Yonder Lies: Unpacking the Myths of Jackson Hole

In this episode, we hear the perspectives of three influential leaders from three different tribes: Jason Baldes (Eastern Shoshone), Lynnette Grey Bull (Northern Arapahoe & Hunkpapa Lakota), and Len Necefer (Navajo).

Each will offer their perspective on the through-line from past to present and into the future. We will notice that in many ways this line finds its way following efforts of education, coalition building, and healing.

We hope that after hearing this episode listeners will be inspired to get involved with indigenous issues in communities near where they live!

For more info on our three guests, visit our website: yonderlies.com!

The stories of Native Americans have long been erased in tellings of the history of the United States and in histories of Jackson Hole.

In this episode, we ask: How do we and how should we understand this violent and complicated history? What is true and what is false? And where does the legal relationship between the United States and North American Tribes stand today?

This episode is the first of two, diving into the history of the Shoshone-Bannock people in this area and the creation of the Wind River Reservation and the Fort Hall Reservation. We'll also explore two important Supreme Court cases with their roots in Wyoming, which have shaped the relationship between treaties, land use, and the hunting rights of tribal communities: Ward v. Race Horse and Herrera v. Wyoming.

How can we move forward in telling a more accurate story of this landscape today?

Recommendations for Learning More:

An Indigenous People's History of the U.S. by Roxanne Dunbar-Oritz

Whereas by Layli Long Soldier

The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee by David Treuer

Dispossessing the Wilderness by Mark David Spence

Black Elk Speaks by John Neihardt

The Modern West, Episode 2: Both/Neither

Indian Country Today

Native News Online

Indigenizing the News

Support the show at our Patreon Page!

The controversial creation of Grand Teton National Park is in some ways the beginning of the culture that still dominates Jackson Hole today: outdoor recreation and aesthetic experience of nature.

In this episode, we ask: What is there to do when the same activities that allow people to enjoy the land are also leading to its degradation? How do we reconcile seemingly irreconcilable land uses? Should wealth equate to decision-making power in regards to environmental management? And how do we combat the tendency for cultures of leisure to become cultures of apathy?

We will cover the differences between conservation and preservation of land, the US Forest Service and National Park Service, how National Monuments are created and differ from National Parks, and the critical compromises made between the residents of Jackson, Wyoming and the US Federal Government that led to a very unique land management situation in Grand Teton National Park.

Become a Jacksonite by supporting the show at our Patreon Page!

Episode 1, "Grand Teton National Park" coming January 19.

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