| OCR Text |
Show The Ute People There is little written information about the Ute People prior to 1650 a.d. European explorers first saw the Ute People in northern New Mexico, Colorado, and eastern Utah. When they came to those places, and how long they had been there is not known. The oral tradition of the People indicates that they had always lived there. Others suggest that the People came to the Great Basin, and that they were similar to the Southern Paiute and Western Shoshone people. These groups depended on seeds, nuts, roots, and berries gathered by women, and game taken by men and women in communal hunts. Their social and economic organizations were small family groups of twelve to twenty people. However, the Ute People changed from the Great Basin pattern. They moved into the mountains of eastern Utah, western Colorado, and northern New Mexico. They gathered in large groups and hunted and used the big game animals as did the Indians of the Plains. After the Ute People acquired the horse, about 1640, they ranged even farther to find areas that supported their horses. They may have moved out many non-Ute speaking peoples, or they may have incorporated others into Ute society. The Ute People organized themselves into bands or groups of families who lived and worked together. Each band occupied a general territory which was recognized by the other bands. The nature of the land determined the nature of the life style. The People who lived around lakes and rivers became fishermen. Those who lived near the grassy plains became big game hunters. Those who lived in the southern valleys became traders and farmers. Despite the separateness of the bands, the various Ute bands maintained interrelationships of many kinds. In customs and language the Ute People recognized themselves as a group distinct from all other Indians. There was much intermarriage and many trade relations between the bands. Most important were the inter-band gatherings during spring and summer. These gatherings were made possible by the temporarily increased food supply pro- |
