Ethnography Study Grant

Golden Receives Grant for Ethnography Study

Native Americans have lived in the region that is today known as Golden, Colorado, for more than 12,000 years. They possess a rich history and culture, but were forcibly removed through warfare, displacement, disease, and other factors brought on by White settlers. Yet, dozens of tribes maintain this region as part of their historic homelands. Goldenites would love to create an opportunity to foster these links and learn from Indigenous communities what they are willing to share about their land and way of life.

To begin this work, the City of Golden has formed a partnership between its division of Planning and Museums, in addition to the support of Historic Preservation Board (HPB), to engage ethnographic consultants and tribal representatives to create an Ethnographic Study of the Golden region. The City was the recipient of a $25,000 Certified Local Government grant from the State Historical Foundation for the project. The Ethnography Study would fulfill two immediate City goals: 1) help the museum and the City as an organization address a significant deficiency in their historical understanding of the Golden region, and 2) help address key goals within the City's Historic Preservation Plan.

This Ethnography Project is intended to be a first step in nurturing nascent relationships with descendant Native communities. The City hopes to lay the foundation of trusting and collaborative relationships that could be grown over time to include Native participation in preserving and interpreting Native history, developing future educational initiatives, and adding underrepresented voices in the City’s ongoing work to preserve regional heritage. The ethnography will include a compilation of literature and historic writings about tribal history in the area, oral histories from tribe members, records from site visits to Golden, and stories related to the importance and meaning of the landscape, natural features, as well as flora and fauna from an Indigenous perspective.

The project begins with a request for proposals in May followed by review and selection of a qualified ethnographer. Visits and interviews will likely occur in late summer and fall and the final report will be drafted over the winter. The entire project should take about a year to complete. Once finished, the Museum and HPB will explore ways of incorporating the information into future exhibits, programs, school outreach, and historic preservation. The ethnography is intended to be a foundation on which other subsequent projects and ethnographies can be built.

Interested in the Native American Ethnography project? Visit www.guidinggolden.com/ethnography to learn more about the project, ask questions of the project leads, get progress updates, and suggest ideas for how to share the information and implement future projects.

Golden History Museum & Park • 923 10th St. • 303-278-3557 Check GoldenHistory.org for hours of operation, calendar of programs, and special event details.