The shifting consciousness behind the renaming of peaks is spreading into marketing and other aspects of the outdoor culture.  

“It’s interesting, when we hear people talk about the stories of the land they never are telling the original story of the land,” said Renee Hutchens, a Denver mountain biker of Navajo descent who recently started a petition asking Golden’s Yeti Cycles to abandon its use of the word “tribe” to describe its family of Yeti owners and fans. “There is an untold story out there. So when people say, ‘Do we have to rewrite our history books?’ I say, yes. In some sense it’s time to do just that.”

Hutchens’ “Not Your Tribe” petition reflects many years of work by Indigenous people to take back the word “tribe.” 

“The term ‘tribe’ is inherently linked to the genocide committed by the United States against the indigenous communities who predate the existence of this country,” reads the petition on change.org. “Therefore, when non-Indigenous people use the term ‘tribe’ to describe a group of people with a common interest, it belittles the history, experience and unique status of the Tribal Nations in the United States.”

Yeti for many years has called its annual rallies of owners the “Yeti Tribe Gathering.” Hutchens studied Native American culture at Dartmouth College and her well-researched petition traces the history of colonization of Indigenous people and the ongoing, 225-year battle for sovereignty by nearly 600 tribal nations across North America.

Read more via The Colorado Sun.

The Colorado Sun is a reader-supported news organization dedicated to covering the people, places and policies that matter in Colorado. Read more, sign up for free newsletters and subscribe at coloradosun.com.