ZUNI, N.M. — This month, young adults from the Pueblo of Zuni will have the opportunity to connect with ancestral homelands and sacred sites during a Zuni Youth Enrichment Project backpacking trip to Grand Canyon National Park. The Zuni Youth Enrichment Project is organizing the trip, which takes place March 16-19.
ZYEP Youth Development Coordinator Kiara “Kiki” Zunie, Operations Manager Josh Kudrna and Built Environment Leader Enric Tsalate, who also serves as cultural advisor, will lead the eight participants, who range in age from 17 to 23. Together, they will visit ancestral sites, learn from National Park Service staff and experience the land through the lens of Zuni history and culture.
Made possible with support from the National Recreation Foundation and the 11th Hour Project, a program of the Schmidt Family Foundation, the trip is an important part of ZYEP’s ongoing Connect to Land programming. For many of the participants, the trip will be their first visit to the Grand Canyon, which is known to the Zuni people as Chimik’yana’kya dey’a, the place of emergence.
“Oral history recounts our ancestors’ migration from the Grand Canyon area to the present-day location of Zuni Pueblo,” Tsalate said. “Our tribe has an umbilical connection through the ancestral settlements along the Colorado, Little Colorado and Zuni rivers.”
According to Tsalate, the Connect to Land trips are designed to help young people experience the places they might only have heard about in stories and prayers.
“For a place that is popular among tourists, we teach participants that the Grand Canyon is sacred ground and how to visit such places with respect,” he said. “We are not visiting for the sole purpose of recreation, but to give offerings and pay respect to our ancestors and the land. We let participants see the Grand Canyon through a different lens — through the eyes of our ancestors, through the eyes of all living things and through the eyes of the canyon itself.”
The group will depart Zuni on Monday, March 16, stopping at Walnut Canyon National Monument — one of the Zuni people’s ancestral settlements — to visit its cliff dwellings before continuing to Grand Canyon National Park. They will camp at Mather Campground on the South Rim.
On Tuesday, the participants will hike approximately 5 miles down the Bright Angel Trail to Havasupai Gardens Campground, which will serve as their base camp during the trip. The following day, they will continue another 5 miles to the Colorado River before returning to camp, and they will hike out of the canyon and return to Zuni on Thursday.
Along the way, the youth will have the opportunity to learn from NPS staff, including Tribal Programs Coordinator Kelkiyana Yazzie, who will accompany the group during portions of their trip. She will discuss the park’s history and natural science, NPS efforts to protect tribal sites, its relationships with the 11 affiliated tribes, and her own work within the agency.
“These connections help expose our young adults to all of the possibilities out there for careers that still benefit tribal communities and culture,” said Josh Kudrna, ZYEP’s operations manager. “A big part of what we do on these trips is helping young people understand that protecting and interpreting these places is meaningful work that can connect them to their culture and their future.”
“It’s also important that participants see indigenous representation among NPS staff to open their minds to other viable career opportunities,” Tsalate added. “These careers give a voice to the surrounding Indigenous communities on ways to protect and re-establish the connection to these places.”
Zunie said she is especially looking forward to seeing participants experience the canyon for the first time.
“The reactions from participants when they first reach the top of the South Rim are what I look forward to the most,” she said. “For many of them, it’s their first time seeing it, and you can hear and see the awe of the land. Though the Grand Canyon is a significant part of our culture and history, not many people have the chance to visit or trek down to the bottom.
“Through opportunities like this, more youth can engage with the land and ground themselves in a sense of cultural identity,” she continued. “I’m excited for this group of participants to learn, grow and experience all of the amazing things the Grand Canyon has to offer.”
Participants themselves say they are eager to deepen their connection to Zuni culture while building new skills and relationships.
“I’m looking forward to trying out this backpacking experience,” said participant Kenzie Shack, 23. “What I hope to experience is being able to be with our community and learn about our culture. I also would like to learn about the land and history, improve my skills with outdoor activities, meet new people and create new and wholesome memories.”
Evan Lewis, 19, said he hopes the journey will bring the stories he has heard to life.
“I hope to learn about the different places our ancestors have been while hearing the stories that have been passed down so I can picture it all,” Lewis said. “I also like the fact that I will be learning more of the Zuni language while making connections with others. I look forward to seeing these places mentioned in songs.”
For Tsalate, helping guide these experiences is both a responsibility and an honor.
“Every year I look forward to the Connect to Land trips,” he said. “There is always a special bond that forms among the participants, and this creates a greater sense of connection to the community.
“Being able to share what I have learned from my mentors and from my own experiences is something I carry with a lot of gratitude. My hope is that the youth carry that knowledge with them throughout their lives.”