Roland McCook is a member of the Uncompahgre Band of the Ute Tribe and the great-great-grandson of Chief Ouray and his wife, Chipeta. In this presentation Roland will share the path of his life and his personal unique experiences as a member of the Ute Tribe.
This presentation takes place at 5 p.m., Tuesday, April 19 at the Clifton Branch Library. Seating is limited, and registration is required. Please register below.
About the presenter:
Roland McCook, a member of the Uncompahgre Band of the Ute Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, was born as one of 15 children in the 1940's on the reservation. He lived his first few years on a ranch in a remote area known as Desolation Canyon. At the age of five, he got his first taste of education by being taken to the White Rocks Boarding School, 130 miles away from his parents. After one year he returned to the reservation and his parents moved closer to Ft. Duchesne, still on the reservation, so Roland and his siblings could continue schooling through high school. His father trained him in the traditional Ute ways. Then due to his father's insistence that he learn to walk in both worlds, his higher education consisted of a summer program at the University of California, Berkeley, California; and later at the College of Eastern Utah; and Weber State University. Roland's work experience included becoming a civil engineer for the Bureau of Indian Affairs - (BIA), fire manager for the Bureau of Land Management, realty manager in the BIA, and director of housing and development for the Ute Nation. In 1995 he was elected to the tribal government, serving nine years, including two years as chairman. Next, the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., placed him on the Native American Repatriation Review Committee returning Indian artifacts and human remains to the native peoples of the Americas. In 2002 he ran the Olympic torch through Aspen for the Salt Lake City Olympics. After retiring, he moved to Montrose, Colorado, to be close to the Shining Mountains of his ancestors. Currently, he is the president of the Native American Cultural Programs and participates in many educational activities. Roland is available for educational talks regarding Ute history and his personal life experiences.
