Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation
Encyclopedia
The Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation is a federally recognized tribe of Ute
Indians in Utah
. The Uintah are a western band of Ute.
.
The Utes have a complex government system that works closely with US Federal and Utah state governments.
is the second-largest Indian Reservation
in the US – covering over 4500000 acres (18,210.9 km²) of land. Founded in 1863, it is located in Carbon
, Duchesne
, Grand
, Uintah
, Utah
, and Wasatch Counties
in Utah.
Raising stock and oil and gas leases are important revenues streams for the reservation. The tribe is a members of the Council of Energy Resource Tribes
.
is a southern Numic language within the Uto-Aztecan language family. The language is still widely spoken. In 1984, the tribe declared the Ute language to be the official language of their reservation, and the Ute Language, Culture and Traditions Committee provides language education materials.
region for over 10,000 years. From 3000 BCE to around 500 BCE, they lived along the Gila River
in Arizona
. People of the Fremont culture
lived to the north in western Colorado, but when drought struck in the 13th century, they joined the Utes in San Luis Valley
, Colorado
. Utes were one of the first tribes to obtain horses from escaped Spanish stock.
Spanish explorers traveled through Ute land in 1776. They were followed by an ever-increasing number of non-Natives. The Colorado Gold Rush
of the 1850s flooded Ute lands with prospectors. Mormon
s fought the Utes from the 1840s to 1870s. In the 1860s the US federal government created the Uintah Reservation. Utah Utes settled there in 1864, and were joined in 1882 by eight bands of Northern Utes.
The US government tried to force the Utes to farm, despite the lack of water and unfavorable growing conditions on their reservation. Irrigation projects of the early 20th century put water in non-tribal hands. Ute children were forced to attend Indian boarding schools in the 1880s and half of the Ute children at the Albuquerque Indian School died.
Ute Tribe
The Ute are an American Indian people now living primarily in Utah and Colorado. There are three Ute tribal reservations: Uintah-Ouray in northeastern Utah ; Southern Ute in Colorado ; and Ute Mountain which primarily lies in Colorado, but extends to Utah and New Mexico . The name of the state of...
Indians in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. The Uintah are a western band of Ute.
Government
The Uintah and Ouray Reservation headquarters is located in Fort Duchesne, UtahFort Duchesne, Utah
Fort Duchesne is a census-designated place in Uintah County, Utah, United States. The population was 621 at the 2000 census, a slight decrease from the 1990 figure of 655...
.
"I can tell you what I hope for, that is unity. I'd like to see people helping one another. Maybe people can come together and realize it's for the benefit of the tribe as a whole.Rather than one individual here or one family over here." –Luke Duncan, 1989
The Utes have a complex government system that works closely with US Federal and Utah state governments.
Reservation
The Uintah and Ouray Indian ReservationUintah and Ouray Indian Reservation
The Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation is located in northeastern Utah, USA. It is the homeland of the Northern Ute Tribe, and is the largest of three Indian reservations inhabited by members of the Ute Tribe of Native Americans. It lies in parts of seven counties; in descending order of land area...
is the second-largest Indian Reservation
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
in the US – covering over 4500000 acres (18,210.9 km²) of land. Founded in 1863, it is located in Carbon
Carbon County, Utah
Carbon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. Named for the major coal deposits in the area, the county seat and largest city, is Price. Carbon County is the second largest natural gas producer in Utah , with 94 billion cubic feet produced in 2008. As of 2010 the population was...
, Duchesne
Duchesne County, Utah
Duchesne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2010 the population was 18,607, a 29.5% increase over the 2000 figure of 14,371. Its county seat is Duchesne and the largest city is Roosevelt.-Geography:...
, Grand
Grand County, Utah
Grand County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2000 the population was 8,485, and by 2005 had been estimated at 8,743. It was named for the Colorado River, which at the time of statehood was known as the Grand River. Its county seat and largest city is Moab.-Geography:According...
, Uintah
Uintah County, Utah
This page deals with the Utah County. For the Wyoming County, see Uinta County, Wyoming.Uintah County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2000 the population was 25,224 and by 2009 was estimated at 31,536. It was named for the Ute Indians, the tribe that lives in the basin. Its...
, Utah
Utah County, Utah
Utah County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2000, the population was 368,536 and by 2008 was estimated at 530,837. It was named for the Spanish name for the Ute Indians. The county seat and largest city is Provo...
, and Wasatch Counties
Wasatch County, Utah
Wasatch County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. It was named for a Ute Indian word meaning mountain pass or low place in the high mountains. Its county seat and largest city is Heber City.The county is governed by a county council with an appointed county manager.Wasatch County is...
in Utah.
Raising stock and oil and gas leases are important revenues streams for the reservation. The tribe is a members of the Council of Energy Resource Tribes
Council of Energy Resource Tribes
The Council of Energy Resource Tribes is a consortium of Native American tribes in the United States established to increase tribal control over natural resources...
.
Language
The Ute languageUte language
Colorado River Numic , of the Numic branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family, is a dialect chain that stretches from southeastern California to Colorado...
is a southern Numic language within the Uto-Aztecan language family. The language is still widely spoken. In 1984, the tribe declared the Ute language to be the official language of their reservation, and the Ute Language, Culture and Traditions Committee provides language education materials.
History
Utes have lived in the Great BasinGreat Basin
The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds in North America and is noted for its arid conditions and Basin and Range topography that varies from the North American low point at Badwater Basin to the highest point of the contiguous United States, less than away at the...
region for over 10,000 years. From 3000 BCE to around 500 BCE, they lived along the Gila River
Gila River
The Gila River is a tributary of the Colorado River, 650 miles long, in the southwestern states of New Mexico and Arizona.-Description:...
in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. People of the Fremont culture
Fremont culture
The Fremont culture or Fremont people is a pre-Columbian archaeological culture which received its name from the Fremont River in the U.S. state of Utah where the first Fremont sites were discovered. The Fremont River itself is named for John Charles Frémont, an American explorer. It inhabited...
lived to the north in western Colorado, but when drought struck in the 13th century, they joined the Utes in San Luis Valley
San Luis Valley
The San Luis Valley is an extensive alpine valley in the U.S. states of Colorado and New Mexico covering approximately and sitting at an average elevation of above sea level. The valley sits atop the Rio Grande Rift and is drained to the south by the Rio Grande River, which rises in the San Juan...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. Utes were one of the first tribes to obtain horses from escaped Spanish stock.
Spanish explorers traveled through Ute land in 1776. They were followed by an ever-increasing number of non-Natives. The Colorado Gold Rush
Colorado Gold Rush
The Pike's Peak Gold Rush was the boom in gold prospecting and mining in the Pike's Peak Country of western Kansas Territory and southwestern Nebraska Territory of the United States that began in July 1858 and lasted until roughly the creation of the Colorado Territory on February 28, 1861...
of the 1850s flooded Ute lands with prospectors. Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
s fought the Utes from the 1840s to 1870s. In the 1860s the US federal government created the Uintah Reservation. Utah Utes settled there in 1864, and were joined in 1882 by eight bands of Northern Utes.
The US government tried to force the Utes to farm, despite the lack of water and unfavorable growing conditions on their reservation. Irrigation projects of the early 20th century put water in non-tribal hands. Ute children were forced to attend Indian boarding schools in the 1880s and half of the Ute children at the Albuquerque Indian School died.
External links
- Ute Indian Tribe Uintah and Ouray Reservation, official website