History
the Ute Indians; of the
Shoshone Indian linguistic stock, were originally
divided into seven nomadic, and forest-dwelling tribes which lived on
vast territory in Colorado and parts of Utah and northern New Mexico
prior to he arrival of the European
settlers; they were the Capote, the Mouache, the Parianucs, the Tabeguache, the
Uintah, the Weeminuche, and the Yampa.
Ute, which means
"land of the sun" also gave the state of Utah its
name. The Ute Indians lived in in bark covered teepee-like
huts called wickiups, these were bulkier and less easy to
relocate than the teepee, which they later converted to for
practical reasons. Ute clothing was made from deerskin and
the fur of small animals such as minks and jackrabbits.
As it was with many of the
American Indian aboriginals, the Ute's religious beliefs were
based in nature, with animals serving as the central deities.
The Ute believed they were closely related to the bear, and
animal which features prominently in Ute mythos. Ute Shamans were believed to be very powerful, and in the
Spring, the Ute would gather for the annual Beardance, also
known as "Momaqui Mowat", followed
in the Summer by the Sundance, which was their most important
social and religious ceremony.
The Ute were very
respectful of the environment, never overexploiting its resources,
and they would not hunt for sport, but only for food and
clothing. Ute land included hunting grounds, along with places of spiritual
importance.
The Ute were polygamous, which
means the men were allowed to have several wives, this is
perhaps the only thing they had in common with the Mormon
settlers, with whom the Ute were often in conflict.
Whilst not being sedentary and
not growing crops, the Ute way of life was greatly influenced by
outsiders such as the Spanish, who introduced them to
horses, which the Ute referred to as "Magic Dogs", and
of course, the Mormon settlers who introduced them to
agriculture. Soon, the Ute were raising livestock,
exploiting land and most importantly, thanks to the added convenience
being able to ride on horseback, hunting buffalo; which they practically
wiped out
of existence in Ute land. Eventually, the Ute became deft
traders of both livestock and slaves, who were basically
conquered enemies sold into labor.
However, things were not so
with the Northern Ute or "Noochew" from Colorado, who were opposed to changing their
lifestyle, and instead proceeded to raid Mormon settlers who
were encroaching on Ute territory. Unfortunately, they
were defeated by the colonists, and forced to relocate onto the
Uintah Valley Reservation upon orders from US President Abraham
Lincoln.
This pattern was quite common
with many of the First peoples who were driven from their land
by European settlers, and even though the conflicts were bloody,
some sought other means with which to achieve peaceful
co-existence, such as the great Ute Chief Ouray, who even went
to Washington with his wife Chipeta
to try and stop the relocation of his tribe. Ouray was
fluent in several Native languages, and also spoke English and
Spanish, his great skill at diplomacy led to the first
successfully arranged treaty between the Ute and the US
Government.
There are currently around 3500
Ute Indians living on the Uintah and Ouray Reservations in Utah, they own 1,300 000
acres of land on which they operate their own government,
exploit their own resources, and continue to promote their
heritage. Ceremonial dances are performed are performe
throughout the year on the major reservations, and an annual
PowWow is held at the Tribal Headquaters in Fort Duchesne.
See our resource
page for addresses and other important contact information.
