Live Broadcast on April 17, 2007
On April 17, 2007, attorney Dennis Chappabitty of the Comanche Nation, representing the terminated Uintas, appeared as a guest on the Native America Calling (NAC) radio program, broadcast live from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Joining him by phone from Roosevelt, Utah, were Oranna B. Felter, Alvin Denver, and Cal Hackford. The program, titled “Termination and a Journey for Justice,” centered on the Ute Partition and Termination Act of 1954 and its enduring consequences. Felter, Denver, and Hackford were minors when their legal status as members of the Uinta Band of Ute Indians was terminated under the provisions of the Act. This federal legislation, enacted during the mid-twentieth-century termination era, sought to dissolve tribal structures, redistribute assets, and assimilate Native peoples into mainstream society.
For the three participants, the Act not only stripped them of official recognition as tribal members but also profoundly disrupted their cultural, economic, and communal ties. In their discussion with the NAC audience, they reflected on the personal and collective hardships resulting from termination, emphasizing its long-term impact on the Ute community. Their testimony illustrates the lasting consequences of termination policy and provides crucial context for the landmark lawsuit, Felter v. Kempthorne, which sought redress for the injustices and losses suffered by the terminated members of the Uinta Band.
Host and Producer Harlan Mckosato with Attorney Dennis G. Chappabitty
Left to Right, Alvin Denver, Oranna B. Felter, and Cal Hackford at Oranna's home in Roosevelt, Utah during the broadcast.
