Ute Knowledge: Colorado’s Original Science, Technology, Engineering & Math

History Colorado Pop-Up Exhibit

On display in the Archives Building Community Gallery, this special pop up exhibit from History Colorado and the National Science Foundation tells the story of how Ute Indians have used science, technology, engineering, and math to survive and thrive in the Rocky Mountains through interactives, short films, maps, images, and stories from Ute elders and youth. The exhibit was created as a part of the Ute STEM Project, a collaboration between History Colorado, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, archaeologists, and ethnobotanists. The Ute people are Colorado’s longest continuous residents, and they have thrived here through their deep understanding of, and a connection to, the Colorado landscape and environment.

Displayed alongside the visiting exhibit, AHS’s own traveling exhibit Seasons of the Nuche: Transitions of the Ute People explores the past and present of the Ute people locally and throughout the West. The modular traveling exhibit was curated with input from Northern Ute tribal members and is available to regional organizations to display in their community at no cost thanks to support from The Memnosyne Institute and the Louis and Harold Price Foundation.

In addition to the exhibits, AHS Educator and Ute tribal member Skyler Lomahaftewa will host Ute/Indigenous Culture Conversations on Tuesdays at 11am and Wednesdays at 3pm to celebrate and share his perspective on Ute and Indigenous history and culture.

This area is the land of the Uncompahgre band of the Ute Nation, or Nuche, who called the region home for generations before their forced removal. It is a privilege to partner with History Colorado to bring the Ute Knowledge traveling exhibition to Aspen as part of our commitment to sharing the complete history of the land.