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Show Years of Loss, Years of Adjustment, 1882-1933 From 1882 to 1933 the Uintah, White River, and Uncom-pahgre People were forced to cope with new rules, new systems of survival, and new relationships. Often the relationship between the People and the surrounding non-Ute communities was one of racism, jealousy, misunderstanding, and exploitation. And the relationship between the People and their agency supervisors was usually one of resentment. The relationships among the three Ute groups were often strained. This was partly because of differences in their own tradition and history. But, it was also because of federal policies. For many years the federal government treated the groups differently in terms of land and money yet forced them to co-exist on an ever shrinking land base. A major conflict among the groups was created by the federal government's distribution of funds. As part of the 1880 Agreement the White Rivers were supposed to receive per capita payments for the land which had been taken from them in Colorado. They received their first payment of $19.00 per capita in the summer of 1880.1 The Uintah who had been forced to give up part of their land to accommodate the White Rivers received nothing. They were understandably unhappy. Finally they were able to convince the Indian agent to encourage the government to make equitable payments. And the government did so, although it never was more than $14.00 a year per capita for either group.2 The relationship between the White Rivers and the Uncom-pahgre was not so agreeably worked out. The Uncompahgre also received payment for land taken from them in Colorado. The amount paid should have been equal to that paid each White River. However, the amount was twice as much because the White Rivers had to pay pensions to the families of all the agency and military personnel who had been killed in the Meeker incident. Life on the reservations was difficult for the Ute People. They felt caged in and alienated. Many continued to hunt in Colorado as they had always done, and their travels off the reservations |