SOUTHERN UTE INDIAN TRIBE ‒ As about 600 people gathered Monday at the Sky Ute Casino Event Center in Ignacio for Ben Nighthorse Campbell’s memorial service, one theme became abundantly clear: He impacted people from all walks of life.
The venue was packed with bikers decked out in leather; law enforcement and military members in uniform; dozens of voices in politics; several judo Olympians; artists who worked with Campbell; family and friends from far and wide; and a range of prominent Native American individuals, including from the Northern Cheyenne and Southern Ute tribes.
The 2½-hour service – held on what would have been Campbell’s 93rd birthday – included a slideshow of photos from his life; a viewing of a documentary produced by Rocky Mountain PBS; a military tribute by members of the United States Air Force; a Hoop Dance ceremony representing the circle of life performed by Lightning Boy Hoop Dancers and accompanied by the Southern Ute Yellowjacket Drum Group; and a Native American prayer calling Campbell home to the Creator and the Ancestors.
Campbell was also awarded an honorary doctorate at the service by Cynthia Teniente-Matson, president of his alma mater, San José State University.
Several people eulogized Campbell and spoke about his accomplishments and impact.
Speakers covered his far-reaching accomplishments, from becoming a three-time judo champion, to making award-winning jewelry and raising quarter horses, to co-founding the Four Corners Motorcycle Rally and impacting major legislation while serving as a U.S. senator.
U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd called Campbell a “trailblazer in Congress.”
U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, who spoke in a video tribute, said Campbell “stood up for Native communities, for Colorado’s land and water, and for the idea that respect comes before partisanship.”
U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet described Campbell’s legacy as being “written all across Colorado and the West.”
“As the first and only Native American to chair the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Ben forced congressional leaders to recognize and reckon with our government’s broken promises to tribal nations,” he said.
Campbell, even before his time in office, was always a friend and advocate for ranchers, said former Colorado House Rep. J. Paul Brown. He said his first introduction to Campbell was when Campbell was working as the manager of Sky Ute Downs, and he would let Brown drive his sheep through the arena, up to the mountains.
The two of them ended up working closely together in politics and on a personal level. Their discussions eventually turned to the future of the country.
“He was concerned about where our country was going, very concerned about the the leanings toward the left,” Brown said. “We talked about that a lot.”
W. Richard West Jr., founding director of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian and president and CEO of the Autry Museum of the American West, called Campbell the “political and cultural godfather” of the National Museum of the American Indian.
“In a sentence, the legislation to which Ben devoted heart and soul confirmed the centrality of Native place in history, affirmed it in the present and for the future and created an institution – literally and physically – right in front of Congress on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to explain it all with Native voices doing the telling,” said West, a member of the Southern Cheyenne Tribe.
Mike Lovato described the inaugural year of the Four Corners Motorcycle Rally, of which Campbell was a founder, as a “little get together” that drew 7,000 bikers. That number climbed to 70,000 at the rally’s peak. The event became a major economic driver and a source of pride for Campbell, Lovato said.
“Of all the things he did, he told me one of the things that brings him the most satisfaction was the motorcycle rally, right here in Ignacio, Colorado,” he said.
Southern Ute Tribe Growth Fund Executive Director Shane Seibel said Campbell had an understanding that leadership was “not about ego, but about responsibility to the Creator, to the people and to future generations.”
“His commitment to tribal sovereignty came from that grounding,” he said. “He believed deeply in the inherent rights of Native nations and worked tirelessly to ensure those rights were respected.”
Retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Ronald R. Fogleman honored Campbell’’s service in the Air Force during the Korean War.
“Ben had that warrior spirit, and that was conveyed through his life and to many people he met,” he said.
Additional voices included Gene Small, president of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe – of which Campbell was a citizen; two-time United States Olympic judo champion Jim Wooley; Southern Ute Tribe Spiritual Leaders Betty Box and Eddie Box Jr., who delivered a blessing; and Campbell’s children, Colin and Shanan Campbell.
“We’re all going to have a big gap in our hearts,” Colin said.
Shanan described her father as an “overachiever” with a “fierce, self-generating energy.” She said he was “no soft landing” as a parent – but also called him “the greatest father I know.”
“Sometimes he had a terrible temper, and he wasn’t always present or great to our family, and I choose to be honest about that today, because he would have been,” she said. “He would not have wanted a eulogy that turned him into something he wasn’t. He was human, and he was unpredictable and complicated. … Those of you who knew him already know this to be true: that a great warrior has left this world.”
A reception followed the service, where attendees visited with the family and swapped stories of Campbell’s legacy.
While speaking with The Durango Herald, Betty Box and Eddie Box Jr. shared their memories of the last time they spoke to Campbell, just a month before his death.
Although he seemed energetic and lucid, not at all like a man approaching his end of life, the Boxes said he knew it was his time to go and was ready.
Eddie recalled Campbell telling him, “You’ve got to be strong now.”
In the days after Campbell’s burial on his family ranch in Ignacio, his dog would sleep outside, right on top of the place he was buried, Betty said.
Campbell’s wife, Linda, called the celebration of life “the biggest birthday party he’s ever had.”
epond@durangoherald.com, jbowman@durangoherald.com
Watch the service
The Durango Herald livestreamed the memorial celebration held Monday for former U.S. Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell. The livestream, which received more than 1,000 views, can be seen by visiting: www.durangoherald.com/articles/photos-ben-nighthorse-campbell-memorial/
