Land Acknowledegment
Aspen Grove Integrative Law and Dave and Eleni recognize and acknowledge that they live, work and play on land that was stolen from the Ute (Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ̱), Diné (Navajo: Naabeehó Bináhásdzo), Hopi (Hopituh Shi-nu-mu) Pueblos, Apache and Zuni (Shiwi’ma) People who have been stewards of this land since time immemorial. We also recognize that this traditional land in and around Durango is just one piece of a larger, boundless terrain for Indigenous Peoples; Ute Tribe, Jicarilla Apache, Arapaho, Comanche, the Diné Nations, and others. We acknowledge that 48 contemporary tribal nations are historically tied to the lands that make up the state of Colorado.
Please visit the Southern Ute Indian Tribe’s website for a comprehensive history.
We are aware that this land acknowledgment is a minor and comparatively insignificant step toward healing the ongoing traumas committed by our Caucasian and European ancestors which have continued to the present day through systemic racism and implicit bias. We also recognize the sick irony of practicing and enforcing the same American and English legal system that was used to justify horrific acts of violence, genocide, and forced assimilation for the ultimate purpose of stealing land from its Indigenous inhabitants.
Through Aspen Grove Integrative Law, we commit to change the way we practice law by trying to incorporate ancient practices of resolving conflict that the original inhabitants of these lands crafted, developed and preserved. We also commit to learning more about the Indigenous Peoples in the areas where we live and work, and pledge to do all that we can to work towards equity, inclusion, and healing related to the atrocities committed against them on their land.
To our Indigenous friends and neighbors, on behalf of ourselves, our family and our ancestors, we are sorry.
