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

> Briefs, arguments, decisions, and more.

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/tribal%3Asouthern_ute%3A4e5bd13ec220ff4c

## Record

- **Collection:** Tribal code
- **Document type:** Tribal code

## Text

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

6

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
Georgia

Local Specialist
Local Specialist

University 0

Artists

---

Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/documents/tribal%3Asouthern_ute%3A4e5bd13ec220ff4c. Public record. Not legal advice.