveled to Saskatchewan, Canada to compete in the Native American Indigenous Games.

15. The Tribe introduced the official Southern Ute Facebook page as another form of communication with tribal membership. Members can view updated news articles, videos, and invitations to events. To date, the page has 1,186 likes.

14. The Ignacio School District saw a number of developments and renovations throughout the school year. Ignacio Elementary School opened a brand new building and the Ignacio High School is currently under renovation. Awards were also handed out for architecture – Ignacio Middle School taking first place with the AIA Colorado Merit Award and AIA South Colorado Honor Award.

13. The Tribe had many visitors to the reservation in 2014 including the international Peace Runners, European Scholars, Golden High School senior class, foreign exchange students and Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper.

12. The Boys & Girls Club of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe did a lot for the community this year organizing food drives, toy drives and helping organize a Halloween Carnival.

11. This year involved plenty of activities provided by SunUte Community Center. SunUte hosted many events including the annual Eldred Vigil Memorial Walk Run and the Leonard C. Burch Walk Run. The community center was active throughout the year, aiding tribal members with health incentives and services while keeping things interactive and fun.

10. Tribal Veterans stayed busy once again this year, carrying flags at many events and attending Veteran conferences around the country. The tribe also reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to allow the Health Center to provide primary services to Native American veterans.

9. Ignacio High School Boy’s Basketball team finished the season with a 25-1 mark taking third in the state basketball finals.

8. The Culture Preservation Department didn’t slow down last year staying busy coordinating major events like Ute Nations Day, the Southern Ute Tribal Fair, tribal dinners and conducting culture classes and elder luncheons. The department also made presentations nationally in Denver and Washington D.C.

7. The Red Cedar Gathering Company celebrated 20 years of operation for their work in natural gas industry.

6. The Sunshine Cloud Smith Youth Advisory Council became a voice for many youth across the reservation, touching on topics involving education, culture, and perseverance. The young leaders attended many of the same events as Tribal Council including: Tri-Ute Meetings and The National Congress of American Indians Conference, to name a few.

5. Youth from Southern Ute, Ute Mountain and Northern Ute traveled across the border to compete in the 2014 North American Indigenous Games in Saskatchewan, Canada. Team Colorado brought home four medals.

4. The Health Department and Southern Ute Health Center made a lot of changes last year. One of the biggest was the opening of the new Dental and Optical Modular.

3. The Southern Ute Growth Fund took big strides in 2014 opening up a hotel in Oceanside, Calif. and placing the Delta House Floating Production System in the Mississippi Canyon in the Gulf of Mexico.

2. The tribe made history last year hosting Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper for the signing of House Bill 1080 – the occasion marked the first time in history any Colorado Governor has signed a bill on an Indian reservation. Additional advances include the signing of the Global Grant Right-of-Way Agreement, and the Southern Ute Tribe representing Colorado during the governor’s third “State of the State” address.

2.The tribe made history last year hosting Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper for the signing of House Bill 1080 – the occasion marked the first time in history any Colorado Governor has signed a bill on an Indian reservation. Additional advances include the signing of the Global Grant Right-of-Way Agreement, and the Southern Ute Tribe representing Colorado during the governor’s third “State of the State” address.

1. Last year, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe suffered the passing of the late Chairman Jimmy R. Newton Jr., and saw Chairman Clement J. Frost return to office after a six-year absence. In addition, two new faces joined council for the first time, and one veteran councilman resigned.