November is Native American Heritage Month
DR. JANICE GOULD
Janice Gould was a Koyangk’auwi (Konkow, Concow) Maidu writer and scholar. Janice was born in San Diego, grew up in Berkeley but her family was from the Upper Feather River Watershed in Plumas County, California. She received BA and MA degrees from UC Berkeley and she received a PhD in English, with emphasis on Native American literature, from the University of New Mexico. She served most recently as Associate Professor of Women’s and Ethnic Studies at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS) from 2009 until her passing. She developed the Native American Studies concentration and certificate for her program, Women’s and Ethnic Studies.
Her writing is included in numerous anthologies and journals. Published books of her poetry include Earthquake Weather, Doubters and Dreamers, The Force of Gratitude, and Seed. Gould’s books of poetry include Beneath My Heart, Alphabet (chapbook, 1990), Earthquake Weather (1996), and Doubters and Dreamers (2011). She was a finalist for the Colorado Book Award for and the Binghamton University Milt Kessler Poetry Book Award. She was the co-editor, with Dean Rader, of Speak to Me Words: Essays on Contemporary American Indian Poetry (2003) and was editor of A Generous Spirit: Selected Works by Beth Brant.
Gould served a three-year term as the Hallie Ford Chair in Creative Writing at Willamette University, and taught at multiple colleges and universities during her career. She was the Writer in Residence at the School for Advanced Research (SAR) in 2012. She was a grant recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts and recognized by the Astraea Foundation for Lesbian Writers (1992), the Pikes Peak Arts Council, and from the online publication Native Literatures: Generations. She was named the Pikes Peak Poet Laureate for 2014-2016 and received a Spirit of the Springs award in 2014. The Janice M. Gould Native American and Indigenous Scholarship Fund at UCCS was established in her honor.
Gould was also a classically trained musician and played guitar and accordion, and helped to found Trio Pan Dulce, a Portland, Oregon-based group that plays tangos, flamenco, French Café music, and Latin American Folk music. She was an avid birdwatcher, hiker, photographer, and folk dancer. She was actively involved in Aikido Koshin Shuri, a form of martial art known as “The Art of Peace.” Gould achieved her 2nd don (2nd degree black belt) while training under Sensei Ryan Goettsche in Colorado Springs; she worked with him to establish a children’s Aikido class, a women’s class, and also helped teach adult classes.
Bio courtesy of Monycka Snowbird
JONATHON ELLIS aka IGGY IGLOO
Jonathon Ellis, Inupiaq, was a local artist, musician, activist and poet. He was known as Iggy Igloo. He was born in Colorado Springs on Nov. 23, 1982 and made his journey on June 1, 2021.
Iggy became a licensed ham radio operator in 2010 and was eventually offered a position hosting Planet Grove, a weekly KRCC radio show. He developed a special reputation for digging up “beautiful musical nuggets from around the world,” said KRCC Music Director, Vicky Gregor. “He had quite a following that he built from that. So many people loved that show,” she said.
Iggy was an accomplished musician, starting with the piano and trumpet when he was 8 years and later taught himself to play both guitar and banjo. Iggy self released at least 15 albums of original music. He played many local venues and could often be found singing on the streets of Manitou. In 2019, the Colorado Springs Independent wrote that, “if you’ve heard the music of local fixture Iggy Igloo, you’ll know it’s a sound that can’t be easily categorized.” and continued to praise his deeply personal and poetic lyrics. Some of his music can be found at www.iggyigloo.com
Iggy spent a year at Standing Rock protecting the land and water against the Dakota Access Pipeline. The pipeline was temporarily canceled by TC Energy on June 9th, the day before his memorial service. He was also very proud of his role in working tirelessly to help clean up Fountain Creek in Manitou Springs after the flood in 2013. His commitment to the environment was demonstrated daily with his mantra “Drink More Water” as he deeply believed in the sacredness of water and our relationship to the land.
Iggy was actively involved with many local Native organizations and issues. He was a member of the Native American Council of El Pomar’s Emerging Leadership Program, volunteered extensively for Haseya Advocate Program to help provide donations for local Native survivors of domestic violence, he helped to build Piath Ket Naa Nath- the Native healing garden, he helped to draft the Colorado Springs City Council’s Indigenous People’s Day Proclamation in 2017 which was eventually adopted as a permanent Resolution in 2021. Iggy was instrumental in advocating to change the race based mascot in School District 12 which later led to the creation of SB21-116 to ban Native mascots across Colorado in 2021. That bill was signed into law the same month he lost his battle with cancer. His dedication to his people led to a legacy of activism that continues today. He was passionate about local businesses being held accountable for accurate Native representation. In 2024, almost a dozen Native remains were repatriated as a result of a promise to continue his work. He was featured in Mike Pach’s Then and Now photo project to celebrate the city’s 150th anniversary. His grandmother was a residential school survivor which resulted in his family losing their language. He often spoke publicly about the generational trauma boarding schools impacted on Native families.
Known as a loyal friend, Iggy embodied integrity and humility. While on hospice, he shared that he wanted his family to know he was a warrior, a role he truly lived. He comforted loved ones even as he prepared for his journey and was a fierce protector of the land and his community, many times being the only man to show up for rallies and marches. He became a father at 21 after overcoming homelessness and substance abuse, and he passionately supported others on their path to long-term sobriety with a non-judgmental approach. In many Native teachings, wealth is measured by how much you can give away and though never materially rich, Iggy was the wealthiest man many knew, always giving to those in need, often to his own detriment.
LAURA MAE HOM
Laura Mae (Coyhis) Hom (1949-2011), the embodiment of a Woman Warrior and Servant Leader, was protective of family, community and culture and stood firm for principles and honor. She served on the Board of Denver Indian Health and Family Services, volunteered at the Denver Indian Center, and served as the first female President of the Stockbridge-Munsee Tribal Council in Wisconsin, addressing community development and environmental issues. Laura also coordinated the distribution of care baskets for men and women in Colorado prisons, served as a healthy role model for children whose parents were incarcerated, provided healthcare resources for the elderly, and worked to address stereotyping of Native Americans in educational materials.
In Colorado Springs, she served as Executive Director of White Bison until 2001, supervising staff and training programs as well as coordinating nationwide Wellbriety Journeys of the Sacred Hoop to initiate community healing. Laura also supervised White Bison’s Combined Federal Campaign fundraising events in southern Colorado, providing inmates in Colorado prisons with Wellbriety resources. She organized Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Recovery Month community events throughout Colorado to celebrate Native Americans in recovery. After 2001 and until her passing, she distributed Wellbriety Training curriculum throughout the U.S. and Canada as director for Coyhis Publishing.
ERNEST HOUSE SR.
Ernest House Sr. (1945- 2011) served 31 years for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe as both Chairman and Councilman and was one of the longest serving elected Tribal officials. A member of the Weeminuche Band and grandson of Chief Jack House, the Tribe’s last hereditary Chief, House Sr. was well known for his deep knowledge of Ute history.
Born and raised in Mancos Canyon on the Ute Mountain Ute reservation in southwestern Colorado, former Chairman House was a veteran of the Colorado Army National Guard, Special Forces Airborne Group.
House’s leadership was defined by collaboration and communication with tribal, local, state, and federal officials. Throughout his tenure he advocated for tribal enterprise and helped develop tribal health facilities and initiatives in Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico. Under his leadership, the Dolores Water Project (1987) and Animas La Plata Water Project (2009) were completed, guaranteeing water to the Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute Indian tribes.
House worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and National Park Service under the U.S. Department of the Interior and was instrumental in the implementation of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act in Colorado, ensuring Native American remains and funerary objects are cared for and returned to Tribes.
VERGIL FOX HOWELL
Vergil Fox Howell, Pawnee, was an Alamo Scout, formally known as the U.S. Sixth Army Special Reconnaissance Unit during WWII. Formed as a top-secret unit in November 1943 to conduct raider and reconnaissance work in the Southwest Pacific, the Alamo Scouts performed 108 missions behind enemy lines without a single man killed or captured.
Of the 700 candidates selected for training, only 138 were retained as Alamo Scout. Howell was in the first graduating class of the Alamo Scouts on Fergusson Island, New Guinea and was assigned to the Sombar Team. In 1988 the Alamo Scouts were awarded the Special Forces Tab recognizing the unit as a forerunner of the modern Special Forces. Howell was a veteran of three wars, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam.
Howell was a fluent speaker of the Pawnee language. He was married to Dawnena Eastman Howell, Sisseton/Wahpeton Dakota. He co-founded Pikes Peak Intertribal in Colorado Springs which sponsored some of the first powwows in this area.
LUCIAN AMOS "SAC" JAMISON
Lucian Amos “Sac” Jamison (1920-1999) displayed an unwavering commitment to his country, his heritage, and his community. He was an athlete, serviceman and, above all, a role model for people of all ethnicities. Jamison was born a full blooded Seneca-Cayuga of the Iroquois Nation in Grove, Oklahoma in 1920. At the age of 16 he qualified for the United States Olympic boxing team and competed in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany. In 1941 Jamison joined the United States Army and fought in the South Pacific during World War II as a member of the renowned Alamo Scouts.
Jamison received numerous awards for his military service, including two Silver Stars, the Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart. Following his military career, Jamison settled in Manitou Springs where he served his community by educating and inspiring young people. More than 400 youngsters knew Jamison as a dedicated Boy Scouts leader, and he helped many of them obtain the rank of Eagle Scout. Mr. Jamison received several awards recognizing his service to the scouting movement, including the Scouter’s Key, Silver Beaver Award, and the Order of the Arrow. To honor his heritage and pay tribute to his devotion, a camp site at Camp Alexander in Lake George, CO is named for Jamison. He left a lasting legacy as a strong advocate for Native American youth in the Pikes Peak region, by establishing several organizations to advance Native Americans through education, scholarships, and the understanding and perpetuation of Native American culture.
JOSEPH F. TAFOYA WHITECLOUD
Joseph Tafoya Jr was born April 27, 1922, in Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico, from the Winter Clan, known as the Corn People. His Tewa Native American name is “okhuwa-tsa” (Whitecloud). He is the son of Joseph (Chief Little deer) and Petra Tafoya. His father was Governor of Santa Clara Pueblo and Chairman of the All-Pueblo Indian Council in 1940’s. Hi mother’s family perform Indian dances at the Cliff Dwellings Museum in Manitou Springs and his father’s family would entertain the tourist at High Point in the Garden of the Gods. His parents were married at the Cliff Dwellings Museum on Sept 1, 1919. His great uncle was Pedro Cejete, known as Chief Manitou, who was well known in the Pikes Peak region.
He attended Santa Fe Indian School and studied art with Indian artists such as Pablita Velarde and Allan Houser. As a high school student his painting of traditional Pueblo life won a national art competition judged by Norman Rockwell. Joseph continued his traditional Indian art and was a life time member of the American Indian and Cowboy Artist Association. Today his Pueblo paintings can be found in various collections at the University of Oklahoma, the Smithsonian Insitute of Washingtion DC and The Imperial Palace of the Emperor of Japan. He was a member of the first graduation class of Espanola High School, New Mexico in 1940.
Following the outbreak of World War II, he enlisted in the U.S. Aircorp serving in General “Hap”Arnold’s 8th Army, stationed in England were he rose to the rank of Master Sergeant. While in England he married Trudy Cooke, a English girl who joined her husband in Santa Clara Pueblo in 1947. During the early 1950’s he travled throughout the western United States with his family performing American Indian dances and songs under the National School Assemblies program.
In 1955 he and his family relocated to Los Angeles, CA under the Bureau of Indian Affairs Employment Assistance Program and secrured employment with the Garrett Corporation in Torrance, CA for 37 years. In the Los Angeles Indian coummity he was instrumental in creating opportunities for Indian people to share their songs and dances at inter tribal powwows. He moved back to Colorado Springs where five generations of the Tafoya family have shared their American Indian culture during the summer months performing at the Cliff Dwellings museum in Manitou Springs, Co. for over one hundred years. Joseph continued this traditional Native heritage here in Colorado Springs, performing at the Atlers Hotel, Pikes Peak or bust rodeo, Territory days, Seven Falls, community events and various motels through out the area. He was a great influence to the Native people in the region, he was very generous and help others in the Indian community to demostarte and continued their tradition.
In 1957, Whitecloud was one of the first Indian dancers performing at the Disneyland Indian village. The “Tafoya’s”, or Whitecloud family appreared regularly at comminity organizations, schools, parades and TV Shows. Joseph was very active in the inter-tribal urban Indian community in Los Angeles, serving as a Board of Director on various American Indian non profit organizations that provided health, employment and economic assistance to Indian people and families in need. He was a long time board member of the Los Angeles Indian Center, founding member of the American Indian Free Clinic and member of various Indian scholarship funds. He was founding member of the Many Trails Indian club which sponsored monthly and annual powwows for the benfit of all tribal people. He toured exensively throughout Europe and Asia serving as a Native American cultural ambassador.
GERONIMA WILSON
Geronima Wilson was born in Picuris Pueblo in Taos County, New Mexico. She moved to Colorado Springs in 1960 after graduating from nursing school in Santa Fe. She left her position at Penrose Hospital in 1965 to raise her family and preserve and share American Indian heritage through community involvement.
Wilson was a founding member of the Lone Feather Council, established in 1971 to provide scholarship funds to American Indian students. The nonprofit shared and celebrated American Indian heritage and culture through educational outreach and fundraising events. During her 36 years with the organization, Wilson held leadership positions, organized pow-wows, and sold her famous fry bread at local events from the Lone Feather Fry Bread booth.
As a member of the Lowell School PTA, Wilson helped to establish extracurricular programs at the school that taught children American Indian heritage through classes in beadwork, leatherwork, loom-work and silverwork. Geronima Wilson died at the age of 80 in 2007, but her legacy lives on.
ALDEN NARANJO
Alden Burch Naranjo, Jr. was born January 3, 1941, to Alden Naranjo, Sr. and Bertha Burch Groves in Ignacio, Colorado. He grew up in Ignacio, attended Ute Vocational School, graduated from St. Catherine’s Indian School in Santa Fe, NM, and attended Merritt College in California. Alden enlisted in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.
Over his 40 year career working for the Southern Ute Tribe, Alden spent 20 years as Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) Coordinator, 16 years as a police officer, two years working for the Division of Wildlife, and two years as a probation officer as well as a historian. He was a member of Keepers of the Treasures, which pre-dated NAGPRA. He was a spiritual leader for many tribal members and throughout the world.
Alden traveled the State of Colorado and the world advocating and educating about Native American culture, spirituality and rights. He was the President of the Native American Church of the Southern Ute Indian Reservation and the United States Chapters. Alden was a traditional dancer, a Sun Dancer, and participant of his spirituality. Alden’s lineage includes Chief Buckskin Charley, Edwin Cloud and Samuel Burch.
Alden Naranjo passed away on May 3, 2020 at age 79 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In 2022, he received a posthumous Alpine Bank State Honor Award from Colorado Preservation, Inc. for his tireless work. His daughter Cassandra Atencio accepted the award on his behalf with the support of more than 20 relatives, Southern Ute Tribal members, and Chairman Melvin J. Baker.
Alden worked tirelessly as a Tribal Consultant serving to protect Ute cultural sites, objects, and relatives across many states. He worked very closely with the City of Colorado Springs for over 30 years in this service. His work here has helped to shape countless projects and management decisions in many of our park properties. His work continues even today as stewardship decisions are continually weighted against the information and wisdom he shared with City staff.
Biographical information Courtesy of the Naranjo Family.
Want to learn more about our local history?
We highly encourage you to visit the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum to see exhibits such as The Story of Us, Una Familia Grande, COS@150 and others. The museum is a valuable resource for the cultural history of the Pikes Peak Region and admission is free.
Up next on Cultural Corridor
November Native American History Month
February Black History Month
March Women’s History Month
May Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
June Pride Month
September 15-October 15 Hispanic Heritage Month
Now accepting nominations of historical figures that have helped shaped our diverse community.