150 Year Breckenridge Public Art Project

The Yucca Muguwa project began at the end of last summer. It felt important to create something that, when my people come to see it, they feel recognized — a place where they can pause, reflect, and know that we are still present.

The sculpture will take the form of a large yucca flowering stem. Hanging from the stem will be large-scale beadwork elements, with jingles placed inside the flower. The form is rooted in a traditional practice within my tribe — the act of hanging offerings in trees or plants as a way to give back to the spirits and the land, especially before development takes place. These offerings acknowledge relationship and responsibility. They are gestures of respect before change.

Concept

Yucca as a plant has been important to Ute people as it carries medicinal properties. The leaves themselves are fibrous and used for weaving. The fruit, flowers, and stalk are edible and provided a food source.

The Utes are not the only symbiotic relationship the Yucca plant has. Its pollination happens through a Yucca Moth. The moth would be a detail on the sculpture as well.

Having a sound element to the piece is vital and would appear as jingles inside the blooming bell flowers of the Yucca. Jingles ward off bad spirits in many Native cultures.

Native people and our teachings are not historical artifacts. They are living practices. We still come into the mountains to connect with our ancestors. We return to places we hear stories about. We walk the land that shaped our tribes and our identities. This sculpture serves as a visible reminder of that continuity — that we are still here, that our culture is active, and that the mountains continue to hold our stories.