THE VITAL STORIES OF THE YELLOWSTONE TRIBAL HERITAGE CENTER
Centrally located in the Old Faithful area of Yellowstone National Park, the Yellowstone Tribal Heritage Center serves as a platform for Indigenous stories and cultural artistry—a testament to the diverse tribal heritage that extends for thousands of years before Yellowstone’s designation as a park.
The opening of the Tribal Heritage Center in 2022 marked a significant milestone in the park’s acknowledgment and celebration of Indigenous peoples' enduring connection to Yellowstone. For centuries, various Native American tribes, including the Shoshone, Crow, Blackfeet, and Nez Perce, have inhabited and traversed these lands, creating a tapestry of traditions, stories, and wisdom that continues to persist despite a history of persecution and marginalization since European colonization of North America.
Recognizing the need to preserve, promote, and share the cultural heritage of the area’s original stewards, the Center serves as a space where Indigenous artists, scholars, and educators from the 27 associated tribes of the Yellowstone landscape can directly engage with visitors. During the 2023 season, 34 participants from 16 associated tribes presented works that spanned photography, dancing, beadwork, moccasin-making, quillwork, and more.
The Center is overseen with tribal consultation by a partnership between the National Park Service and Yellowstone Forever, the park’s official nonprofit partner, and programming has been managed by the organization’s Tribal Engagement Manager, Alyssa McGeeley (Muscogee), since nearly the program’s start.
Though it serves as a tether between past and present, “one thing that's really important about the space is that it's living, it's not a museum,” says McGeeley. “It's about the people being present today and the continuous presence of Indigenous people with the land.”
At the heart of the Tribal Heritage Center's mission is education, and progressing that mission by providing a platform for Indigenous voices and visions to be heard. Through partnerships with tribal elders, scholars, and artists, the center facilitates workshops, lectures, and cultural demonstrations that invite visitors into a deeper appreciation of the ways in which heritage and tradition inform the contemporary Indigenous experience.
“When artists come in,” explains McGeeley, “they share some of their practices, some of their cultural identity, directly with visitors. There's no barriers; it's a very honest, open education that people are walking away with.”
From “whisper baskets” that celebrate the Nez Perce Tribe’s long history of weaving and basketry, to a ”talking stick” handcrafted from choke cherry wood by an Oglala Lakota artist from Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, to new and vibrant expressions of “ledger art” (a term that comes from the accounting ledger books that were a common source of paper for Plains Indians during the late 19th century), the Center’s rotating galleries and presentations offer a multifaceted glimpse into the lifeways of Native American peoples.
Beyond education and outreach, the Tribal Heritage Center plays a crucial role in fostering reconciliation and healing. For many Indigenous communities, Yellowstone holds sacred significance, serving as a spiritual homeland and a repository of ancestral memories. However, the park's establishment in 1872 resulted in the displacement and marginalization of Indigenous peoples, contributing to a legacy of trauma and loss.
Through its initiatives, the Center acknowledges these injustices while looking to foster a spirit of understanding. Centering Indigenous artists, entrepreneurs, and cultural practitioners, the format celebrates the richness of their heritage, the diversity of their talents, and all the possibilities the future may hold.
“For us, it's about letting people tell their story,” says McGeeley. “It's their story. I don't tell it for them, the Park Service doesn't tell it for them, and Yellowstone Forever doesn't tell it for them. They get to tell their story.”
Top Image: Beadwork by Standing Rock Sioux artist Austin Kasto; photograph by Alyssa McGeeley/Yellowstone Forever. Bottom Image: Photograph of Alyssa McGeeley by Yellowstone Forever.