Ute Government and Famous Leaders.notebook
May 17, 2008
The Ute Indians
Government
Famous Ute Leaders
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Ute Government and Famous Leaders.notebook
May 17, 2008
T
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R
OVE
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The Utes didn't have an organized government since they didn't live in large groups or "cities". The basic unit of their community was the family. Outside of the family, leadership was shared by many people rather than a single "leader" or chief. Leaders were chosen from time to time to perform duties such as to lead a war party, or to lead the hunt for food. The most common form of leadership was simply respect for the wisdom of the elders of the tribe who met together and came to decisions concerning matters. 2
Ute Government and Famous Leaders.notebook
May 17, 2008
S U
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M
FA
SThe Utes tried to R
E
D
A
LE keep outsiders away from their land, but there were too many of them. In 1868, after many battles, the Utes signed the first of many agreements (treaties) giving much of their land to the U.S. Government. The United States chose a Ute leader named Ouray to speak on behalf of his people because he could speak both English and Spanish, as well as the Ute language.
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Ute Government and Famous Leaders.notebook
May 17, 2008
Chipeta ‐ wife of Ouray
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Ute Government and Famous Leaders.notebook
May 17, 2008
Ouray thought he could save the best part of his people's land. But he soon learned that it would not turn out that way. Ouray said: "The agreement that an Indian makes to a United States Treaty is like the agreement that a buffalo makes with his hunters when pierced with arrows. All he can do is lie down and give in".
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Ute Government and Famous Leaders.notebook
May 17, 2008
Ignacio was later chosen as chief by a Ute council of elders, and he remained chief all of the rest of his life. 6
Ute Government and Famous Leaders.notebook
May 17, 2008
Elk Tooth Dress
The book Bear Dancer captures the life of the sister of Ouray, who became known to the whites as Susan Johnson. Her Indian name was Elk Tooth Dress or Elk Girl. two elk tooth dresses
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Ute Government and Famous Leaders.notebook
May 17, 2008
Cutshutchous, or Elk Tooth Dress, played a valiant part in the history of the American West during the latter part of the nineteenth century. She was born in 1845, high in the Rocky Mountains. When she was 34 years old, she lived with her husband, known as Chief Johnson, and two sons at the White River Agency. She lived in a log cabin, as did her brother Chief Ouray at the Los Pinos Agency. They both tried to set a good example for the Ute people. At the time of the Meeker Massacre, Elk Girl rode her horse to the mountain hideout of the Ute warriors and tried to help with negotiations. The Meeker women, in interviews , lectures, and correspondence, always gave thanks and credit to Elk Girl for saving their lives.
After the massacre, the Utes were driven from their majestic mountain homes to a desolate reservation in eastern Utah. Elk girl lived the remainder of her life on the Uintah‐Ouray Reservation. She did on March 5, 1901, at the age of fifty‐six.
The great‐great‐great‐granddaughter of Elk tooth Dress is the coordinator of the Ute Language Program of the Ute Tribe Education Division.
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Ute Government and Famous Leaders.notebook
May 17, 2008
Ute delegation to Washington included Ouray, Chipeta, Ignacio,and others. They begged the government to be fair to the Native American people.
Ute winter encampment at Middle Park.
Elk girl's people spent winters here before
the invasion of the white soldiers and settlers.
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Ute Government and Famous Leaders.notebook
May 17, 2008
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