In Colorado, reconciliation for a displaced tribe

A town of 2,200, Meeker sits in a serene valley, with the peaks of the Flat Tops looming in the distance. Some of the country's largest deer and elk herds roam nearby. Many residents make a living from guided hunting and fishing.

Residents here have a "live and let live attitude," says Dr. David Steinman, a local physician and head of the local historical society. Many feel frustrated that the Utes perceive them as racist, he adds.

Over the powwow weekend, some of those perceptions seemed to fade. Ute members Chimburas and Ms. Arrum say they were impressed by the sincerity of the Meeker residents at the powwow.

White River National Forest officials first initiated a relationship with the Utes by seeking their input in land management. Bill Kight, an archaeologist with the Forest Service who began working with Ute elders in the early 1990s, used his standing in both communities to facilitate ties between them. "You don't want to enter into a relationship like this if you are not in it for the long haul ... The Utes want to see if you are for real," he says.

It's a big step for homesteading families, too. "There are lots of small towns with skeletons in the closet, but very few ... willing to face the challenge of bringing them out in the open," says Mr. Kight.

Meeker residents like Tom Kildiff seem ready to do so. Commander of the Meeker VFW, he grew up hunting Ute artifacts on his family's ranch. "I've been studying what we did to native Americans all my life and I think it is a damn shame," says Mr. Kilduff, who was part of the color guard that led dancers into the arena.

More cultural exchanges are being planned. Community leaders hope to bring kids from Meeker and the reservation together for hiking and horse riding trips and art programs.

But beyond these feel-good projects lie tougher questions – such as whether land should be returned to the Utes. Ute member Arrum says an area in the Flat Tops should be set aside for the tribe to harvest berries and roots. They should have hunting rights, too, she says.

Such issues will eventually have to be addressed, acknowledges Clifford Duncan, the spiritual adviser for the powwow. But for now, he says, it's important to recognize what they all have in common.

Mr. Duncan invoked his ancestors when he blessed the arena in the powwow's opening ceremony.

"Back in these hills there is a story – a story about our way of life. We will find that. This is just the beginning. To the ancestors we say, 'Thank you for allowing us to come back.' We did not forget you. Ancestors, the sound you will hear today is not of a gun – it is from a drum."

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