News
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — The Ute Learning Garden sits on 2-1/2 acres on the Mesa County Fairgrounds, behind the Extension office. The garden is laid out in a series of berms, each one representing a life zone or plant community from across the lands of western Colorado where the Utes once lived.
As they followed the seasons from the desert up into the mountains, the Utes knew and used the plants at every elevation. Plants were used for food, fiber, shelter, medicines, and for ceremonial purposes.
A meandering path wanders through the garden between the berms. Signs at each location identify the plants and their uses, and additional signs at the entrances and throughout the garden tell the story of the Utes and their culture. Several structures grace the garden: a pair of wickiups, a shade house, a frame for a sweat lodge, and a shade ramada. Replicas of hearths in several styles were installed by the Dominguez Archaeological Research Group.
At the center of the garden rising above all the rest and drawing the eye from all angles stands the teepee or nu-gan, to use the Ute word. A sign outside the entrance quotes Ute Elder Clifford Duncan, “The world is round and so is the Nu-gan. Please be respectful when entering, just as you need to be respectful for all the things in the world. The door faces east because the sun, a light, created the earth, so being that this round structure is a world the light has to come in from the east.”
The sign also describes the etiquette of entering the nu-gan, with the left foot first, and then stepping around the inside clockwise, following the path of the sun.
In one corner of the garden, visitors will discover the Three Sisters. This special garden represents the waffle gardens of the southwest, where the Three Sisters which are corn, beans, and squash are grown, each providing something for the others. The corn grows upright, giving a structure the beans can climb up. Beans return nitrogen to the soil, feeding the corn and squash, and the large leaves of the squash plant shade the roots of the corn and beans and conserve water. It's the original sustainable garden.
The Ute Learning Garden has become a great draw for school children. Learning opportunities in the garden have been developed to meet curriculum standards for grades K-5, and docents can lead tours for all ages. Teachers and others who are interested should visit our website at www.westernslopegardening.org and go to the pages on the Ute Learning Garden. There you will find available activities arranged by grade level. To schedule a tour or to learn more about the garden, please call me at 244-1841. Some funding is available for transportation.
Ethnobotany is the study of people and plant interactions. The Ute Learning Garden is an outgrowth of the Ute Ethnobotany Project, which is an attempt to preserve the plant lore of the Ute Elders for future generations. The garden is a cooperative effort of the Bureau of Land Management, Colorado State University Extension, and the Northern Utes of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation in Utah.
It is always open and we encourage the public to come explore and learn.
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Susan is a horticulture education specialist at the Colorado State University Extension.
As they followed the seasons from the desert up into the mountains, the Utes knew and used the plants at every elevation. Plants were used for food, fiber, shelter, medicines, and for ceremonial purposes.
A meandering path wanders through the garden between the berms. Signs at each location identify the plants and their uses, and additional signs at the entrances and throughout the garden tell the story of the Utes and their culture. Several structures grace the garden: a pair of wickiups, a shade house, a frame for a sweat lodge, and a shade ramada. Replicas of hearths in several styles were installed by the Dominguez Archaeological Research Group.
At the center of the garden rising above all the rest and drawing the eye from all angles stands the teepee or nu-gan, to use the Ute word. A sign outside the entrance quotes Ute Elder Clifford Duncan, “The world is round and so is the Nu-gan. Please be respectful when entering, just as you need to be respectful for all the things in the world. The door faces east because the sun, a light, created the earth, so being that this round structure is a world the light has to come in from the east.”
The sign also describes the etiquette of entering the nu-gan, with the left foot first, and then stepping around the inside clockwise, following the path of the sun.
In one corner of the garden, visitors will discover the Three Sisters. This special garden represents the waffle gardens of the southwest, where the Three Sisters which are corn, beans, and squash are grown, each providing something for the others. The corn grows upright, giving a structure the beans can climb up. Beans return nitrogen to the soil, feeding the corn and squash, and the large leaves of the squash plant shade the roots of the corn and beans and conserve water. It's the original sustainable garden.
The Ute Learning Garden has become a great draw for school children. Learning opportunities in the garden have been developed to meet curriculum standards for grades K-5, and docents can lead tours for all ages. Teachers and others who are interested should visit our website at www.westernslopegardening.org and go to the pages on the Ute Learning Garden. There you will find available activities arranged by grade level. To schedule a tour or to learn more about the garden, please call me at 244-1841. Some funding is available for transportation.
Ethnobotany is the study of people and plant interactions. The Ute Learning Garden is an outgrowth of the Ute Ethnobotany Project, which is an attempt to preserve the plant lore of the Ute Elders for future generations. The garden is a cooperative effort of the Bureau of Land Management, Colorado State University Extension, and the Northern Utes of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation in Utah.
It is always open and we encourage the public to come explore and learn.
-----------------------
Susan is a horticulture education specialist at the Colorado State University Extension.
