Colorado’s Forgotten People
The Ute people began as a peaceful, nomadic tribe who relied on their environment for survival. But after settlers threatened their homeland, they quickly became known as fierce, nomadic warriors and powerful defenders of their territory.
They specialized in horse mounted combat, and could execute daring maneuvers on horseback during battle, which brought home numerous victories. But in the end, the score didn’t matter. Their fate was in the hands of a much more powerful force.
This is their story.
Who Are They?
The Ute tribe (pronounced “yoot”) originated from the Uto-Aztecan people located in the Western United States and Mexico. Traditionally, they were a nomadic, hunter-gatherer tribe who relied on their environment for survival.
Their population numbered around 26,050 in the mid-19th century, and then rapidly declined for several decades afterward due to brutal wars and forced colonization, dipping as low as 2,600 at one point. However, the 2020 census has estimated their population to be about 15,120 people—a slow, but steady increase from previous years.
Detroit Publishing Co., Wikimedia Commons
How Is The Tribe Organized?
Historically, the Utes belonged to almost a dozen nomadic bands who came together for ceremonies and trade. Today, they are mostly organized as the Northern, Southern, and Ute Mountain Ute Tribes.
The Northern tribe includes the San Pitch, Pahvant, Seuvartis, Timpanogos, and Cumumba Utes. The Southern Ute tribe includes the Muache and the Capote bands. And the Ute Mountain tribe includes the Weeminuche band.
While they were once nomadic, today, life looks a lot different for the Ute people.
Allen & Ginter, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
Where Do They Live?
The Ute people were once far-ranging people, and also the oldest residents of Colorado. They lived in the mountains and vast areas of Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Eastern Nevada, Northern New Mexico, and Arizona. According to generational storytelling, the Ute people have inhabited these lands “since the beginning of time".
Today, the three main groups live on reservations set up by the US government—however, not by choice.
Finetooth, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
How Do They Live?
Before they were forced onto reservations, and before they even acquired horses, traditional Utes lived off the land, nurturing a unique relationship with the ecosystem. They would travel and camp in familiar sites and use well established routes, such as the Ute Trail.
The Utes would take only what they needed from their environment and respected the limited resources by alternating hunting and gathering locations to allow everything time to replenish.
But not all Ute tribes had the same resources on hand, and so not all camps looked the same.
SOTMUS, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
What Were Their Homes Like?
The Utes, being far-ranging nomads, traditionally used whatever natural resources they had at their feet—literally. Their dwellings and structures would be made from the materials nature provided.
Some Ute lived in tepees, made of large sticks and animal hides. Others lived in domed willow houses made of sticks, leaves, and brush from the forest. Some bands also built ramadas if they had the materials to do so.
For the most part, their dwellings were built in a way that an entire Ute village could be packed up and ready to move within an hour.
Their homes changed based on location and season—and so did their diet.
Wellcome Images, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
What Did They Eat?
In the spring and summer, family groups hunted and gathered food. The men hunted buffalo, antelope, elk, deer, bear, rabbit, sage hens, and beaver using arrows, spears, and nets. They smoked and sun-dried the meat, and also ate it fresh. They also fished in fresh water sources, like Utah Lake.
Women processed and stored the meat and gathered greens, berries, roots, yampa, pine nuts, yucca, and seeds.
However, much like their camps, their traditional growing methods and food availability were also different.
United States Geological Survey, Wikimedia Commons
How Did They Grow Food?
The Pahvant band were the only Utes known to traditionally cultivate food. They were also hunter-gatherers though, and relied heavily on fishing and hunting waterfowl. They became known as the “water people,” and didn’t travel as far as some other bands.
Some southeastern groups planted corn and encouraged the growth of wild tobacco. And some western groups turned to reptiles and lizards as a food source.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
What Did They Use As Tools?
In order to hunt game, build shelters, and make clothing, the Ute made tools out of stone, wood, and bones. Using these materials, they made basic tools such as digging sticks, weed beaters, baskets, bows and arrows, flint knives, arrow heads, throwing sticks, and metate y mano—a grinding stone used in food preparation.
The Utes were known for using absolutely everything they could from their harvests—including, and especially, when they harvested animals.
How Were Animals Used?
Animals were hunted and harvested for more than just food. The Utes were very good at making use of every part of the animal so nothing was wasted—this is also out of great respect for the animal.
Animal hides were used for shelter, clothing, and moccasins (traditional footwear). And skin bags and baskets were used to carry goods. In fact, the hides the Utes tanned were also prized and became a sought-after trade item.
But when it came to clothing, the hides were not the most intricate part.
Hilary Brown, GFDL, Wikimedia Commons
What Clothing Did They Wear?
Traditional Ute clothing was made mostly of animal hides. Women wore long deerskin dresses and men wore breechcloths with leather leggings and buckskin shirts. Some Ute people wore buckskin moccasins, but others wore sandals made of yucca fiber—or simply went barefoot.
They took pride in their clothing, and went to great lengths to beautify it using a rather intriguing product their forest friends provided.
How Did They Make Their Clothing Stand Out?
Ute women became known for their beautiful and intricate beadwork. Quills from porcupines were made into beads for decorating clothing (especially dresses and warrior shirts), moccasins, and cradleboards for their babies.
Later, as the Ute adopted more modern clothing styles, they continued to add their beadwork (along with elk teeth and shells) as a way to keep their traditional culture alive.
Did They Wear Headdresses?
While many North American tribes are known for their intricate headdresses, the Ute men did not originally wear them. But in the 1800s, some Ute leaders adopted this custom from their Great Plains neighbors.
Ute women sometimes wore basket hats. But a hat wasn’t exactly a priority, as it would cover up something much more important.
The New Student's Reference Work, Wikimedia Commons
How Did They Wear Their Hair?
Traditionally, Ute people only cut their hair when they were in mourning. Their culture values hair as emotionally and spiritually important. In many Native American cultures, there is a belief that a link remains between an individual and their severed hair, allowing a person who gained possession of the locks to exert power.
Both men and women wore their hair long, either loose or in braids. Ute men often styled the front of their hair into pompadours or other styles, and sometimes wrapped their braids in fur.
Today, many Ute people continue this practice out of respect for their culture and their ancestors. But their hair isn’t the only spiritual connection they have.
Allen & Ginter, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
What Religion Do They Practice?
Religion for the Ute people has always been more of an individual thing than a group thing. Though, for the most part, they believed that all living things possess supernatural power, and that healing comes from nature—a form of Shamanism.
Each tribe had an appointed medicine person, which could be either a man or woman who receives power from dreams and takes vision quests. Many Utes relied on this person for physical and spiritual health.
And while group rituals were not common, there were two celebrations that were an important part of their culture—even today.
The Bear Dance
The Bear Dance is a traditional ceremony and is held each spring and includes dancing, feasting, games, horse racing, and gambling. It is one of the oldest Ute ceremonies, and is used to strengthen social ties, and for courtship. This 10-day event marks the end of puberty for girls, and encourages them to find partners. But it is also important for releasing tensions, and as a celebration of survival.
George Catlin, Wikimedia Commons
The Bear Dance
Historically, the Bear Dance celebrated the waking of hibernating bears—a time when the Ute people were able to break winter camps and look for food and game. The songs played show respect to bear spirits—whom they believe is their primal ancestor.
While this dance involves indulging in food and dance, their other major celebration involves a rather uncomfortable practice.
Transcendental Graphics, Getty Images
The Sun Dance
The Sun Dance is an annual fasting and purification ceremony that is held mid-summer. It is an important traditional spiritual event, feast, and means of asserting their Native American identity.
And while the Sun Dance’s purpose is ultimately the same as the Bear Dance—to renew kinship and strengthen community bonds—the process was a little less comfortable.
The Sun Dance would include multiple bands who would come together to reaffirm their supernatural beliefs through rituals involving personal and community sacrifice—which can be as brutal as you might imagine.
Richard Throssel, Wikimedia Commons
The Sun Dance
During the Sun Dance ceremony, which usually lasts a little over a week, young men would dance almost continuously for several days and nights without any food or water. It is believed that endurance of pain or denial of appetites serves to increase spiritual power.
Historically, starvation would lead some dancers to faint, and then they might dream about eating. During the dream, the Sun would communicate with the man, telling him he was to be a medicine man. After some time, he would wake up feeling well—and with a new occupation.
While starving is certainly no fun, it wasn’t the worst sacrificial ritual involved in the Sun Dance.
Henry Chaufty, Wikimedia Commons
The Sun Dance
Some tribes took things further and added self-mortification to the Sun Dance roster—which involved piercing a skewer through a small skin fold on the upper chest that would be used to drag along a heavy object as they danced (usually a buffalo skull). A dancer would perform until they succumbed to exhaustion or their skin tore.
It should be noted though, that this ritual was never forced. Individuals who took part in self-mortification did so as a personal quest, and it usually only involved the most committed tribal members. Ute men who took part in Sun Dance rituals gained immense pride and status.
The Sun Dance may have been brutal for some, but it wasn’t their most deadly ceremony.
Internet Archive Book Images, Wikimedia Commons
The Sweat Lodge
Sweat lodge ceremonies, also called purification ceremonies, are intended for prayer and healing. The ritual was once considered a cure-all for nearly any sickness. Traditionally, it took place in a simple structure made of saplings and covered in animal skins.
The ritual was to be held only by Elders who were trained in the safety protocols of this deep tradition—particularly because if performed improperly, the results could be fatal.
D. Gordon E. Robertson, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Sweat Lodge
When a person chooses to take a sweat bath, they enter the small earth-covered hut completely unclothed and sit in the center of the ground cover. Large boulders, previously heated in a fire, would be placed near him, and the Elder would pour a concoction of beaten roots and wild parsnip over the hot rocks, creating an overpowering steam.
And then things get rough.
Alan Levine, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Sweat Lodge
The door to the sweat lodge would then be closed so that no air could enter from the outside, and the patient would sit in the sweltering steam until he was in a “profuse perspiration” and nearly choking from the pungent fumes.
Right before the patient succumbs to the scorching fumes filling his lungs, the Elder opens the door and allows his release. He is then drenched with cold water to finish the process.
Edward S. Curtis, Wikimedia Commons
The Sweat Lodge
While the patient goes through this awful ordeal, the Elder remains close by, performing traditional songs and prayers.
This ritual can be terrifying for the patient, but, if done properly, it is said to yield fantastic results. However, not everyone comes out of it alive—in fact, there are many documented cases which ended traumatically.
The Sweat Lodge
Due to underlying health issues, many people who have experienced sweat rituals didn’t make it out alive. Even when performed by trained and authorized leaders, some Ute people, as well as non-Natives who attended modern retreats looking to indulge in the tradition, have died as a result of either overexposure to heat, dehydration, smoke inhalation, or improper lodge construction leading to suffocation.
Non-traditional “New Age” sweat rituals are becoming increasingly popular—and are among the deadliest.
New Age Sweat Lodges
The Ute people, along with nearly all other Native American tribes, have declared non-Native imitations of their traditional sweat lodges to be “dangerous and disrespectful misappropriations". But Americans continue to learn the hard way.
In 2009, James Arthur Ray, a White American businessman, held a New Age retreat in Arizona that packed about 60 people in an overcrowded and improperly set up sweat lodge. As a result, over 21 people fell seriously ill and three people died. Ray was ultimately charged with homicide and was sued by participants as well as The Lakota Nation.
But the Utes have many paths to spirituality.
Reporter999, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Native American Church
Another source of spiritual life for some Utes is the Native American Church—also known as Peyotism and Peyote Religion. It teaches a combination of traditional Native American beliefs with elements of Christianity sprinkled in—especially pertaining to the Ten Commandments.
The religion believes in a supreme being called the Great Spirit (God), and involves the sacramental use of the peyote—a plant known for its psychoactive properties when ingested.
Christianity was later picked up by some Ute from missionaries, and some Northern Utes gave in to Mormonism after a long-winded fight with Mormons over their land.
What Was Their Relationship With Their Neighbors?
The Utes were living in their ancestral lands as far back as 1300. They gradually inhabited more and more space as the years went on, and were accepting of most other Indigenous tribes as they arrived as well. They were closely allied with the Jicarilla Apache, who shared much of the same territory and intermarried.
For the most part, they had good relationships with their neighbors, actively participating in trade and intermarrying with each other. Until the Ute acquired horses, any conflict with other tribes was usually defensive.
But after they got their hands on horses, a newfound power emerged.
Edward S. Curtis, Wikimedia Commons
How Did They Get Horses?
In 1637, the Spanish showed up and were looking for land to call their own. And in true European fashion, they went to great lengths to take what wasn’t theirs. The Spanish fought with the Utes, capturing and enslaving 80 Ute warriors in the process.
However, three warriors managed to escape—and they took three horses with them. And once the Utes had horses in their possession, things started to change.
How Did Horses Change Their Lives?
Once the Utes had horses, they became more mobile, more able to trade, and better able to hunt large game (such as buffalo). By 1680, they had all the horses they needed, and their culture changed dramatically.
Horses gave the Utes great strength. Their culture changed in ways that paralleled the Indigenous cultures of the Great Plains. They had now become involved in the horse and slave trades, and became respected warriors.
The Utes were now on par with their neighbors, and that meant they now had a fighting chance to get what they wanted—even if they had to take it. In fact, it may have gone to their heads a little.
How Did The Utes Gain Power?
The Utes were already regarded as fierce defenders of their territory, but now that they had transportation, they became even fiercer warriors. Actually, even women and children became known to pick up a spear and defend their camps from attacking enemies.
The Utes took things to the next level, and they went from defenders to offenders—actively looking for enemy villages to raid and destroy. They took loot and traded for household items, weapons, and to free their captives, and of course, get more horses.
Owning horses increased the tribe’s political and social status—and they wanted the Spanish to like them.
Why Did They Want The Spanish To Like Them?
Even though the Utes' first interaction with Spanish settlers cost them nearly a hundred men, they eventually realized that the settlers didn’t arrive empty handed. With them, came trade opportunities for items like metal tools and weapons, cloth, beads, and even guns—more things to boost the Utes to the top of the pyramid.
Not only that, the Spanish had a bounty on certain neighboring tribes. And that bounty could be used to buy more horses.
Johan Moritz Rugendas, Wikimedia Commons
Why Did They Trade With The Spanish?
The Utes were attracted to the shiny new items the Spanish brought with them, so when it came time for trade, they were willing to do anything to get their hands on Spanish goods. The Utes would, tragically, attack their own Native American neighbors, only to collect the bounty and trade it for, you guessed it, more horses.
Eventually, the Spanish wanted a more even trade, and the Utes didn’t realize they were sitting on a hot commodity themselves.
Sanjay Acharya, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
What Did They Trade?
The Spanish may have arrived with metal tools, but they were looking for something more traditional. Luckily, the Utes were known for their soft, high-quality tanned deerskins—and they quickly became the main trading partners of the Spanish residents living in New Mexico, even learning the Spanish language as a result.
Their tanned hides became a highly sought after commodity, and so the Spanish kept the Utes close. And the Utes kept the Spanish happy by continuing to capture neighboring tribes and offer them over as slaves—ultimately ruining their relationship with many of their other allies.
Unknown Author, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Who Did The Utes Fight?
As soon as the Utes gained horses, they also gained power. And while they thought they were making a smart choice by allying with the Spanish, they were burning bridges in all other directions. After all, they were stealing women and children and giving them to the very people who showed up looking to take their land.
Eventually, the Utes were at war with nearly everyone, including the Comanche, who had previously been allies.
George Catlin, Wikimedia Commons
What Made Them Good Warriors?
As we know, the Utes were big into horses. And their love for the magnificent beasts turned them into skilled warriors who actually specialized in mounted combat. Men would organize themselves into war parties made up of warriors, medicine men, and a war chief who led the party. They’d prepare for battle by fasting, using sweat lodges, and painting their faces and horses with symbolic meanings.
Arizona Historical Society, Wikimedia Commons
Were They Always Fierce Warriors?
The Utes were said to be master horsemen and could execute daring maneuvers on horseback while in battle. But before horses, their whole demeanor was different.
War with neighboring tribes was mostly fought for gaining prestige, stealing horses, and revenge. The once-peaceful nomadic tribe had now become hostile and unfriendly—that is, until a new group of settlers arrived.
Jack Hiller, Wikimedia Commons
Who Arrived Next?
In 1847, Mormon settlers who had fled their home in Illinois, due to their unorthodox religious beliefs becoming troublesome, arrived in Utah and slowly built communities in the Utes' territory, attempting to push them out.
By 1849, a series of conflicts between the Ute people and American settlers had begun—becoming known as the Ute Wars.
First up was the Jicarilla War, in which the Utes played a significant role.
The Jicarilla War
The Jicarilla War started when the Apaches and Utes began raiding against settlers on the Santa Fe Trail. The initial attack involved a wagon of settlers being slain by a band of Jicarilla and Utes, sometimes referred to as the White Massacre. Instantly, Anglo-Americans made up their minds about the Utes—and they quickly became their main target.
A year later, a group of 10 mail carriers were killed in what is called the Wagon Mound Massacre. Various incidents in the next half decade continued to raise tensions between the Americans and the Jicarilla—who the Utes were closely allied with.
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The Ute Wars
In February of 1854, the Army got involved after a government beef contractor reported that a tribal group had stolen several of his cattle. The Army sent a troop to retrieve the stolen property, which they assumed was taken by the Jicarilla and Utes. A battle ensued which left the chief and four of his warriors dead while the Americans lost two men.
And the next day, the conflict escalated.
William Ranney, Wikimedia Commons
The Battle Of Cieneguilla
The Utes and Jicarilla retaliated and raided a herd of cattle, killing two herdsmen in the process. After that, all hell broke loose and the US Army got serious. The Battle of Cieneguilla started, which saw 60 American cavalrymen fight 250 Apache and Ute warriors.
The battle lasted about three hours and ended when the Army had to retreat after losing 22 soldiers, and having 36 more severely wounded. The Native force lost a total of 20 warriors out of their 250.
While this may have been a victory for the Native forces—the Americans went home and upped their game.
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The Battle Of Ojo Caliente
A week later, on April 8th, the American Army gathered a group of over 300 men (32 of them being Native American scouts) and waged a battle against the Jicarilla and Utes once again, in the Battle of Ojo Caliente. This time though, the American Army defeated about 150 warriors, killing five of them and wounding six others without sustaining any casualties of their own.
In the process, the Jicarilla lost their camp, resulting in many of their surviving tribes people dying in the extreme cold weather.
And then things went quiet—but not for long. The worst was yet to come.
Frederic Remington, Wikimedia Commons
The Battle At Fort Utah
While the Jicarilla War was going on in New Mexico, the Utes over in Utah were also under attack. 1850 saw the Battle at Fort Utah, a violent attack that has since become known as the Fort Utah Massacre.
Over 90 Mormon militiamen surrounded a Ute encampment and opened fire using guns and cannons, taking the lives of close to 100 Native Americans. At the same time, two groups of Utes fled the scene in an attempt to escape, but all were captured and executed. Over 40 women and children were taken as prisoners, and later sold as slaves.
And it gets worse. What the settlers did to the bodies of the Utes was utterly disturbing.
Samuel Hans Jepperson, Wikimedia Commons
What Did They Do To The Bodies?
Some of the settlers took their angry power a step further and beheaded up to 50 Ute warriors and displayed their heads at the fort as a warning to the women and children who were kept as prisoners inside.
According to the Mormon settlers, they had peace at one point with this particular band of Utes—that is, until one Ute man apparently stole an item of clothing from one of the Mormons, and three Mormon men retaliated by brutally taking his life. After that, it all went downhill.
Once the war had begun, the Mormons fully pursued the Utes, ordering for any and all found to be killed.
How Did The Ute Wars Affect Them?
The Ute Wars went on for many years. During the 1850s, many Ute children were captured in New Mexico and Utah by Anglo-American traders and sold as slaves in New Mexico and California. At the same time, the Utes were also at war with the Navajo—making things particularly challenging.
And then in 1858, an American gold rush brought in roughly 100,000 gold seekers to surrounding areas, making it even harder for the Utes to hold onto their land.
Lieutenant C. A. H. McCauley, Third U. S. Cavalry, Wikimedia Commons
When Did They Officially Lose Their Land?
By the mid-1870s, the Utes officially no longer had a leg to stand on, and the US federal government forced those in Utah onto a reservation that was less than 9% of their former territory. The Utes found it incredibly hard to hunt and gather on this new, inhospitable land.
At the same time, the Black Hawk War raged on between Mormons and other Native American tribes—including whoever was left of the Utes.
Ernest Heinemann, Wikimedia Commons
What Did The Utes Lose?
During all of this, the Utes were pushed out of their lands, whether they won the battles or not. Villages were destroyed, and the ecosystem was completely ruined. Settler encampments took over with livestock and farms being built over traditional hunting grounds. As a result, many Utes who did not participate in the wars still ended up dying of starvation.
Were There Any Treaties As A Result Of The Wars?
Starting back in 1848, the United States made a series of treaties with the Ute people and executive orders that ultimately ended with relocation to reservations.
Before living on reservations, Ute shared land with other tribal members as part of their traditional societal property system. But when the government created the reservations, they chose not to honor that system, and instead, divided the land how they saw fit between families and single men.
Mathew Benjamin Brady, Wikimedia Commons
What Stipulations Were Put On Land Ownership?
Not only that, the Ute were told to farm the land—which was another forced vocational change. Some were given land that was suitable for farming, while others were not, causing some to be successful, and others to struggle.
Utes were also forced to perform manual labor, relinquish their horses, and send their children to Native American boarding schools—where over half of them ended up dying from tuberculosis and other diseases.
National Archives at College Park, Wikimedia Commons
How Did Their Population Suffer?
For many years after the reservations were implemented, the Ute experienced a dramatic decline in population. Aside from disease, many Utes fled the reservation, or resisted capture to begin with—but without any suitable land to hunt and gather on, most of them didn’t survive.
In the early 19th century, there were about 8,000 Utes. But by 1920, that number had decreased to only about 1,800.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
Did Their Population Ever Grow Again?
Thankfully, the population saw an increase in the mid-20th century, after more Utes returned to the reservations. By 1990, there were about 7,800 Utes, with 2,800 living in cities and towns and 5,000 on reservations. And, the Northern, Southern, and Ute Mountain Utes even managed to receive a total of $31 million in a land claims settlement.
However, modern life has been drastically different from their traditional lifestyle.
What Is Life Like On The Reservations Today?
Today, Ute who live on reservations live in modern homes equipped with average utilities. They purchase food from stores and wear jeans and t-shirts. Their children attend school and many Utes have jobs, earning a small bit of an income.
And while the reservations generate revenue through a number of endeavors, including casinos and oil and gas leases, many Utes still live well below the poverty line.
And that’s not the only issue.
Warren Price Photography, Shutterstock
What Issues Do The Reservations Present?
The annual household income on Ute reserves is well below that of their non-Native neighbors. Unemployment remains high, mostly due to discrimination. To make matters worse, alcoholism is a significant problem at Ute Mountain, affecting nearly 80% of the population.
Sadly, the age expectancy there is only 40 years old.
How Did The Ute Persevere?
While the Ute live a drastically different lifestyle today than past generations, they have managed to keep a large portion of their culture alive. The Bear Dance and the Sun Dance continue to be a sacred part of their lives, and they continue to make traditional basketry and beadwork.
Storytelling is more important than ever, and many Ute continue to tell traditional legends and fairy tales, doing everything they can to keep their culture alive.
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