Category: Veterans

Tribal Health TPA Update

The Tribal Health Department would like to provide notice to the Tribal Membership regarding the new Third-Party Administrator (TPA), Auxiant. The transition to Auxiant will ensure Tribal Members continue to receive quality, high-level benefits at a lower cost and more efficiently.

Tribal Members may receive updated ID cards as early as today, December 18, 2024 via USPS mail from the Tribal Health Department. Starting January 1, 2025, please ensure your providers have the Auxiant ID card on file at their facility.

If you have not yet received the Auxiant ID card by
January 31, 2025 or if you would like more information, please contact the Tribal Health Benefits Resource Team at 970-563-4720. To contact Auxiant directly, please call 1-800-475-2232.

Service Information for Zamias Lang

The family of Zamias Lang egap of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe has requested the funeral service information be shared with the Southern Ute Tribal Membership and community. His mother, Inandre Dale, has shared the following information:
“Viewing is Tuesday December 17, 2024 from 5:00 PM-7:00 PM @ Ertel Funeral Home in Cortez, Colorado. Funeral service will be Wednesday December 18, 2024 at 10:00 AM @ Towaoc Recreation Center in Towaoc, Colorado. Burial will be at Towaoc Cemetery. Dinner will be after burial so if you would like to bring a dish or anything please feel free too. Place will be announced soon.
Zamias’ favorite color was blue so if you’d like to wear that color on Wednesday your more than welcome too.”
If you would like to support the family, a GoFundMe page has been created: https://gofund.me/61eb562c

For Immediate Release: Southern Ute Indian Tribe Welcomes Baker and Olguin to Tribal Council

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

Melvin J. Baker, Chairman – 970.563.2320

Summer Begay, Communication Specialist– 970.563.2313

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 16, 2024

Southern Ute Indian Tribe Welcomes Baker and Olguin to Tribal Council

Southern Ute Indian Reservation – Tribal Council warmly welcomed Linda K. Baker and James “Mike” Olguin during the Inauguration Ceremony held this morning in Tribal Council Chambers. Both newly elected Council Members bring extensive experience and dedication to serving the Tribe and the Tribal Membership.

Baker brings a wealth of experience to her role on Tribal Council, having previously served one term as a Council Member. In addition to her time on the Council, she has made significant contributions to the Tribe through her work with the Southern Ute Cultural Center and Museum, where she served as Director, overseeing programs that preserved and celebrated the Tribe’s rich cultural heritage. She also played a key role in supporting the educational advancement of Tribal Members as the Higher Education Academic Advisor within the Education Department, helping to guide students in achieving their academic and career goals.

Chairman Melvin J. Baker shared optimism for the future, stating, “The knowledge and commitment that Baker and Olguin bring to this Council is invaluable. Their leadership will strengthen our efforts to honor our traditions while paving the way for continued growth and opportunity for our Tribe.”

Olguin brings over 40 years of experience and a proven track record of leadership, having previously served three terms as a Council Member. Over the course of his service, he has taken on critical leadership roles, including Acting Chairman, Vice Chairman, and Executive Officer, demonstrating his deep commitment to the Tribe’s governance and well-being. Olguin has worked alongside and under the leadership of Chairmen Leonard C. Burch, Clement Frost, and Melvin J. Baker. His years of service reflect a steadfast dedication to addressing the needs of the Tribal Membership while preserving and promoting the Tribe’s core values and traditions.

During the Inauguration Ceremony, Chairman Baker shared the announcement of selecting Treasurer Marvin Pinnecoose to serve as Vice Chairman. “Growing up on the Reservation, I witnessed the strength and resilience of our people. I am deeply humbled to serve as Vice Chairman. As Tribal Council, we have the profound duty and responsibility to uplift and support ALL Tribal Members as outlined in the Tribal Constitution. This will include both our youth and elders and respectively Tribal Members living on and off our Reservation. Together, we will work to ensure every decision and vote will bring strength to our Tribe,” stated Vice Chairman Pinnecoose. With the addition of Baker and Olguin, Tribal Council looks forward to advancing its mission of service and leadership.

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Southern Ute Indian Tribe Welcomes Baker and Olguin to Tribal Council Press Release 12162024

2024 Inauguration Ceremony 12162024

The 2024 Inauguration Ceremony for Linda K. Baker and James M. Olguin will be on Monday, December 16, 2024 at 10:00 AM. This will be held in the Tribal Council Chambers at 356 Ouray Drive, Ignacio, CO 81137. The agenda is as follows:
Welcome & Invocation
Oath of Office
Council Member Address & Presentation
-Linda K. Baker & James M. Olguin
Tribal Council Well Wishes
Visiting Dignitaries & Royalty
Adjourn
A light reception will follow in the Hall of Warriors. To attend virtually, you may scan the QR code below or use the following link: https://bit.ly/2024tci. The password is 2024tci. For more information, please contact Tribal Council Affairs at 970-563-2313.

Committee of Elders Vacancy

Tribal Council has reestablished the Committee of Elders and seeks Letters of Interest from eligible Southern Ute Tribal Elders to serve on the Committee.

The purpose of the Committee is to promote a continuing and growing heritage of language and traditional way of life through collaboration with the Cultural Preservation Department to maintain the Southern Ute language, heritage, and traditions of the Southern Ute people and to convey knowledge and experience.

Qualifications:
Any enrolled Southern Ute Tribal Member who is 55 years of age or older is eligible to serve, whether living on or off the Reservation.
An understanding of the Tribe’s language and culture is preferred, but not required.
If selected and appointed, members should attend all committee meetings and special meetings as scheduled and adhere to the Tribe’s approved Code of Conduct and Ethics Code.
Appointments will last 1-3 years.

Eligible Tribal Members may submit a letter of interest by December 31, 2024 by emailing swhyte@southernute-nsn.gov, deliver in-person to the Tribal Council Affairs Receptionist located in the Leonard C. Burch building, or mail to Tribal Council Affairs at PO Box 737, Ignacio, CO 81137.

For more information, please contact Tribal Council Affairs at 970-563-2319 or Council Member Marjorie Barry at 970-563-2304.

The family of the late Southern Ute Tribal Chairman, Leonard C. Burch, announces the return of the Annual Walk/Run on December 10, 2024

The family of the late Chairman Leonard C. Burch would like to share historical information on how Leonard C. Burch Day was created and how he continues to be honored each year as the leading trailblazer of the Southern Ute people for our new generation of tribal members and for tribal staff who may come on board within a Southern Ute tribal entity recently.

This day of recognition was first established on Dec. 10, 1996, by the Southern Ute Indian Tribal Council and is celebrated as a tribal holiday — every December by the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, La Plata County and the State of Colorado. LaPlata County leadership and the State of Colorado followed suit in 2020, by formally acknowledging December 10th as Leonard C. Burch Day in 2020.

Growing up in the impoverished Ute reservation near Ignacio, Burch maintained a determination and vision that carried through all of his life endeavors. After graduating from Ute Vocational School in 1954, he served four tours of duty with the U.S. Air Force in Turkey. In 1959, Burch returned home and married his high school sweetheart, Irene. The couple eventually had seven daughters and 14 grandchildren. Throughout his life, he focused on family values and gatherings, mostly spending quality time with his wife, daughters and grandchildren.

Leonard C. Burch was elected to the Southern Ute Tribal Council at the young age of 32 in 1966 and served as Chairman for 28 years. Leonard C. Burch was a true leader who paved the way for Native Americans all over the country, many of whom visit regularly to learn from the 1,400-member tribe’s success story. He held a constant dream that his people could build a better future for themselves and after years of persistence, that dream grew to a reality.

Burch was known for his strong cultural ties to his Ute traditions, his visionary leadership in his role as the Tribe’s longtime chairman and unparalleled dedication to family, community, and the many friendships he cultivated along the way.

Leonard C. Burch retired from his remarkable political career at the end of 2002; he passed on in August the following year. The Southern Ute Indian Tribe dedicated the newly built Tribal Administration Building in his name soon after. Inscribing a set of bronze plaques with the inscription, “In memory of Leonard C. Burch, 1933-2003, Former Chairman, Council Member, Sun Dance Chief and Great Visionary — Thank you for your leadership, dedication and tireless efforts on behalf of your people.”

Tavuci Togoiak Chairman Burch, you will forever be remembered as our “Shining Star”.

– Tribal Information Services

Inauguration Ceremony Save the Date 12/16/2024

Please save the date for the 2024 Inauguration Ceremony for two (2) Tribal Council Members on Monday, December 16, 2024, at 10:00 AM in Tribal Council Chambers (356 Ouray Drive, Ignacio, CO 81137). Please note that the incoming Council Members will not be determined until the Run-off Election concludes on Friday, December 13, 2024. Additional details are forthcoming. A live stream via WebEx will be available.

For more information, please contact Tribal Council Affairs at 970-563-2313.