People Profiles: First People

Micah Loma’omvaya (Hopi)

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Micah Loma’omvaya (Hopi)

Honwungwa of the Hopi Bear Clan was born on Second Mesa’s Songoopavi (Shungopavi) Village in Arizona. Popularly known as Micah, he is the last initiate in a long, unbroken line of Hopi priests, and dedicated to fostering an understanding of tribal culture. Educated in anthropology and archaeology, Micah also draws from his experiences within his culture to interpret the origins, pathways, and traditions of the prehistoric peoples. Countless generations over many centuries shared their stories, and those who eventually gathered in modern Hopi villages still carry the stories of Hopi encounters with visitors to their lands.

 

Photo by Justin Clifton

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Larry Cesspooch

Larry Cesspooch (Ute)

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Larry Cesspooch (Ute)

Larry Cesspooch (Ute)

Ute spiritual leader Larry Cesspooch grew up on the Uintah & Ouray Ute Reservation in northeastern Utah, where he and his family now maintain one of the tribe’s sweat lodges. Larry, whose Ute name Eyee~Pooch means “young man,” studied photography at the prestigious Institute of American Indian Arts and film making at the Anthropology Film Center. Larry’s multi-media storytelling features artifacts, music with traditional and contemporary instruments, and puppets to share traditional Ute knowledge with audiences of all cultures.

 

Photo by Rick Egan - Salt Lake Tribune

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Regina Lopez Whiteskunk
(Ute Mountain Ute)

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Regina Lopez Whiteskunk
(Ute Mountain Ute)

Regina Lopez-Whiteskunk (Ute Mountain Ute)

Regina is an enrolled member of the Weminuche band of the Ute Mountain Ute tribe, and former co-chair of the Inter-Tribal Coalition on Bears Ears. To Regina, being Ute means being able to roam her traditional territory across Colorado and two-thirds of Utah as did her ancestors. While the Ute consider themselves “mountain people,” the Weminuche band typically lived in a desert environment, learning to manage their relationship with the environment by “living light on the land” and always “leaving a little behind.”

 

Photo by Justin Clifton

Regina Lopez Whiteskunk

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