The tribal address to the State of Colorado is an annual tradition that started last year to increase communication between the state and the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute tribes.
This year, the topics that the chairmen brought to state legislators’ attention were access to water, sports betting, funding for health clinics and teachers, and expanding Native American history in schools statewide. These topics echoed their addresses to the legislature in 2023.
Manuel Heart, the chairman of the Ute Mountain Ute tribe, focused on maintaining the tribe’s right to a share of water from Lake Nighthorse in Durango, which has never had a method of transport to the Ute Mountain Ute reservation, over 50 miles to the west.
“... How does the Ute Mountain Ute tribe get our share of the water of 16,000 acre-feet from Lake Nighthorse? We could go back to Congress in Washington, D.C., and request them for more funding for a delivery system, which would amount to around $500 million,” said Heart.
Melvin Baker, the chairman of the Southern Ute Tribe, focused on access to sports gambling. Despite Colorado legalizing sports betting four years ago, the tribes have not been allowed to profit from it. The issue is due to a conflict between federal and state regulations.
“The Colorado Department of Gaming has prevented my tribe and our sister tribe from engaging in sports betting, refusing to honor the compact,” stated Baker. “Today, not a single Native casino or Native-owned business is operating sports betting in the state of Colorado. There has been a four-year delay in the tribes entering this market.”
There’s been no progress on sports betting or water transport to the Ute Mountain Ute reservation. While the annual address symbolizes increased communication between the state and the tribes, it’s hard to tell what action has come of it.
This story is part of Voices From the Edge of the Colorado Plateau. Voices is a reporting collaboration between KSUT Public Radio and KSJD Community Radio. It seeks to cover underrepresented communities in the Four Corners. The multi-year project will cover Native, Indigenous, Latino/Latina, and other communities across southwest Colorado.
Explore more Voices stories on the KSUT website.
