Jicarilla Apache Star Stories

Jicarilla Apache people have a unique connection to the dunes, part of their traditional homeland. For generations, tribal elders have collected magnetic black sand here for use in sand paintings, and continue to do so in the national park by special permit. Patches of black magnetite sand speckled with lighter sand grains are commonly seen on the dunes, and seem to reflect the starry night skies above. Great Sand Dunes’ dark skies are a window not only into the universe, but also the stories from diverse cultures that have lived here. In this short video, Bryan Vigil shares some of the meanings the Jicarilla Apache traditionally find in the North Star, Big Dipper, and Milky Way. NPS video description: The video opens with an image of Jicarilla Apache elder Bryan Vigil inside a tipi, with a campfire below him. For most of the video, Bryan sits beside a younger Apache man telling star stories, with the dunes and mountains in the background. Photos of the North Star, Big Dipper, and Mi