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The Ute Indians are a Native American tribe of the western United States. It was from the Utes that the state of Utah derived its name.
Geography

The Ute Indians once lived in the plains and mountains of Colorado, Utah and Northern New Mexico. In the 1840s, the Navaho and Hopi were to their south, the Cheyenne and Arapaho to their north and west. Today they have three reservations--two in Colorado and one in Utah.
Type

The Mouache and Capote make up the present-day Southern Utes, with headquarters at Ignacio, Colorado. The Ute Mountain Utes, once known as the Weeminuches, are located at Towaoc, Colorado. The Tabeguache, Grand, Yampa and Uintah now make up the Northern Utes on the Uintah-Ouray Reservation in Utah's Unitah Basin. Located approximately 150 miles east of Salt Lake City, the Uintah-Ouray Reservation covers over 4.5 million acres and is the second-largest Indian reservation in the United States.
Evolution

Ute Indians are the oldest continuous residents of Colorado. Utes in early North America built cone-shaped houses from brush, grasses and reeds, along with tepees crafted from buffalo skins. They gathered nuts, roots, berries and seeds. The Utes assigned hunting grounds to families, where they hunted for antelope, deer, elk and buffalo. In the fall they would journey to New Mexico to trade with the Spaniards and Pueblo Indians. In the 1600s, they acquired horses from the Spanish, providing them more mobility. With the advancement of their mobility, their territory expanded and they became powerful warriors, warring against the Cheyenne, Comanche, Kiowa and Arapahos.
History of

Ouray was a well-known Ute chief from the 1800s. He spoke English, Spanish and various Native American languages. Ouray negotiated disputes between the white settlers and his tribe, and arranged the first treaty between the Ute tribe and the United States government. In the late 1800s, the United States government assigned reservations to the Utes.
Features

The language of the Ute is Shoshonean, a dialect of the Uto-Aztecan language. At one time they were a confederation of seven bands: Mouache, Capote, Weeminuche, Tabeguache, Parianuche, Yamparicas and Uintah. For much of the year they broke into small family units, yet assembled for the winter. During this time they visited and held tribal celebrations. Marriage contracts would be made during this gathering. In the early spring the ancient Ute Bear Dance would be held over a 4-day period. After this time the families would move on, following the migrating herds.
The Facts

Today the tribal governments, governed by tribal councils that are elected by each tribe's members, manage over a million acres of trust land. Their business ventures include casinos, retail stores, agriculture, energy and water.

Tags:  indians american navaho hopi colorado arapaho cheyenne evolution yampa