utah sacred sites

ROBERT BEAR CLAW

SACRED JOURNEYS

BUTLER WASH KIVA,

UTAH

BUTLER WASH KIVA,

UTAH

Their ‘Elders’ made their way into the high peaks of the mountains. There they made contact with ‘Great Spirit’. It is for this reason that they were known as the Yutah, the ‘People who enter the High Places’.

In a hidden part of a river bed, the Yutah made their home. I am most honored to dance where the ‘Old Ones’ lived and celebrated their lives.

They danced, the ‘Old Ones’ did. They knew that the steps of one’s dance are the steps of one’s life. On the appointed days, they journeyed to the Gathering Place where they would dance to Honor their ‘Ancient Ones’.

I danced, the clouds gathered and the wind rushed in. The storm is near. When I stopped drumming, the clouds and wind stopped, the sun appeared.

Thank you, Yutah, thank you.

I am blessed.

Within a day’s journey, a kiva can be found. It is near the ancient Place of the Gathering, where the Yutah of the region gathered to celebrate the ‘High Ones’ and their Way of Life.

Carefully reconstructed in Butler Wash, the kiva stands silently, yet it speaks loudly. It is a reminder of the ‘Old Ways’. I can hear the voices and the songs of the ‘Old Ones’ ringing in my ears, beckoning me to join. I am honored.

I descend into the heart of the underground kiva, the mirror journey of the climb to the mountain peaks.

I am privileged and I am honored,

I am here, ‘Old Ones’, I hear you.

You walked these lands...

You found its magic, you used its power, you reached beyond this world.

Thank you, Yutah, ajo!