“I envision a sustainable traditional Ute Garden that offers a place of healing, rejuvenation and growth for all. It will serve as a place for intergenerational healing, allowing our elders to share knowledge with younger generations while providing traditional medicines for community members facing imbalance.”
Gabrielle Pike, 22, is an active community member of the Ute Indian Tribe. Born and raised on the Uintah & Ouray Reservation in Fort Duchesne, Utah, Gabrielle has dedicated herself to fostering a deep connection to Ute culture and Nuchu ways of life. She works diligently to build relationships within her community through volunteering at community events and fostering knowledge sharing between Elders and youth.
The Uintah & Ouray Reservation is located in northeastern Utah, encompassing most of the Uintah Basin. Due to harmful effects of poorly regulated environmental practices, pollution from Utah’s largest oil field located in the Basin has decimated traditional plants and medicines on the reservation. What little vegetation that has survived is unusable because of ongoing threats to the environment. Gabrielle aims to leverage her community connections and gardening knowledge to ensure traditional plants and medicines are available and usable for generations to come.
“Nah-Nây; To Grow” Will promote healing and knowledge sharing within Gabrielle’s community. Through her partnership with Indigenous Health and Wellness Connections, Gabrielle will establish a community garden, for indigenous plants and traditional medicines. Gabrielle will work with tribal knowledge keepers to record proper care techniques for the plants, and traditional uses of the plants ensuring future generations have access to this sacred knowledge. Once plants are matured enough, Gabrielle would like to host garden tours and hands on workshops for community knowledge sharing.
