While Colter was complicit in the commodification of Indigenous culture, she also served as a cultural bridge, inviting tourists to evocatively reimagine a Hopi dwelling and an Ancestral Puebloan tower. “She still educates tourists today through her work,” Blackgoat said.
In a nod to its origins, the Desert Watchtower has been transformed into a tribal arts center, where Native American artists demonstrate their crafts and educate visitors about their connection to the Canyon. As I was about to leave, a woman with a German accent and a bus ID asked me if I knew when the watchtower was built and who designed it.
As it happened, I did.
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While Colter was complicit in the commodification of Indigenous culture, she also served as a cultural bridge, inviting tourists to evocatively reimagine a Hopi dwelling and an Ancestral Puebloan tower. “She still educates tourists today through her work,” Blackgoat said.
In a nod to its origins, the Desert Watchtower has been transformed into a tribal arts center, where Native American artists demonstrate their crafts and educate visitors about their connection to the Canyon. As I was about to leave, a woman with a German accent and a bus ID asked me if I knew when the watchtower was built and who designed it.
As it happened, I did.
