Answer Close-Reading Questions
Have students write their responses, or use the Close-Reading Questions to guide a discussion.
• Why is Bear Ears National Monument sacred to many Native American people? (Key Details)
Bears Ears is sacred to many Native Americans because some of their ancestors lived there for hundreds of years. The area is home to Indigenous burial grounds. Also, ancient villages, rock paintings, and petroglyphs there provide information about Tribal Nations’ history.
• Summarize the section “Stolen Land.” (Summarizing)
Indigenous peoples lived in North America for thousands of years before Europeans began settling and seizing their land in the 1600s. In the contiguous United States, Native Americans were forced off about 99 percent of their ancestral land. During the Long Walk, the U.S. Army forced more than 10,000 Navajo people to march to an internment camp in what is now New Mexico, after burning their villages. Hundreds of Navajo people died, but many escaped by hiding in and around Bears Ears.
• What does Carleton Bowekaty mean when he says “We want to share our history because it adds to the fabric of our great nation”? (Making Meaning)
Bowekaty means that he wants visitors to learn about Tribal Nations’ connection with Bears Ears. He’s saying that all Americans’ history and stories are woven together.