Beyond Acknowledgments: Living History of Niwot / Nowoo3
Niwot, Colorado, is honoring its namesake—Southern Arapaho Chief Nowoo3, also known as Chief Niwot or Left Hand—by building active relationships with Arapaho and Cheyenne representatives. Through truthful historical storytelling, Native art markets, film programming, and public art preservation, local residents are helping connect the Boulder Valley and Colorado’s past with ongoing community-Native partnerships.
Truthful Histories: Connecting Niwot, Boulder and Colorado’s Past
We partner with Southern Arapaho and Cheyenne Elders to tell truthful Colorado and Boulder Valley histories—including a town founder’s participation in the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre. While frontier narratives valorized settlers, we are working to tell honest histories of white encroachment across Boulder County. We do this to honor the peacemaking legacy of Chief Nowoo3 (Left Hand) and his siblings: Neva, who died from the massacre, and Snake Woman, who survived to serve the Arapaho People.
Building Arapaho, Cheyenne and Niwot Relationships
This effort grew from work to help Boulder build relationships with Tribal Nations and provided a bridge for Southern Arapaho and Cheyenne representatives to tell truthful histories in Niwot, named after Southern Arapaho Chief Nowoo3 (“Niwot”). We hosted a community event focused on building relationships in 2025 and look forward to continuing this dialogue with another event in early 2027.
Saturday, June 27, 2026
Niwot Native Art Market: Investing in Indigenous Creators
The Niwot Native Art Market champions a fee-free, “artist-first” model to invest in emerging Indigenous creators. Featuring artists from the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Diné, and regional Tribal Nations, the event fosters cultural exchange across Boulder County and welcomes visitors from the Colorado Front Range, Denver, and neighboring states like Wyoming. Join us for the next market on Saturday, June 27, 2026, from noon to 5 p.m. at Cottonwood Square in Niwot, Colorado.
January 21–31, 2027
Niwot Film Festival: Indigenous Voices & Storytelling
The Niwot Film Festival is an independent Colorado cinematic festival celebrating Indigenous voices, immigrant stories, and emerging local filmmakers. Running over ten days alongside the 2027 Sundance Film Festival in Boulder, the event connects regional history to broad national themes of Indigenous storytelling, memory, and justice. This Colorado effort also honors Chief Nowoo3/Niwot/Left Hand, a leader who consistently pursued peace, dialogue, and mutual understanding across the Denver Metro Area and Colorado.
The Tree Carvings: Preserving Art in Niwot and the Left Hand Valley
Created by the late Eddie Running Wolf in consultation with Arapaho and Cheyenne Tribal Elders and restored by his son, Dustin Wolf, these three willow carvings stand as physical landmarks of Indigenous history in Boulder County and Colorado. You can take action today by helping fund a permanent, tipi-inspired protective canopy to shelter these restored sculptures at Lefthand Valley Grange Park in Niwot, protecting this community space and its public art for generations to come.
Cottonwood Square Murals: Visual Landscapes of the Front Range
Four Indigenous artists—Danielle SeeWalker, JayCee Beyale, Brent Learned, and George Curtis Levi—painted a series of public murals at Cottonwood Square in Niwot in 2022. By integrating Indigenous storytelling into the physical structure of our commercial district, these permanent installations stand as visual landmarks honoring Chief Nowoo3, the town of Niwot, and the Arapaho and Cheyenne peoples connected to this landscape. They serve as an artistic bridge, connecting visitors along the Colorado Front Range to the historical memory of the Boulder Valley.
Art credit: JayCee Beyale, Website
Activating Niwot, Boulder, Colorado and Native Partnerships
This relationship-building work across Niwot and Boulder County is sustained entirely by volunteer collaboration and community donations. Your support directly funds active partnerships with Arapaho and Cheyenne representatives, historical storytelling initiatives, local Indigenous art markets, independent film programming, and public sculpture preservation efforts.
Art credit: Tom Myer, Native Digital Art