President Biden Establishes the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni-Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument

The Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition-backed designation will conserve 1 million acres of sacred and public lands

Image: Larry, Adobe Stock

Today, President Biden signed a proclamation establishing the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument in Arizona. 

The monument is the fifth created by this administration, who says that this action “honors Tribal Nations and Indigenous peoples by protecting sacred ancestral places and their historically and scientifically important features while conserving our public lands, protecting wildlife habitat and clean water, and supporting local economies.”

The designation was in response to a proposal submitted by a coalition of tribes on whose ancestral land the monument lies, The Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition. The coalition includes members of the Havasupai Tribe, Hopi Tribe, Hualapai Tribe, Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians, Las Vegas Tribe of Paiutes, Moapa Band of Paiute Indians, Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, Shivwits Band of Paiutes, Navajo Nation, San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, Yavapai-Apache Nation, Zuni Tribe, and the Colorado River Indian Tribes.

Establishing this area as a monument will conserve nearly 1 million acres of sacred and public lands surrounding Grand Canyon National Park that are home to ancestral lands, water resources, biodiversity, and animal habitats; it will also protect the area from mining pursuits.