Students celebrate heritage through traditional clothing at Ute Mountain Ute school

TOWAOC, Colo. — On the first Tuesday of November, students and staff at Kwiyagat Community Academy gathered at the school’s prayer ground at 9 a.m. to celebrate Native American Heritage Month.

Ulysses Lang, the school’s Ute culture teacher, led the ceremony as students sang songs in the Ute language they had learned in class.

That Tuesday also marked “Traditional Tuesday,” a biweekly event where students and staff are encouraged to wear traditional clothing. Many arrived in ribbon skirts, ribbon shirts and moccasins. The new tradition celebrating indigenous culture started this school year, during a time when places of learning across the country — from elementary schools to universities — are rolling back their commitments to diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Founded in 2021, Kwiyagat Community Academy is the first public school on the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation since the 1940s. The charter school serves 75 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Ninety-nine percent of the students and 75% of the staff are Native American.

The school follows Colorado’s academic standards while incorporating Ute language, traditional skills and Indigenous knowledge. Last year, KCA purchased sewing machines for third-through-fifth-grade students, who learned how to sew ribbons onto clothing.