Week Of Women Honoree Reminds Everyone Of Important Role Women Play In Healing Cultural Wounds

This week, as CBS4 celebrates the role of women in society with Week of Women, C.J. Brafford from western Colorado is in Denver to get an award at the Colorado Women's Day conference, and she's reminding everyone of the important role women play in healing deep cultural wounds.

GOLDEN, Colo. (CBS4) – C.J. Brafford is no stranger to the modern challenges facing her people.

"We have issues on the reservation, drugs being a problem, education, pregnancy," she said.

As the Director of the Ute Indian Museum in Montrose, she sees herself as a caretaker of culture.

"At the Ute Indian Museum, one of the other things that we do, too, is to bridge a better understanding of culture," Brafford explained.

She believes that culture is a way out of the problems that Native American children face now.

"To bring them back to where their beginnings are, who they are, their culture, their heritage," she said.

After centuries of efforts to erase Indigenous traditions at boarding schools and through unfair laws, Brafford believes the Tribes' are reclaiming their culture.

"It's time to hear our voice, our stories, the retelling of history as we were taught. We were passed down from generation to generation many of the stories," she said.

As racist laws are deleted from the books, and Native American ceremonies are celebrated, Brafford believes it's the mothers and grandmothers who will continue the movement.

"Women sometimes play that lead role. Where we stand up and are opening the eyes, bringing that awareness, and sharing that voice," she told CBS4.

Brafford hopes that as Indigenous voices are raised, the rest of society will stop and listen.