DENVER State lawmakers paid tribute Thursday to Ernest House Sr., the Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Council chairman who died in a motorcycle accident last September.
Tribal leaders from Southwest Colorado and Houses family members were on hand for the tribute Thursday morning in the House of Representatives.
Ernest House was a huge part of Southwest Colorado, said Rep. Don Coram, R-Montrose, whose district includes the Ute Mountain Ute reservation. He was a great man who did a lot for his community. He did a lot for our state.
Assistant House Majority Leader Mark Waller, R-Colorado Springs, is close friends with Houses son, Ernest House Jr.
Ernest House Jr. is absolutely testament to the fact because hes such a great man testament to the fact that his father was obviously a great man as well, Waller said.
House Sr.s daughters, Michelle and Jacque, also were on hand for the tribute.
The younger House is serving his second stint as executive secretary of the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs. He has served three governors in the position.
House Jr. organized a busy schedule for tribal leaders Thursday, who were in town for several events.
The CCIA was scheduled to meet Friday, and the Denver March Pow Wow this weekend kicks off the tribal dance contest season.
The flags of each tribe are posted this week outside Lt. Gov. Joe Garcias office. Garcia is chairman of the Indian Affairs Commission.
Gov. John Hickenlooper greeted tribal leaders Thursday afternoon in the entrance hall of the state Capitol.
He pledged to foster tighter relations among three sovereign governments the state and the two Ute tribes.
Both tribes have a major cultural impact. They also have huge economic impacts not just in their own community in Southwestern Colorado when you look at it, theyre the largest employers in the area but they also have an impact on the state that cant be understated, Hickenlooper said.
Reach Joe Hanel at joeh@cortezjournal.com.