EARTH.SPEAKS ámanikyatumɵ’ɵvi

or: resting hand

EARTH.SPEAKS ámanikyatumө’өvi (Resting Hand) was commissioned by Green Box Arts in 2023 and created by brooke smiley in collaboration with members of the Southern Ute Tribe and the Green Mountain Falls community. Situated within the traditional homelands of the Núuchiu (Ute people), the work emerged through a process of relationship-building, listening, and cultural exchange. Southern Ute Tribal Historic Preservation Officer Cassandra Atencio shared teachings with brooke about Southern Ute history, cultural traditions, and the sacred relationship between the people, the land, and water—guidance that directly informed the design of the earthen markers. Community members from Green Mountain Falls, including teenagers, retirees, veterans, faith leaders, and families, joined brooke in the construction of the installation, transforming the building process into a collective act of learning, care, and connection to place.

In April 2025, EARTH.SPEAKS returned to Green Mountain Falls for a day-long public gathering that wove together ceremony, performance, dance, storytelling, prayer, and shared meal. Designed as an immersive community experience, the event brought Southern Ute cultural leaders and community members together with residents of Green Mountain Falls to engage the installation through guided reflection, artistic offerings, and knowledge sharing. Throughout the day, dancers activated the earthen markers and benches, creating movement responses inspired by the histories, teachings, and stories shared by Southern Ute community members. Performance, conversation, and communal feast unfolded side by side, transforming the site into a living space for cultural exchange and collective reflection. Together, the installation and its activation demonstrate how EARTH.SPEAKS extends beyond a physical artwork to become an ongoing practice of community care, cultural continuity, and renewed relationships between Native and non-Native peoples.