Legends of The Ute Mountain Utes
The Ute Mountain Ute Reservation was established in 1897 by the Weeminuche Band of Utes. The present day Reservation consists of over 597,000 acres and is located in Montezuma and La Plata Counties in southwestern Colorado, San Juan County in northwestern New Mexico, and also includes individually and tribal owned lands or allotments in Allen Canyon and White Mesa, Utah. Elevations range from 4,600 feet along the San Juan River to 9,977 feet on Sleeping Ute Mountain. The eastern half of the Reservation is characterized by a high mesa cut by the canyon of the Mancos River and numerous side canyons. The western half, with the exception of Sleeping Ute Mountain, is semi-desert and grassland.
The area is known as the Four Corners (where four states come together) and is rich in culture and history. There is the prehistory of “The Anasazi” the ancient ones, who lived here nearly 1000 years ago. They left the area long before the Ute Bands and the Plains Indians roamed the mountains and vast plains. Early Spanish priests and travelers introduced horses to the Ute people. There are historical chronicles of early settlers who came here to the lush and fertile Montezuma Valley instead of going further west. Historically, the Ute Nation roamed throughout Colorado, Utah and northern New Mexico in a hunter-gather society, moving with the seasons for the best hunting and harvesting. The Ute Bands were forced onto Reservations in the 1800’s.
Tribal enrolment of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe is at 1,968 and the 2000 Census list 1,676 people living on the Reservation. The Tribe employs over 900 people in its enterprises and departmental programs. Others are employed in ranching operations throughout the Reservation. The unemployment rate is approximately 40%. Most of the people live in two communities on the Reservation, the Tribal Headquarter City of Towaoc with a population of about 1,097 and the smaller community of White Mesa with a population of approximately 277. Towaoc is as the base of Sleeping Ute Mountain, which resembles a sleeping Indian with his headdress to the north. Towaco is sixteen miles southwest of Cortez, Colorado and just over an hour north and west of Farmington, New Mexico. Within the Reservation, is the 125,000 acre Ute Mountain Tribal Park along a 25-mile stretch of the Mancos River, which was set aside by the Tribe to preserve remnants of the Hisatsinom Culture and is kept as a primitive area.
- Wondering About the Varying Sizes of Native American Reservations in the Four Corners Region
- Sleeping Ute, Sacred Ute
- Chronology of the Ute tribe
- Map to Ute Mountain Rodeo Grounds (Rodeo in June)
I wasn't able to find anything about the horse-men and -women of the Ute Mountain tribe - let me know if you have any links to photos or stories, or maybe you have a story on the subject that you'd like to tell.... put it in an email and send it to me.
No comments:
Post a Comment