Ellen Aiken of Boulder, CO, lives just a few blocks from the university campus where she retired as a history instructor: CU Boulder. A longtime traveler, Ellen has enjoyed several of Crow Canyon’s more rugged outdoor adventures, particularly the hiking and camping outings in Utah’s immense Cedar Mesa. She is one of Crow Canyon’s newest Legacy Society members.
“I learned about Crow Canyon Archaeological Center 20 years ago, when I began teaching an interdisciplinary course on the American West. I wanted my students to understand the West as a diverse region, both geographically and culturally, and to consider how Westerners from different cultures lived on the land, beginning with its original inhabitants. An internet search on Ancestral Puebloan sites led me to Crow Canyon. In 2016, when Bears Ears National Monument was established and I was nearing retirement, Crow Canyon offered a travel seminar called Hiking Bears Ears. I jumped at the chance and have traveled with Crow Canyon almost every year since then.
Crow Canyon’s Cultural Explorations have been amazing. I grew up in Grand Junction, on the edge of the Colorado Plateau, so I know the magic of canyon country—I love its stark beauty, its geological history, and its unique flora. I love the way space and time seem to expand when you enter into it. What I value most about Crow Canyon trips is exploring this landscape in the company of people whose ancestors have lived on this land for thousands of years. Crow Canyon brings Native and non-Native scholars together, creating meaningful exchanges of ideas and perspectives. I feel privileged to have heard a Zuni artist and textile expert talk through his examination of a one-thousand-year-old Ancestral Puebloan artifact at the Edge of the Cedars Museum in Blanding, Utah. The petroglyph panel on Comb Ridge came to life for me in the company of Zuni and Acoma knowledge keepers, who shared insights that non-Native archaeologists and observers like me could not have imagined.
Crow Canyon’s commitment to centering Indigenous knowledge and perspectives in its approach to research is deeply meaningful to me and I believe it is transformational for the field of archaeology. Over the years, I have found myself increasing my annual gift to Crow Canyon and in 2025 I decided to become a legacy donor. I want Crow Canyon’s work, and the scholarly collaborations, knowledge, and friendships it generates, to continue into the next generation and beyond.”
CLICK HERE to learn more about legacy gifts to Crow Canyon.