As dawn emerged Monday, tribal nations gave a special ceremonial blessing on top of Pikes Peak — one of the few times the city opens the summit before sunrise. It’s the third year for the Indigenous Peoples Day Sunrise Celebration and according to the city of Colorado Springs, it was also the largest.
The celebration also included the unveiling of interpretive signs inside the Pikes Peak Summit House, highlighting the Kiowa Tribe and Comanche Nation’s native language names for the peak.
“T’áiñk’òp, T’áiñk’òp, T’áiñk’òp,” Amanda Hill repeated. Hill is a Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Kiowa tribe. “T’áiñk’òp” translates to “White Mountain.”
“It’s kind of funny when you read these invitations,” Hill said. “It says, invited to the mountain blessing, kind of like they expect us to come and bless this mountain. Can’t bless the mountain,” she explained — it’s already considered a sacred place. “But we were excited to come up here and take those blessings for ourselves, for our families, for our people, for Indian county because they’re very much needed.”…