Photo Credit: Eric Heller. House on Fire site, Bears Ears National Monument. 2024.The towering buttes that look out on Utah’s breathtaking views are home to Bears Ears National Monument, a sacred space, a political football, and a home for countless artifacts that multiple Indigenous tribes claim in their ancestral traditions.

The towering buttes that look out on Utah’s breathtaking views are home to Bears Ears National Monument, a sacred space, a political football, and a home for countless artifacts that multiple Indigenous tribes claim in their ancestral traditions.

Dr. Eric Heller and a hand-picked group of USC students traveled to Bears Ears National Monument in San Juan County in southeastern Utah this summer to work alongside Navajo and Zuni tribal members, elders and youth, in the Bears Ears Digital Cultural Heritage Initiative. They used virtual reality and photogrammetry programs to recreate the sacred sites perched high above the valley floor as accessible, immersive learning experiences. Using digital humanities and ethnography, these Navajo and Zuni people seek to represent the sacred sites of Bears Ears the way they believe is right. The archaeologists and students worked to elevate these varied narratives of Indigenous people, and to make space for the perspectives of the land management agencies, and archaeologists.

Dr. Eric Heller, the project’s Principal Investigator, explains, “The project is about, in a sense, raising awareness and advocating for the Bears Ears National Monument and getting the narratives, particularly those of Indigenous people and other stakeholders as well, out into the world in a way that’s engaging and encourages what I think of as the right kind of engagement and the right kind of awareness. Because not all engagement is created equal, not all awareness is created equal.”  This project aims to focus on the contributions and history of the major Indigenous groups who hold Bears Ears National Monument sacred to encourage tourism to the monument that respects the importance of these sites to Native Americans. The project’s digital aspect provides a new way for tourists to engage with the site and its history, but more importantly, it captures the site in a moment in time for future generations.

Photo Credit: Eric Heller. USC students learn about useful and sacred plants from the Navajo Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, Richard Begay. 2024.

Tourism to the monument is enticing due to its wealth of cultural artifacts and scenic beauty. However, Dr. Heller’s team seeks to restructure conversations around tourism to this sacred site. “Virtual reality as a medium, I think, is very powerful because it involves something akin to an embodied experience. When you put on these headsets, even if the model is, perhaps, a little rough or not quite perfect, you still get a sense of presence in place, of actually being there. I think that can be more powerful than many news or magazine articles or even a documentary film because people gain a sense of having actually been there in an encounter with real people.” Heller explained.

“The Indigenous voices are often the most hidden in the broader political field, but their beliefs and stories are what inspire and preserve the sanctity of Bears Ears”

The Bears Ears Digital Cultural Heritage Initiative marries the expertise of digital humanities with in-person interviews by people who care about culture to create a portal to the sacred sites of Bears Ears. This collaborative project involves partnerships with Navajo and Zuni tribal members as well as federal land managers and fellow archaeologists. 

Working with the Indigenous tribes has allowed for a mutual exchange in knowledge. “It was powerful to disrupt that more extractive kind of typical ethnographic media production model.”  Today, this fieldwork looks more like an indigenous archaeology project. Heller shared, “We now start by asking them Where do you all want to go? What sites are important for you to capture virtually and talk about? What do you want this experience to look like? Where do you envision it being made public eventually? 

We’ve been very fortunate to have this deep input from our Indigenous partners, and it’s working out wonderfully. They have been generous as we emerged from our older model of taking and telling to the new day of giving and asking. In this way, we all get more from every part of the project and are creating a better outcome. I’ve learned a lot through this experience, and it has forever changed the way I’ll engage in field-based projects. The students see it, too, and they’ve forged relationships and been granted access that earlier generations could only dream about.”

Photo Credit: Eric Heller. Navajo and USC students working in VR at the Edge of the Cedars Museum, Blanding UT. 2024.

This collaborative approach not only fosters a more respectful relationship between researchers and Indigenous communities but also empowers those communities to shape the narrative surrounding their cultural heritage. By actively involving the Navajo and Zuni Tribes in the decision-making process, the initiative shifts away from traditional, top-down methodologies often seen in ethnographic work. Instead, it prioritizes their voices and perspectives, ensuring that the representation of sacred sites is both authentic and meaningful. As this dialogue continues to evolve, it opens up new possibilities for understanding and preserving cultural heritage, ultimately paving the way for more inclusive and equitable practices in the digital humanities.

During the 2024 season of the Bears Ears Digital Cultural Heritage Initiative, USC alumna in Anthropology and Environmental Science, Cora Sverdrup, had the opportunity to work hands-on with Dr. Heller to aid in the creation of these models. “I am particularly interested in how we relate to the physical spaces and landscapes around us- and how those spaces shape our sense of being. Whether it is the physical environment or a digital manifestation of it, the sites we will be working at on this project are imbued with deep cultural significance. My hope for this project is to help give a platform to the people to which these sites belong in ways that can potentially influence and inform the management of the Region.”

In addition to the ethnographic interviews of Indigenous people, Dr. Heller’s team visited five sites around the monument that are important for the various tribes, created the first scans of ancestral Pueblo cliff dwellings; and completed partial scans of the site of Moon House. “The outcomes of this summer were really quite successful, but getting there has been a real journey.”(Heller)

Digital Humanities, an emerging field that combines technology with the study of human culture, plays a key role in this project. This blend of ethnography and technology highlights the project’s interdisciplinary approach to preserving cultural heritage.“By creating virtual models that will eventually be compiled into a VR exhibit, people will be able to partake in a sense of placemaking despite physical or financial barriers. This is especially relevant for our Tribal partners and youth. The work also has the potential to be used in federal management decisions to advocate for cultural and natural resource protections.” (Sverdrup, CO’24) Through these efforts, the initiative safeguards invaluable cultural history while paving the way for more inclusive and accessible forms of heritage conservation.

As the Bears Ears Digital Cultural Heritage Initiative progresses, it not only aims to elevate Indigenous voices but also to foster a deeper understanding of the sacred significance of this landscape. By integrating cutting-edge technology with cultural narratives, the project creates a bridge between the past and the present, allowing users to experience the richness of the Bears Ears region in ways that transcend traditional forms of engagement. Ultimately, this initiative embodies a collaborative approach to cultural preservation, ensuring that the stories and perspectives of the Indigenous communities remain central to discussions about land management and tourism. The work of Dr. Heller and his team is paving the way for a future where the voices of native tribes are not just heard but actively shape the narratives surrounding their heritage. As the project continues to unfold, it holds the promise of transforming how we perceive and interact with sacred sites, fostering respect and awareness that can resonate across generations.