CJ Brafford had a vision at age 9 that she would be the “carekeeper of belongings of the past.” Today, she fulfills that vision as Director of the Ute Indian Museum in Montrose Colorado, the only museum dedicated to the culture and history of the Ute Indians.

Brafford’s extraordinary sensitivity and her own heritage and upbringing as an Oglala Lakota Sioux allow her to bridge barriers to Indian culture for non-Indians.

How do you describe your work? “I’m a multi-tasker.  My work can range from putting up a tipi to writing a grant.  I teach bead work, sign language and how to play the flute.  With 8.65 acres, I’ve even sat down on a lawnmower and mowed the lawn.”

What three adjectives best describe you? “Individual.  Balance. Integrity.”

Cats, dogs, birds … describe your pets? “I have cats.  I have dogs.  I had a porcupine, they’re good listeners. We both need each other some days.  I need to pet my dog and he needs to pet me.”

Favorite season? “I will go with Fall.  The colors of mother earth and for me it’s a restful moment to reflect on my journey’s of life up to that point.”

Name a city you’d love to visit.  Why? “Never been there, but Paris.  My children I sent them all to Paris.  They did an exchange.  They have so much diversity from their museums, arts and I would love to see all that and the city of love they say, so that doesn’t hurt either.”

What’s the best thing about being single? “I’m never single.  When you have three children and – I’ve never thought of myself that way because family and extended family is important.”

Describe your ideal Girls’ Night Out. “I’m kind of an A to Z gal.  I can go to a rodeo, to a movie.  I live in a small town so by 6 or 7 everything is closed down.  My days of bowling are over.  It doesn’t happen too often but it kind of depends on what events are going on in the community.  If nothing else I love going to movies.”

CJ in Traditional Dress

What’s the nicest thing a friend (or friends) have done for you? “What few I have is the honesty and respect that they give to me and that means a lot.”

What do you do for “CJ” time? “CJ time is research.  My research is on Indian culture.  That’s my passion.  I enjoy it and I like manicures!”

What’s the best advice you ever received? “Being brought up with my culture is to know your culture because that plants you a foundation of who you are.  Know who you are and who you come from.  My grandmother says, “You have your own story to tell about yourself.”

What quality do you admire most in a man? “Compassion.”

What quality do you admire most in a woman? “Confidence.”

Who are your real life heroes? “Everyone has a quality of being a hero in one way or another and so I couldn’t set one person aside.  Everyone is a hero within their own hearts and they can contribute something.”

What is your guilty pleasure? “Gambling.  I like the slot machines.  You have to tear me away.  I go in the mind set thinking to enjoy so I just want to see those buckles and I have won big and then I hear that ding, ding, and I feel like I own the world.”

What is your biggest fear? “I have no fear.  I set that aside.  We create our own fear.  Ten years ago I had a list but as you get older you get wiser.  There are ways I can balance it because I want to work with beauty and grace.  I’ve grown up a little.  I’ll set it aside and find the strength and positivity.”

If you could change one thing in your past, what would it be? “I would like to have lived back in the 1800s and I’m not saying it would be simpler.  There were harsh times but a better understanding of what mother earth is.  It’s so easy to flip on a light switch.  I would like to learn the things they did with medicine and plants and then come back to what they did today.  I would like to see how they did it.”

Other than your own talents, what talent would you most like to have? “Even though I’m 50 I always wanted to be a ballet dancer because of the beauty and the grace that they possess and I always strive for that in my life.  Standing on your toes, in a tutu and that beauty that radiates”

What is your motto? Or what words do you live by? “One prayer.  Peace.  One hope.  Harmony.  One dream – understanding.  Smiles and good thoughts.”