Pioneer Day reminds Indigenous Utahns of painful time in history

Pioneer Day marked the day when pioneers with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints invaded indigenous Ute territories, said Angelo Baca.

“Utah has been very well-known for its settler history in native communities of violence of genocide, removal and blame, so we don't really see that as a celebratory event,” he said. “It's great that we have settler families and people that are growing up here since the 1800s. But, you know, they just got here, in our opinion. We're thousands of years old. We've been here for a really, really, really, really long time.”

Through the ‘100 Years of Silence Project,’ Navajo Nation members are trying to educate Utahns on past traumas.

“With this project, we’re hoping for it to really be the change, not just for the folks in White Mesa, but to be able to bring that apology across the state,” said Shaun Ketchum, Project Director.

From the Bear River Massacre, to the Mountain Meadows Massacre, the Black Hawk War and the Posey War, these dark pieces of our past have not been talked about enough, said Ketchum.

“Growing up, I would ask my grandma sometimes, and they would tell me, it wasn't good,” he reflected. “These are the things we don't talk about because they didn't want to hear our stories.”

The project includes going from community to community, speaking at local governments, churches, and museums.

All in the hopes of facilitating healing through education, and to see more Utah leaders recognizing the past.

Recently, the mayor of Bluff wrote in an email to Ketchum, “I support your work organizing community meetings in Utah and beyond, as well as your project's historical research, which promises to shed new light on the tragic events of 1923. Your work is vital to promote healing and reconciliation within Bluff and San Juan County.”

You can learn more about the project on their website here .