*The writer is Indigenous Day Award recipient Phillip B Gottfredson, author My Journey to Understand Black Hawk's Mission of Peace.
“Sadly, scholars, historians, and writers ignore that the age-old message of Indigenous America is about 'connection, relationship, and unity.' All people are one. All are the direct living descendants of our Creator. Lakota Chief Joseph said, 'We have no qualms about color. It doesn't mean anything." Honesty, love, respect, courage, truth, wisdom, and humility are ancient traditional virtues and values that Black Hawk and Indigenous people have honored throughout their history.”
The destruction of entire cultures has drawn international condemnation. Genocidal acts committed publicly face historical scrutiny and judgment. The erasure, sanitization, and Christianization of Native American history have distorted Indigenous cultures, histories, and lifeways to serve colonial interests. As a result, many Native communities in Utah are deeply disconnected from their ancestral heritage. Their historical narratives are marginalized in Utah's educational curriculum and in American history more broadly. These processes illustrate the mechanisms and consequences of settler colonialism and cultural genocide.
Utah's Black Hawk War legacy is a clear example of settler colonialism, including Brigham Young's order to exterminate the Timpanogos Nation, forced removal from their land, and subjugation. Mormon colonization caused severe loss of life, resources, religion, language, and freedom. The Extermination Order imposed on the Timpanogos Nation by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1849 must be rescinded. The ongoing implications of Brigham Young's order demand urgent attention.
Some Latter-Day Saints still make the moth-eaten claim: "We have given the Indians every chance to succeed, yet they choose to live off the government and live in poverty." Old-school racist mindsets are distorting the facts that have systematically stripped the Timpanogos of their dignity, ignoring the truth that they are Wards of the government. But why? What did they do? They didn't do anything; they are victims of genocide because of Doctrine of Discovery.
A group called "The Other 49ers" aptly said, "The Mormons brought with them a moral code, a new technology, and an economic system. Mormon's inability or refusal to accept Indian culture on its own terms is a conflict repeated countless times throughout the west. Coexistence, with each culture intact, was impossible; compromise seemed unattainable, for the cherished ideals of one culture were the unpardonable sins of the other. Mormons brought the ways of civilization with them, in their minds. Contrary to their desire for an enlightened sacred way of life, the world followed, and they gave into the kind of discrimination that they ran from."
It should be deeply troubling to everyone that discrimination is institutionalized; it has become the norm to trivialize, mock, and downplay the history of Native American people in Utah and across America. To be clear, the true history of Utah's Indigenous peoples has been deliberately left out of school curriculum, which sends a clear message to our children that genocide is justified when under the guise of religion—an utterly outrageous notion! Despite claims to the contrary, prejudice and discrimination are byproducts of Settler Colonialism, which introduced racism long ago and is a relic of slavery. Over time, it has become deeply entwined in the fabric of our Nation and communities; much like a noxious weed, it has crept into the institutional structures of power, rendering them natural within our social landscape. See Utah Schools Ignore True Indian History
Native American Perspective
It wasn't until I attended the grand opening of the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC, that I began to question all the accounts I had read. Something was missing. I spent an entire week in DC, enjoying every minute I was there among thousands of Indigenous people from around the world. I met and talked to a lot of people, but I never found one who fit the description of a heathen or savage. What I did find was just the opposite. They were fun, loving, kind, honest, and humble people. It wasn't until 2015 that I finally met the Timpanogos Nation people in Utah, marking a pivotal point in my 20-year journey of living with Native American people. People who forever changed my life in a good way.
I will never forget the very emotional and candid conversations. I remember Perry Murdock telling me one afternoon, sitting in my RV outside his house, "We want our children to have a good life. We don’t want them to live in fear, hating each other. We want them to respect our ancient ways, and pass on our sacred teachings to their children. We want them to be proud of our ancestors, Wakara, Black Hawk, Arapeen, Tabby, and understand that they died for us. They lived for us. We are still here because of their love," said Perry Murdock, Council member of the Timpanogos Nation.
As I continued to learn from the Timpanogos what it means to be Indigenous to Utah, I often heard them speak of the discrimination they face daily. Initially, my response was to say that they have the same opportunities for a decent life as anyone living in America. Unfortunately, saying that drew some angry responses. And the more time I spent with them, listening and observing, the more I realized how ignorant I was about their lives. I was Ignorant because of the biased one-sided history I was taught in school, and reading the numerous Black Hawk War historical monuments throughout the state that are, quite frankly, racist. That and 50 years of western movies that were the rage, the good guys were always the white man, and the losers were always the Indians.
I will always cherish the decades I lived with Native people. Best years of my life. And I am not ashamed to say it just felt natural to assimilate into their culture. Not only do I love them as I would my own family, I have deep empathy for the unimaginable trauma they have endured, and for no other reason than they are "Indian."
Honor Tribal Sovereignty
The 10th District Court ruled in 2015 that the Uintah Reservation is a Sovereign Nation and that the State of Utah has no legal jurisdiction. "They don't listen." Tribal members of the Timpanogos told me, "they continue to arrest our people. They take children, property, whatever they want." Additionally, the Timpanogos have been fighting for federal recognition for over 20 years. They have met every requirement the Department of the Interior has imposed on them, yet they have not been included on the list. why?
From my own experience, I have found these atrocities to be factual. And the shocking reality is that we never hear about this off the reservation. I lived with the Indigenous people on the Uintah Valley reservation for many years. I became fully aware of the corruption. I'm referring to the State of Utah, the Division of Indian Affairs, the BIA, and the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah Ouray Reservation, who do nothing; why? Follow the money. Over 35 million barrels of oil come off the reservation each month. Do people know this? Not many, but all you need to do is ask the Department of Energy. And who gets the money? The oil companies, the Utes, and the State of Utah. One thing is for sure, the Timpanogos Nation, who are indigenous to Utah, get zero, nothing, not a damn red cent. The fact is, the Ute Tribe turned off the water to Mary Murdock Meyer's home because she is the Chief Executive of the Timpanogos Nation. And over the past year, two attempts have been made on Mary's life. Was this in the news? No, Oh, and in case you didn't know, the Timpanogos are not Ute. And the Uintah Ouray Reservation does not exist. See The Timpanogos are Snake Shoshone Not Ute
Religious organisations do not have automatic legal authority over tribal lands in the United States. Tribal nations have their own authority over their lands. Federal laws like the American Indian Religious Freedom Act (AIRFA) protect Native religious practices and often require federal agencies and others to respect these practices on both reservation and public lands. Religious groups can operate on reservations, but their authority is limited to their own rules and does not take precedence over tribal or federal Indian law, which recognises tribes as self-governing.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints should formally rescind Brigham Young's Extermination Order. Their sovereignty should be respected. Discrimination against the Timpanogos Nation due to their lack of federal recognition should cease. Federal recognition is not required and is a matter of choice. "The Timpanogos Nation is not a federally recognised Tribe, but it is indigenous to the Utah Territory. Since time immemorial, they have been Indigenous to the Great Basin. The Department of the Interior clearly states that federal recognition does not determine a tribe's authenticity or existence; rather, it confirms the existence of a nation-to-nation relationship between an Indian tribe and the United States government." See The Timpanogos are Snake Shoshone, not Ute!
As American citizens, we have a responsibility to acknowledge the actions of our forebears, who invaded Native lands and disrupted their lives. The government entered into treaties with Indian Nations and subsequently broke them.
Our predecessors removed Native children from their families, placed them in boarding schools, punished them for speaking their languages, subjected them to abuse, and prohibited the practice of their religious beliefs. Carlisle’s founder, Capt. Richard C. Pratt, promoted an approach to Native American education that sought to “kill the Indian, and save the man.” We must also recognize that many have remained silent and failed to address these injustices.
It should be acknowledged that President Lincoln set aside 5.6 million acres for the Timpanogos, known as the Uintah Valley Reservation. The State of Utah later reclaimed 4.3 million acres of this land, including the most valuable portions, and transferred it to the public domain without Congressional authorization or compensation.
It should be acknowledged that non-Native individuals have exhumed the graves of Native ancestors, sold the contents for profit, and displayed their remains publicly as curiosities. See Black Hawk's Grave
Respect their sovereignty.
1. Demand true and honest Native American history in our schools. Break the cycle of misinformation and disinformation which leads to rascism, and subjugation. See Truth in Education
2. Demand that our government honor the treaties made with First Nations. Over 365 treaties were signed with Native Americans and not one has ever been honored.
3. Help build that bridge between our cultures and tear down the wall of hate and lies that separate us. Be the change you want to see in the world.
Contact us. Invite Phillip B Gottfredson to speak to your group or organization. Join us on Facebook.