This short text can only offer students a glimpse of Ute life

INTRODUCTION

This short text can only offer students a glimpse of Ute life

and culture. It recounts only a few of the many Ute legends, discusses only some of the many tools and methods the people used

in daily life, and presents only a fraction of the beliefs and customs

which were important. It attempts to use language which reflects

Ute experiences and perspectives, to show children not only events

and artifacts, but the attitudes which gave them meaning.

The workbook section which follows the text contains exercises tailored to diverse aims. It includes problems and projects

designed to strengthen basic skills: vocabulary, map-reading, memory, and mathematical problem-solving. Some exercises ask the

student to reorganize information, draw conclusions, and relate

the new material to familiar situations. Some ask students to work

together to plan and execute larger projects. And finally, some will

require students and teachers to draw on the many people, published works, and other resources which can expand their knowledge of Ute culture, including the geography packets, booklets, and

other materials which are part of this general curriculum project.

The members of the Ute Indian Tribe Curriculum Development Committee and the project staff would like to express appreciation to all who have contributed to this project. Special thanks

go to the Tribal Business Committee, which endorsed the project;

to the U. S. Office of Education, which provided financial support;

to the American West Center, University of Utah, which gave

technical assistance; to June Lyman, Myrtle Cook, and David O.

Stevens, who reviewed the text for grade level; to the Tribal Education Committee, which supported the project; to Hank LaRose,

who drew the cover; and to Stewart Mart and Venita Taveapont,

who provided the text illustrations. The greatest thanks, however,

are extended to our elders and to our children, without whom

this project would have been a meaningless task.

LONG AGO

IN THE BEGINNING

It began long ago, when there were no people on

the earth. Senawahv (the Maker of All Things) cut

sticks and put them in a bag. Coyote watched until

Senawahv left. Then Coyote opened the bag, and many

people came out. They ran in every direction, all speaking different languages.

When Senawahv saw the open bag, he was angry.

He had planned to give each group its own place on

the earth, so that the people would not fight. When

Coyote spoiled that plan, Senawahv knew that wars

would begin over the land.

Some people stayed in the bag. When Senawahv

saw them, he said, “These people will be very brave.

They will be called Ute, and no one will defeat them.”

In this way, Ute elders explain, people came to the

earth. Slowly they learned to use what Senawahv had

given them. At first the days were very short. The sun

stayed in the sky for only a few hours. To help the

people, Rabbit fought the sun.

He traveled over mountains and valleys until he

reached the edge of the world. Then he took out his

bow and arrows. When the sun rose, he shot at it,

but the great heat burned his arrows. Then he wet his

arrows with tears and shot again. At last he hit his

target.

Now the sun grew very angry because Rabbit had

4

i

- shot him. He began to chase

Rabbit across the earth. Every

time that Rabbit hid, the sun

burned his hiding place. In this

way, Rabbit got the brown

spots which cover his back and

ears. Then Rabbit hid under

a rabbit brush that would not

burn, and the sun had to give

up. After that the sun crossed the sky each day.

Then the days were long enough for the people to

hunt and fish. They could gather the sweet pinyon nuts

and the juicy berries. The sun warmed the rocks during

the day. But the people had no fire to cook their food.

When cold winds blew at night, they could not warm

themselves. So, the stories tell, Coyote decided to get fire

for the people.

One day a piece of burnt grass blew in front of

Coyote’s home. He picked it up and called the people

together. When they had come, he showed them the

burnt grass and asked them if they knew where it came

from. No one knew what it was.

Then Coyote asked them to search for it. They

decided to head west, since the wind blew from that

direction. They traveled for many days, crossing mountains and plains. Finally they camped, and Coyote sent

some of the people to look for this strange thing. First

Red-Tailed Hawk went out, but he saw nothing. Then

Eagle flew higher and saw smoke. Then Hummingbird

flew away. He was gone for a long time, and the others

began to look for him. When he came back, he said that

he had seen something near the place where the earth

meets the sky.

i)

So all the people traveled toward that place. When

they had crossed two mountain ranges, Coyote told

them to wash themselves and put on their best clothes.

They were near to the camp of the people who had fire.

Coyote showed them how to take the fire and warned

them that the strangers would fight to get the fire back.

When they came to the strangers’ camp, Coyote

met with the chief and asked the strangers to dance

for them. They agreed and built a big fire for the dance.

Coyote had on a long black wig made of shredded bark.

He danced all night. Just as the sun rose, Coyote gave

his people the signal. Suddenly

he took-off his wig and put it

in the fire. All of the fire jumped

into the bark wig, and the people ran as fast as they could.

The angry strangers chased

them. When one person grew

tired, he passed the fire to another. Soon only Coyote, Eagle, ce

Chicken Hawk, and Hawk-Moth had strength to keep

going. Then the other three grew tired, and Coyote

ran on alone.

The strangers made water pour from the sky, and

Coyote feared that the fire would go out. At last he

found a dry cave. He piled up some brush and built

a large fire. Outside, the strangers made freezing winds

blow and heavy snow fall, but Coyote stayed warm.

In the morning, the sky cleared and the ice began. to

melt. Then Coyote carried the fire home and showed

the people how to use it.

All of these stories tell of a time long ago, a magic

time when animals spoke and acted like people. That

magic time ended, but the Ute people stayed on the

earth. They learned that everything on earth had a

purpose. They read the signs of the moon and the

clouds. They heard the message of the wind. They

learned to use all things wisely.

Senawahv had given them a rich land. He had

given them plants and animals, birds and fish. He had

given them water, the milk of

Mother Earth. These gifts were

for all people to share. They

were for all time, until darkness

came to cover the earth.

Senawahv told the people

how to take care of his gifts.

He showed them how to use

these things without wasting

| them. If the people did what he

- said, they would have strength and health. The earth

would provide all that they needed as long as they

treated it with care. In this way, all people could use

Senawahv’s gifts until the last sunset came and their

time on earth ended.

Even the oldest people do not know exactly how

.the Ute people lived in those early days. Only a few

of the stories speak of that time. They say that the

people traveled across the land on foot. They built

homes from grass and reeds and brush. They shot deer

with bows and arrows, and they gathered the plants

that grew in their land. For many years the people

lived in this way.

HORSES

Then the people began to get horses from Spaniard:

who settled south of Ute lands. Many records tel

about the changes that the horse made in Ute life. Ute

people could travel further on horseback, so they saw

each other more often. They also met their easterr

neighbors, the Plains peoples, and learned many of thei:

4 ways. Since they had more con

tact with their enemies, the)

J&Z fought more often. They coulc

£ meet in larger groups, becausi

they could carry enough foox

on the horses to stay togethe

for long periods of time. Or

, the plains, they could load thei

= horses with buffalo meat an

hides. With ‘the hides, they made clothing, containers

and tipis.

What was it-like to grow up among the Ute peopl

then? From the very beginning, the people shared .

way of looking at the world. Each new child came ti

know that way. Although every child had differen

experiences, all children shared the Ute people’s life

The family was the center of that life. It was th

first, and most important, part of every child’s worlc

There children learned about the people and their wa

of doing things. As boys and girls grew up, they too

part in family activities. One day they had children c

their own. Many years later, they told their childre

and grandchildren what their relatives had told then

In this way, the Ute people shared their wisdom wit

each new generation.

Qn

THE FIRST YEARS

AT HOME

The Ute people welcomed each new child. His

aunts and uncles, his grandparents, his brothers and

sisters, his cousins, and his mother and father all took

care of him. They made string figures for him to play

with. They cut leaves into interesting designs to amuse

him. They sung to him and told him many stories. They

washed him and fed him. Someone always watched to

see that nothing hurt him. When he was unhappy,

someone comforted him.

At night the baby slept in warm fur or skin blankets.

In the morning, his mother put him into a cradleboard.

His grandmother had made the

cradle before he was born.

First she bent a long willow

strip into an oval that was

wider at the top than at the

bottom. She tied willow strips

on this frame. When this base

was strong, she began to make

the cover.

She sewed two pieces of buckskin together on three

sides. Then she slipped the frame into the buckskin

cover. A buckskin pouch held the baby, who lay on a

soft pad. A woven willow hood kept the sun out of his

eyes. Each morning his mother put him in the cradle

and laced the pouch so he would not fall out. She tied

a toy to the cradle so that he could play while she carried

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Nee ee

him. When she sat down, she rocked the cradle an

sang to him. He spent most of his first year in this warn

safe cradle.

Soon the child began to crawl. Then he learne

to walk. As he explored the area around his home,

found many interesting things. There were tools mac

of deer bones, wood, brush, and stone. There we1

baskets of every size and shape. Some of them held wate

Others held piles of tiny seeds. There were even baske

that men could.catch fish in. Dried meat, fish, an

berries were heaped in baskets and rawhide bags. Pik

of warm, soft rabbit fur lay waiting to be made int

blankets.

Most Ute families moved often. They traveled 1

the places where plants grew. They went to the mou

tains to hunt deer and antelope. They moved to tt

streams and lakes to catch fish. Each time they move:

the children helped pack the family’s belongings an

put up a new home.

The Ute people lived in two

kinds of houses. One was the

brush home. To put up a brush

home at the new camp, the

family chose four long poles.

They tied these poles with

buckskin at the top. They set

the frame up so that the bottoms of the poles made a circle.

They leaned more poles against this frame. Then the

tied willow strips around it, leaving a doorway on o1

side. They added brush to the frame. When they pi

the door on, the house was finished.

7

A brush home stayed cool on the hottest day. In

the winter, a fire just outside the door kept the people

warm. This house met the people’s needs. While they

camped, the house was comfortable. When they moved

on, they could leave it behind.

Many of the people who had horses began to use

tipis instead of the brush homes. With the tipi they did

not have to build new houses at each camp. They could

carry their homes with them when they moved. The tipi

frame looked like the frame for the brush house. The

base was four poles tied at one end. Other poles were

added to make a strong frame. But the people made the

tipi cover from elk or buffalo skins, not brush. Women

sewed about ten hides into a cover. Then the people

folded the cover up and took it wherever they went.

The whole family helped

M put up the tipi in the new camp.

VAL They chose a sheltered place,

meat PB eax firewood and water. It

could have been in the mountains near a grove of ripe berries. It could have been near a

river filled with fish. It might

_have been beneath the trees in

a gentle valley. When they had found the best campsite,

the people began to put up their homes.

First they lifted the poles into place. Then they put

the cover onto the frame. They used wooden pegs to

fasten the bottom and the side. When they had finished.

putting up the cover, they fixed the inside of the tipi.

They dug a fireplace in the center. Even on windy days,

they could have a fire without smoke, since the tipi had

8

flaps to keep the smoke outside. After they covere

the floor with brush or soft bark, they made beds «

willows and rabbit blankets around the fire.

When the family had set up the camp, the adult

did their jobs. Men went out to hunt and fish. Wome

picked plants, wove baskets, and tanned hides. Bu

young children were free to play. They could explo:

the area, climb the trees, and run through the meadow

GAMES, PETS, AND TOYS

They also had many games. Often groups of bo

played with bows and arrows. Each boy tried to thro

an arrow underhand as far as he could, so that it stuc

in the ground. Sometimes they shot at targets. One bc

threw a willow ring to the top of the hill. As it rolle

down, the boys shot at it, trying to put their arrov

through the middle. While they played, they learned

handle bows like the ones they would use to shoot ant

lope and deer. They had other

toys, like slingshots and stone

tops, too.

arrows at a ring, girls played

many games. They had wood- _!

en dolls to take care of. Groups **3

of girls had contests to see who 4

could find the longest piece of

a particular kind of grass. These games showed the ch

dren things that they would need to know when th

grew up. Looking for grasses, the girls learned how

9

find good basket materials. They began to recognize

many kinds of plants. Like boys, young girls also imitated the games that their parents played. They prac-

‘ ticed juggling two clay balls like their mothers did. Some

of the grown women could walk half a mile while they

juggled, without dropping a ball.

Both boys and girls slid down snowy hills on pieces

of rawhide. Many children had pets. Some kept doves

or owls in willow cages. Some had small eagles. When

a man found an eagle nest high in the cliffs, he took the

baby eagles. Often several men

lowered him into the nest on a

rope, so that he could reach

the young birds. When he

brought the eagles home, he

clipped their wings so that they

would not fly away. Children

watched the eagles and brought

; rabbits for them to eat. When

the birds grew up, the people took some of their beautiful feathers and let the eagles go.

STORIES OF OUR ANCESTORS

Parents rarely scolded or punished young children. They almost never spanked them. Children

learned to respect the people’s ways by watching everyone around them. They had fun listening to the older

people tell stories. At the same time, they learned how

to behave. They could laugh when a character in the

stories made mistakes. But while they laughed, they also

10

learned not to do boastful and silly things themselves.

Most children did not need to be punished. Only a very

disobedient child had to be warned that a monster

would carry him off.

The stories explained many things. Some told the

children to share what they had, to tell the truth, and

to respect their elders. Others warned them that terrible things happened to children who did not obey. The

children heard about the time when Coyote’s son

watched a battle. He was so interested in the fight that

he forgot what his father told him. The minute he disobeyed his father, an enemy warrior killed him.

Stories showed the children what they should do.

The legends reminded them that those who did not

behave were often punished.

Skunk, the storyteller said, began to smell bad when he refused to settle a dispute with

Chipmunk. Once Coyote

found a beautiful red blanket.

He didn’t see anyone around,

so he stole the blanket. Then he

saw a cloud of dust following

him. It was Rock, the owner of the blanket. Rock chase«

Coyote over the mountains and frightened him so badl

that he never stole anything again.

There were many kinds of stories. Some explaine:

why things were the way they were. Some told abou

the beginning of the world. Some described the tim

when Coyote and his stone-shirted warrior fought

fierce battle with Senawahv. One told the children wh

each bird builds a different kind of nest. Anothe

11

showed them how Coyote learned to hunt with a bow

and arrow.

Other stories were just for fun. Many of them

laughed at Coyote’s pride. Once Coyote tried to ride a

horse, but he kept falling off. Then his friends tied him

on, and Coyote believed that he was a good rider. But

when the rope broke, he fell off again. Another time,

Coyote saw his face in a lake, and it frightened him so

much that he ran away.

On cold winter nights, the people sat near the fire

and laughed at these stories. Listening to them, the children learned about the people and their ways. Hearing

about the animals’ adventures, they learned what they

should do. The stories also told of other times and

places. There was another world beyond the family, the

home, and the campsite. Each child was a part of that

world too.

THE LARGER WORLD

THE UTE PEOPLE

The Ute families lived together in groups callec

bands. About twelve bands shared the huge area tha

belonged to the whole Ute people. Ute land stretchec

from Wyoming to New Mexico. All of the land betweer

central Utah and eastern Colorado was theirs. As hi

family traveled, a child climbed high mountains anc

steep cliffs. He crossed hot, dry deserts and cool, we

valleys. He stood on rolling hills and flat plains.

Each band made its home in one part of Ute land

The band moved through its area as the season

changed. In the summer, a

child ran through thick mountain forests. His parents hunted, fished, and gathered plants

while he played beside mountain streams. As the weather

grew colder, the band moved

to lower valleys. When frost

came, the people made their

camps in warm valleys and desert lands. While snov

and ice covered the mountains, the child played in th

sagebrush.

Each band lived in its own area, but the peop!

shared the land. Even before they had horses, the

traveled long distances to see each other. Bands joine

together to do many things. Together they went out o

13

Ne ornecnaimee

the plains to hunt buffalo. People from different groups

met to hold antelope hunts. Young people often courted

and married members of other bands. Everyone visited

friends and relatives in other

groups. Many people met for

dances.

The largest groups came

together each spring for the

Bear Dance. Stories told how

the dance had begun, One

spring a young hunter met a

bear who showed him how to

do the Bear Dance. Each year the people followed the

bear’s instructions. Musicians used notched sticks to

make noises like those a bear makes in early spring.

Their scratching, rumbling music sounded like spring

thunder. The dancers looked like bears waking up. As

the dance went on, they grew more and more lively.

While they danced, people sang their own songs about

spring. It was the time when plants begin to grow. It

was the time for animals to awake after the long winter.

It was a time to mourn those who were gone and to

greet new members of the tribe. It was a time for people

to celebrate with their friends.

After a few years, the growing child knew the land

well. He saw the plants and animals that filled the land.

He swam in the streams and lakes. But beyond that

familiar land, there were other people and other places.

14

NEIGHBORS

To the west, the land belonged to the Paiutes, th

Shoshones, and other Great Basin peoples. Before the

had horses, the Ute people shared many ways of lif

with their western neighbors.

The Navajo and Pueblo peoples lived to the soutk

Ute people went to their land to trade furs and fin

hides for Pueblo corn, cloth

blankets, and pottery.

When they had horses,

many Ute people rode into

eastern Colorado and western

Kansas. The Plains peoples,

their eastern neighbors, lived

there. Ute hunters brought

back many buffalo from the

plains. They also brought some of their neighbor’s way

Soon Ute people had decorated tipis. Women learne

to do beautiful beadwork. When they had more raw

hide, the people carried their food and tools in hid

bags.

The people’s neighbors were not always friendl

Sometimes the hunters met enemy warriors on tt

plains. Since the Ute people were brave in battle, the

enemies feared them. If an enemy followed them 1

their homes, they went high into the mountains. Ther

in the land that they knew so well, no enemy could di

feat them.

A child had to learn about these things too. T

find his way home from strange lands, he had to rea

the stars. The sky also showed him what time it was an

15

when the seasons would change. He had to remember

- what the land looked like at night, on a rainy day, or

in a snowstorm. He had to judge which neighbors

would be his enemies. He had to learn how to defend

himself if they attacked him. He had to learn which men

he could trust and which men would be good leaders.

16

Senn hone

GROWING RESPONSIBILITIES

For many years, children watched the older pec

ple do these things. As soon as they were able to, the

began to help. At first they had small jobs. When the

could do those well, they took on larger ones. They trie

to do everything the adults did. A nine-year-old gi

wanted to carry her younger brother or sister in

cradleboard. When her mother let her, she cared for tk

small children. A young boy began to hunt rabbits

soon as he could hold a bow. Young people helpe

gather food and make clothes. At first the older peop

helped them and showed them what to do. Soon thi

could do all of these things by themselves.

PLANTS

Hundreds of plants grew in Ute land. Young gi:

learned where and when each of them ripened, a1

how to use each of them. Their mothers, aunts, ai

grandmothers showed them

how to tell which plants were

safe to eat. They helped them

make the tools that they needed to pick the plants. They

taught them how to cook the

plants so that they would taste

good and keep until winter.

The day when a young girl

gathered her first plants was a special day for her. ‘

gave the food away, so that she would be lucky.

17

Women gathered many plant roots, like wild garlic,

onions, and carrots. A young girl dug them up with a

sharpened stick. She filled her basket or bag and carried the roots back to camp. Then she baked them in an

_ earth oven. First she made a fireplace and covered the

_ bottom with large stones. She lit a fire and waited until

it burned down. Then she added heated rocks and

damp grass. She put the roots on the grass and covered

them with more grass, rocks, and dirt. The next morning, she took the roots out of the oven. Then she could

grind them and store them until winter. The people ate

some roots, like sego lily, when they were fresh. Others,

like wild potatoes, were boiled or made into cakes.

More than a dozen kinds of wild berries grew in

Ute lands: blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, buffalo berries, chokecherries, currants, gooseberries, juniper berries, service berries, wintergreen, and

sqaw berries. When ripe berries hung on the bushes, the

women took large baskets to

collect them. They piled the

berries in the baskets and laced

covers of leaves over the top.

When the women got back to

camp, everyone wanted some of the cool, fresh berries.

The people ate strawberries, raspberries, and wintergreen only when they were fresh. But the women dried

most other kinds of berries for winter.

Dried berries would keep for many months. When

currants ripened in late June or July, young girls helped

the women pick them. First they took off all of the

18

leaves and. stems. Then they crushed the berries anc

shaped the pulp into small cakes. They dried the cake:

in the sun. In February, when snow covered the ground

the people could enjoy dried currants.

The people also ate many seeds, like sunflowe:

seeds. The women gathered seeds from early spring t

late fall. They used several willow tools to knock thi

seeds off of the plants. They took baskets and pieces o

buckskin to carry the seeds back to camp. Then the

dried the seeds and removed the shells. They grounc

the seeds into a flour. Later the women could use thi

flour to make tasty soups and stews.

Pinyon nuts began to ripen in early fall. Whe

there were many nuts, several families camped near |

pinyon grove. In early fall, the light-colored nuts hun

in cones on the trees. The people had to use long poles to

knock them down. These nuts

were hard to remove from the

shells, since they were not fully

ripe. But by November or December, ripe pinyon nuts covered the ground. These darker

nuts pulled away from the shell

easily. They tasted very good, and they did not have 1

be roasted like the earlier ones. The women cleane

them and ground them into a flour which made tas

gravies and soups.

The Ute people knew many ways to use plant

They wore sweet-smelling ones in their hair. They use

yucca root to clean their clothes. They made rope ar

nets from plants. They wove plants into sturdy baske'

19

Wise men and women knew which plants would help

cure sick people.

Since the plants grew all over Ute land, the people

had to travel long distances to pick them. If they came

too late, the plants were gone. They carried only the

things they needed, so that they could move quickly

and often. They lived in homes that they could move

easily or in ones that they could leave behind. They

stored extra food so that they did not have to carry it

every time they moved. <

When the women had picked, cleaned, and dried

the plants, they chose places to store them. First they

put the dried seeds, nuts, or berries in rawhide or sagebrush bags. Then they found a place where the food

would stay safe until winter.

Often they dug pits beneath

an overhang where the snow

would not get too deep. They

lined the pits carefully with

bark. Then they piled bags of

food in the pits and covered

the bags with layers of bark,

grass, rocks, and dirt. When

they finished, they burned the area so that no animal

could find the hiding place. They also kept food on

platforms high in the pine trees, where animals could

not steal it. The pine needles protected the bags from

rain and snow. In the winter, the people could come

back to these places to get the dried food.

20

FISH

Plants were only one of the

resources in Ute land. Fish

filled the lakes and streams, and ,

the people knew many ways to See"*s*--.

catch them. Often they put up

a willow dam in a small mountain stream. Several men rolled

a large log down the stream toward the dam.-Men, women,

and children waited near the dam. When the fisk

swam down, the people caught them in nets or in their

bare hands. But men did most of the fishing. The;

scooped fish up in woven baskets and traps. Often they

used rafts to fish in the lakes and streams. They caugh

fish with sharp arrows, spears, and clubs. In early winter

the men fished through holes in the ice. They sat insid

brush shelters. When the fish swam under the holes

they speared them. The people dried some fish to ea

in the winter months when they could not catch any

ANIMALS

Animals also filled the land. A young boy coul

begin to hunt as soon as he could shoot a bow an

arrow. He started with small animals, like rabbits an

squirrels. His father, grandfather, and uncles showe

him how to follow an animal’s trail. They told hi

that he could never leave a wounded animal. He learne

to move quietly through the woods. He practiced shoo

ing until he could hit the fastest rabbit.

21

_ One day he proudly brought

home his first rabbit. Like a

young girl, he did not eat this

first food. He gave it to an

elderly person or to a man

known as a good hunter. This

reminded him to share with

his family. It also brought him

luck.

Adults worked together to catch more rabbits.

They tied a large net to the brush and drove the animals

intoit. They used brush corrals to trap the rabbits. That

way, they could get enough rabbits to feed many people

or to make a warm blanket. A good hunter led these

hunts. He knew the area well and told the people where

to put their net or their corral. Like all Ute leaders, he

could not force the people to do what he said. The

people took his advice because he was wise. When the

hunt ended, he was like anyone else in the group.

A young man who knew

how to hunt small game was

ready to chase larger animals.

The older men showed him

how to find deer, antelope, elk,

and buffalo. When he found a

trail, they taught him to wait

quietly. They showed him how

to cry like a fawn so that the

deer would come to him. They helped him make snowshoes so that he could follow the elk in the winter.

The people also set up traps to catch the large

animals. In the fall, a young man helped the hunters

22

“lun

dig pits. When the deer ran down the mountains, the

fell into these traps. Sometimes the men put up wings o

stone or brush which led a running deer straight t

the waiting hunters. A skilled hunter showed the peopl

how to catch many antelope. A group of people built ;

brush corral. Then, following the leader’s directions

the men drove the antelope into the corral.

At last the young man was ready to join a buffak

hunt. He chose his fastest horse to chase the huge ani

mals. He took an extra horse to carry the meat bac.

to camp. Then he rode out of camp with the hunter:

Young children, old people, and most women staye:

behind. The hunters went to the mountain parks o

far out onto the plains. While they hunted, they ha

to watch for enemies who would attack them and ste<

their horses.

While the men were gone, the women put up dry

ing racks. When the hunters came back with loads

meat and hides, the people had

a feast. Then women cut the

rest of the meat into thin strips.

They hung the strips on the

racks over a fire. Noise and #

activity filled the camp.

The Ute people did not.-—}

waste any part of the animals @4

they killed. In two or three days,

when the meat had dried, the women fixed it so th:

it could be stored. First they pounded the dried strit

until they were soft. They crushed the bones and boile

- them. Then they added the fat from the boiled bon:

to the soft meat. Shaped into balls or piled in rawhic

bags, this meat would keep well.

23

CLOTHES AND TOOLS

The people made many other things from the animals. The women wove blankets and capes of rabbit

fur. They made needles and awls from the leg bones of

the deer. They used sinew from the elk and the deer as

thread. They could boil meat in containers made from

the buffalo’s stomach. The rib bones of mice made fish

hooks. Even the animals’ brains were not wasted. The

women used them to tan the hides. ;

Women did most of the tanning. First they had to

scrape the hide with a bone tool. Sometimes a woman

just scraped the inside to clean it. Often she also scraped

the fur off of the outside, so that she would have a

smooth hide. Men shot the ani-

A mals in the fall and early win-

ter, when the skins were thick.

Although the thick, stiff skins

were hard to work with, they

made the strongest hides. First

the woman washed the hide

and soaked it in water overnight. In the morning, she

rinsed it again. One or two women wrung the extra

water out of the hide, using a stick to help twist and

squeeze it.

When the hide was clean, the woman began to

tan it. First she rubbed animal brains into the skin with

a juniper branch. She let it dry for two or three days.

Then she soaked it in water again. When she had pulled

and squeezed it to keep it soft, she wrung it out again.

She let it dry in the sun before she stretched it and

24

pulled it. She turned the hide as she worked so that it

would stretch evenly. It took her half a day to stretch

one hide.

She hung the skin over a pole until it was dry.

Sometimes the woman left the skin in its natural color.

To make a skin darker, she could smoke it. First she

built a frame over a fire pit. She started a fire and put

the skin on the frame for fifteen minutes or half ar

hour. If she made her fire of pine wood, the skin woulc

turn. light yellow. Greasewood made it a darker yellow

and willow made it brown. She could use the finishec

skin to make clothes, blankets, bags, or tipi covers.

If she wanted to make a

simple dress or a man’s shirt,

she needed two skins. She

put the two together with the

neck ends at the top. Then she

sewed the shoulders and side

seams. When she had trimmed

the bottom edges, the dress

was ready. If she wanted a

fancier one, she used a third skin. She cut sleeves, :

yoke, or a fuller skirt from the extra piece.

At first the women did not decorate clothing. Late

they began to make fancy dresses and shirts. They cu

fringe along the seams and at the bottom edges. The

used animals’ claws and porcupine quills to make beat

tiful designs. When traders brought glass beads an

metal, the women added these shiny new materials t

their designs.

The Ute people made many things from hide

Robes and blankets kept the people warm in the winte:

25

They wore moccasins, leggings,

and caps made from hide. They

used rawhide and buckskin

bags of almost every size and

shape. They carried their

knives, awls, and paint in small

bags. Larger ones held clothes,

food, and tools.

BASKETS

Women also used plants to make clothing and

tools. They wove shirts, skirts, and sleeping mats. They

made fine baskets from willow and squawbush. The

people used these baskets to catch fish, gather seeds, and

carry water. They also ate from them, cooked with

them, and stored food in them. A skillful weaver could

make almost anything the people needed.

Squawbush was the best basket material. The

basketmaker picked it in the spring, when it was soft

and easy to bend. She also picked willows for coarser

baskets. When she had a good supply, she scraped the

plants to take off the outer bark. Then she soaked the

stalks in water and split them into three pieces. She

could store the pieces until she had time to make her

baskets.

Many Ute baskets, like the water jug, were

coiled. To make a water jug, a woman knotted two

stalks together. She held the knot and wound the strips

around it to make the body of the basket. To hold the

26

strips in place, she sewed over

each row. When the basket was

big enough, she made her circles smaller to form the neck.

Then she finished the top edge.

She still had to seal the ininside so that the basket would

hold water. She waited for a

morning when there was no

wind. Then she heated pine gum over a fire. Often she

put small pebbles in the pine gum. She coated the inside

of the basket. When the gum cooled, it made the surface

solid and. water-tight. To make the jug easy to carry, the

woman put rawhide handles on it. The people used

sagebrush stoppers to keep the water from spilling.

THE PEOPLE’S WAYS

As children grew up, they learned to make baskets, tan hides, catch fish, and find game. At the same

time, they learned good manners. Anyone could go

into a home with an open door. But if a person found a

closed door, he could not just walk in. He had to tell the

people that he was there and wait until someone invited him in. Young people had to show respect for their

elders. They did not interrupt or speak until the elders

spoke to them. The people shared what they had, but

no one could take someone else’s things. The youngest

children learned that everything on earth had a purpose. Each person had a place in life. Healthy, strong

people took care of those who were sick or helpless.

27

Adults cared for young children. Young people helped

their elders. In the cycle of Ute life, each person re- ©

ceived the care that he needed. In return he helped

other people in any way that he could.

Young people also learned to respect nature. No

one wasted food or materials, even if the people had

more than they needed. Everyone helped keep the

camp clean. When they left a camp, no one could tell

that they had been there. The people knew that if they

abused the land, they would not be able to find the

plants and animals that they

needed. So they took care of

the land when they hunted,

fished, and gathered plants.

All young people learned

these things. But life was not

always serious. There were

songs to sing, stories to tell,

and games to play. The people

loved music. Mothers sang to their babies. Children

sang as they played. A young man who wanted to

marry a young woman played his song to her on a

wooden flute. Music went with everything the people

did. There were songs for war and songs for peace.

There were songs for warriors who died. At any feast

or dance, many people made up songs and sang them.

Some of the young people had special talents.

The Ute people honored those who knew a great deal

about something. When they needed help, they asked

those people for advice. A brave man led his group in

war. A good hunter ran an antelope drive or a rabbit

hunt. Another led the men onto the plains to find buf-

28

falo. The people who stayed in one area for a lony time

often picked a village leader. He showed the people how

to choose the best campsite. He

knew when it was time to move.

Because he knew the land well,

he could tell the hunters where

they would find the most game.

But a young person did not

decide to be a leader. The people chose the men and women 4 \y N\

they would follow. No one, *“*=-""5 ) lle:

not even the head of a village, could force the

to follow him if they did not want to.

people

As they grew up, some of the young people found

that they had special powers. They could cure someone

who was sick. They knew what a man had to do to get

well. They could find plants to help a toothache, to reduce a fever, or to heal a burn. With this knowledge,

they had a great responsibility. They had to use their

power for the good of the people. No one, no matter

how great his power, had a right to use it in a way that

hurt anyone else.

CHANGES

For many years, all Ute children grew up in this

way. They began life in warm, safe cradles. As they

grew, they heard the older people explain how the people had come to be and why things were the way they

were. Soon they learned to do all of the things that their

parents did. They began to take care of the camp, find

food, and make things that the people needed. One day

they became the wise ones. Young men and women

came to them with the first foods that they had gathered. Small children listened to their words. They

shared the people’s wisdom with new generations.

This went on for hundreds of years. Of course

some things changed. The people found better ways to

do some things. They learned to use new materials.

They traveled to new lands. All of these experiences became part of what the people knew.

Then a great change came. Strange white men took

the people’s land. They wanted the Ute people to live

and think as they did. Their

way was very different from

the Ute way. In only a few

years, the Ute people lost many

of the things which had been

— most important to their way of

life. The strange men told the

~ people that the land was no

longer theirs. The game fled.

Cattle ate and trampled the

grass.

Soon the time when the people could travel through

their lands, hunting, fishing, and picking plants, was

30

gone. Like the time when animals spoke like people,

and the time when the people had no horses, it became

part of the people’s memory. Like those earlier times,

it is a time to remember and be proud of.

Today Ute hunters do not ride out onto the plains

to find buffalo. Ute women do not spend their days

gathering seeds, roots, and berries. But the Ute way of

life is not gone: The people still share a way of seeing

the world. Ute children still learn what it means to be

part of the Ute people. The wise ones still tell the stories,

and the families still meet to listen and laugh. Today,

as in the very beginning, these things make the Utes a

people.

31

ae

» SON

te

. SON aan

\ .

‘N

c+)

10.

32

7.

WORKBOOK

ANIMALS: A CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Across:

' 1

i .

A special leader showed Ute hunters how to drive

into a corral.

carried fire to the Ute people.

began to smell bad because he

wouldn’t settle a quarrel with Chipmunk.

Ute people used the bones of to

make fish hooks.

Many Ute children kept birds, like doves, eagles,

and , as pets.

Down:

6.

Ute hunters rode out to the plains to hunt

Ute hunters caught some small animals, like the

rabbit and the ground

With the , the Ute people could

travel further and see each other more often.

With the fur from many , the Ute

people could make warm, soft blankets.

Ute men took baby from nests high

in the cliffs.

33

UTE LANDS

= 100 miles

scale: 1 inch

UTE LANDS

Draw the boundaries of Ute lands as they were

before the white men came to the area.

Label all of the states which include some of this

Ute land.

Label these rivers: Colorado River, Green River,

White River, Duchesne River, San Juan River, Arkansas River.

Draw the chains of mountains which run through

Ute land.

Use colors to show the places where Ute people

gathered food. Show the fishing areas, hunting lands,

and _ plant-gathering areas. Show where buffalo,

pinyon nuts, small animals, grasses, seeds, and deer

were. .

Questions:

Use the map you have filled in to help you answer these

questions.

1.

How long was the perimeter (the distance around)

Ute lands? Use string to measure around the boundary on the map. Then use the scale to see how many

miles it is.

How wide were Ute lands? (Measure them at the

widest point.) How long were they? Draw a rectangle around the boundaries of Ute lands. What is

the area of that rectangle?

35

How long is the part of the Colorado River which

runs through Ute lands? How long is the Duchesne

River? How long is the Green River?

If you started at the Uintah Basin, which way would

you have to travel to reach the plains? What kind

of land would you cross if you made the trip? What

plants and animals would you see?

Who were the Utes’ neighbors? Draw a map which

shows Ute lands. Then show where their neighbors lived.

How far is it from the best buffalo-hunting areas

to the pinyon-nut lands? Describe the land you

would cross if you traveled from the buffalo lands to

the pinyon groves.

Describe the different kinds of land within Ute

boundaries. Use the map to show where the deserts, mountains, plains, and valleys are.

. What is a boundary? How do you know when you

cross one? Do you see a line on the ground? Why

do areas have boundaries?’ How many different

kinds of boundaries can you name?

36

| MATCHING

Match each word with its definition.

sR he OP OO oP

pont o

°

1.20

OP 3 we

a short pine tree with nuts that taste good

something which holds other things

an animal skin which has not been tanned

a group of trees growing together

someone who fights in a battle

a low, rolling sound, like thunder

a design that is sewn on cloth or leather

fully grown or ready to eat

to pick something up or to come together

the space between two places or things

a pen where animals are kept

to pound or grind something into small pieces

to press something very hard

a porcupine’s sharp spines

to use something in a way which hurts it or damages it

a group of homes

the things which can be used to make something else

a large rawhide container which held food or clothing

rumbling warrior distance

quills corral container

gather rawhide ripe

village crush abuse

parfleche embroidery grove

pinyon squeeze materials

37

UTE BASKETS

Ute women made many coiled baskets, like the

water jugs. But they knew other ways to make baskets

too. Twining was one of those ways. Using construction

paper, you can make a small basket or a seed-beater this

way.

nn

1. To make a flat seed-beater

or a round basket, you begin

with the same materials. Ute

women used long strips of

squawbush or willow. You can

use paper. First, cut thin strips

of paper about the same length.

For the seed-beater, tape some

of these strips to a horizontal

base. They should lie flat, and they should all point up.

To make a round basket, tape

or glue the strips to a small

circle. They should come out in

every direction.

38

enon eminnanngie iene nena 8 Los

2. Then you can begin to

weave. Tape or glue several

strips so that you have one long

strip of paper. To make the

seed-beater, tape one end of

this strip to the base, with the

long end pointing to the right.

Then pull the strip through the

vertical pieces, going over one

;

and under the next. Make sure that you follow this

pattern. Don’t skip any strips.

If you are making a round

basket, you will begin the same

way. Take a long strip of paper

and glue it at the bottom of

the short strips. Then pull it

through, going over and under.

3. Keep weaving the long strip

through. If you are making a

seed-beater, you will come to

the edge. Bend the strip back.

Then weave back in the same

way. If you went under a strip

in the first row, you must go

over it in the second.

39

i

The round basket has no edges.

Just keep weaving around it

in circles, over and under.

ioe

(EE Dy 4. Finish the seed beater by

babar trimming the edges so that they

aaa eee are even. Glue the last row so

Bea ey that it won’t fall apart. Cut a

hole for the handle, but be sure

. to glue the edges around it.

{

7 Do the same for the basket.

on Trim and glue the top edges.

ERS If you want, decorate the rim

oe, and add handles. A SUMMER CAMP

1. Describe each of the things in this picture. What

was it used for? How was it made?

2. Where did the Ute groups camp in the summer?

Why did they move from one campsite to another?

41

40

A WINTER CAMP

Describe each of these things. What was it used for?

How was it made?

List the things that the Utes carried in hide containers.

What did the Utes need to make these things?

Where, when, and how did they get their materials?

Where did the Utes camp in winter? Why did they

camp there?

42

a =|

This photograph shows the Ute students in front of the

Randlett Boarding School in 1890, shortly after the

school was built. (Photograph from the collection of

Katy Clark, courtesy of the Roosevelt (Chamber of

Commerce. ) ;

A RESERVATION SCHOOL

1. What does this picture tell you about reservation

school life?

2. List all the ways that going to this school would

have been different from the way that Ute children

had learned. .

3. What things about the reservation school are not

shown in this picture?

4. Imagine that you were a Ute child who went to this

school in 1890. Keep a diary or write a letter telling

what it was like.

43

5. When Ute children left the boarding school and

went back to their homes and families, did they

find changes? What might have happened while

they were gone? Had they changed in the schools?

Talk about what it might have been like.

Invite someone who went to one of these boarding

schools to come to your class and tell you what it

was like.

THINGS TO DO

a. Keep a diary for a day. Write about all the

things you do, what you eat, what games you

play, and what you think about. Then pretend

that you were a Ute child long ago. Keep a

diary of what you would have done in a day.

b. Then compare the two diaries. What things do

you share with that Ute child? What things do

you do that he did not? What things did he do

that you can’t? Do you do some things that he

did in a different way? Why?

Learn a Ute story, game, recipe, or craft and share

it with the class.

. List all of the things that you have to do to put up

a tipi. Make drawings to show how to do each step.

Find out about one of the Ute’s neighbors. Where

did they live? How were they like the Utes? How

were they different? When did the Utes meet them?

44

What stories did they tell? Share your information

with the class.

. At the Bear Dance, the Utes sang songs that they

had made up about spring. What does spring mean

to you? Write a song about it. Why do you think

spring was so important to the Utes?

a. How would you find your way if there were

no signs or maps? Try to tell someone how to

get from one place to another without using signs,

buildings, streets, or maps. Describe the land he

would have to cross, and the trees, plants, rocks,

streams, and mountains he would see.

b. Then tell him how to make the same trip at

night. What could he see? Find out how the

stars could help him. Which stars can you recognize?

c. What would he do if some of these things

changed — if there were an avalanche or a rainstorm or a fire?

. How would you know what time it was if there

were no clocks or watches? How can you tell time

by looking at the sky?

Make a list of all of the ways that the horse changed

Ute life. Can you think of something which has

changed American life in as many ways?

. Learn Ute names for plants, animals, birds, and fish.

Learn to count in Ute. Listen to a Ute story told in

the Ute language.

45

t

GROUP PROJECTS

Find out when the plants in Ute land ripened.

Learn when the best hunting times were. Find

out when the Ute people held their dances.

When was the best time to tan hides? When

did women pick materials to make their baskets?

When were the best fishing times? When did the

people move down from the mountains to

more sheltered land? When did Ute storytellers

tell each of their stories?’ When did the first

plants come up each year? When did Ute traders

visit other tribes?

When you have answered these questions, make

a calendar. Show what the people did each

month or each season. Draw pictures for your

calendar to show how the people did these things.

- You could invite people to tell the class about

each of these things. As you find out more

about Ute life, add new things to your calendar.

Ute pedple enjoy playing the handgame. In this

game, two teams try to guess where marked

sticks are hidden. While they play, some of the

people make music. Someone on one team hides

the marked stick. Then the other team tries to

find it. They use a set of sticks to keep score.

If someone guesses wrong, his team has to give

the other team one of these counters, If he

guesses right, his team gets to hide the marked

sticks, but they do not get a counter. A team

46

LENIN mR ARERR Noe AGREE yc GE nm np ree cA atibeeyite compte @ sat camitty catenins es grin org NONE

keeps hiding the sticks as long as it fools the

other team. When one team wins all of the

counters, the game is over.

You can play a game like the Ute handgame.

Instead of guessing who has the marked stick,

have the players answer questions about Ute

life. Choose two teams. Before the gane, have

each team make up questions. If a member of

the other team guesses the right answer, that

team asks the next question. But if the other

team guesses wrong, the first team gets a counter

and asks another question. The team which

wins all of the counters wins the game.

Write a group of short plays about Ute life.

First hold a meeting to decide what stories you

would like to act out. You could pick something

like setting up a tipi, hunting buffalo, tanning

leather, or telling stories. Make a list of suggestions. Let everyone speak. Then decide which

ideas you like best.

When you have decided which stories to use,

divide into groups. Have each group choose one

of the stories. Then write a script for your group.

Choose people to make scenery and costumes,

people to make music, and people to act out the

parts. As you work, try to choose your leaders

as the Utes did. Remember that everyone should

have a place, and no one can force anyone else

to do what he wants.

47

c. When all the groups are ready, choose a day to

present your plays. Invite your parents, relatives,

and friends to see them.

Visit the Ute archives and museum. Talk to people

who know about Ute life, or have them speak to

your class. When you come back, share the new

things you have learned about the Utes. Draw a

picture of the things you saw or heard about.

Make a model or mural which shows a Ute camp.

Show the homes, tools, foods, and other things that

would have been part of the village. Include plants,

animals, fish, and birds. Show what the land looked

like. Show people doing different things.

Draw a map of part of Ute lands as they were. Or

draw a map of part of those lands today. Show

important places, mountains, rivers, lakes, deserts,

plains, and valleys.

Have a spelling bee with Ute words.

Have someone show you how to cook a Ute dish.

Then share the recipe with the class.

Invite someone to show you how to do beadwork.

Use a Ute design and make something with beadwork.

48

Lester Chapoose

Elwyn DuShan

Charles Redfoot

James Jeffersor

Norma Denve!

Daisy Jenks

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