Longmont welcomes Northern Arapaho home with Sister Cities partnership

A historic day at the Stewart Auditorium brought delegations from the Northern Arapaho of Wind River, the city of Longmont and representatives from the Longmont Sister Cities Association to celebrate the signing of a new partnership between Longmont and the Northern Arapaho.

The partnership is a culmination of three years worth of relationship building between the Northern Arapaho Business Council, the tribal elders, Mayor Brian Bagley and the Longmont Sister Cities Association, or LSCA. The September 18 ceremony marked the first time a Sister Cities agreement has been signed between a U.S. city and sovereign nation. The friendship with the Northern Arapaho is Longmont’s third Sister City, along with Chino, Japan and Ciudad Guzman, Mexico.

An honor guard ceremony from Longmont’s American Legion Post 32 led off the afternoon with the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by the Northern Arapaho Warriors Color Guard reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in the Arapaho language. Mayor Brian Bagley led the presentation with an acknowledgement that Longmont sits on the traditional territory of the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Ute and other indigenous people. 

“We honor the history and the living and spiritual connection that the First Peoples have with this land we call home,” Bagley said. “It is our commitment to face the injustices that occurred when the land was taken, and educate our communities, ourselves and our children to ensure that these injustices do not happen again. The one way to make sure that happens is an exchange of love.”

LSCA President Janice Rebhan welcomed the Northern Arapaho home to their ancestral homeland, going on to acknowledge the efforts involved in securing the partnership between the nation and the city. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the ceremony, Rebhan said, but was hopeful that the partnership would lead a path for other cities to follow suit.

“We have much to learn from each other and together we will build a brighter future,” Rebhan said. “This liaison is a step toward healing and an opportunity for educational and cultural exchanges for both our communities.”

Northern Arapaho Business Council co-chair Lee Spoonhunter welcomed his fellow Arapaho home to thunderous applause, then spoke of the emotional significance of seeing Estes Park for the first time. Spoonhunter spoke warmly of the relationships that had formed with the people of Longmont, but also of the difficulties the tribe still experiences with racism and hate in the nation. 

“Unfortunately racism is alive and well here in America. It is our job and our responsibility to combat that with the love and respect you all see here today,” Spoonhunter said.

Speaking to the assembly, Northern Arapaho Business Council member Steve Fasthorse addressed the difficulties and compromises that the nation has faced, sharing the Wind River Reservation with the Shoshone in a land that was never theirs. Fasthorse emphasized finding solutions that could provide opportunities for generations to come, to inspire and support the youth of their nation.

“The biggest push of this whole effort was to change that path, to get our kids to come back to the homeland we have so yearned for,” Fasthorse said.

Sister Cities International, or SCI, was founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956, to foster diplomacy around the globe after World War II. SCI President Carol Lopez joined the gathering to laud the new relationship between Longmont and the Arapaho. Lopez emphasized the role of youth in continuing these relationships to build a better future.

“It’s time we find peace with each other and this Sister City relationship is going to promote mutual trust and understanding,” Lopez said. “When we learn from each other and know each other, we realize what we actually have in common.”

The partnership was signed by Bagley and Spoonhunter, with youth from Longmont and the Northern Arapaho on stage behind them. An exchange of gifts between Longmont and the Arapaho followed, symbols of unity and friendship for all. The presentation closed with performances from Longmont High School’s drumline, the Northern Arapaho traditional dancers and a trio of breakdancers from the Longmont Youth Center.