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Show 62 The Southern Utes As the American settlers increased, the United States government took control over the relations of the Utes with other tribes and with the white man. At this point, Ute intertribal relations were largely replaced by the single relationship with the United States. In 1868, all the Ute bands were nominally united and a treaty was signed with the Federal Government which established the first boundaries of the Ute reservation. The tribe usually stayed within these boundaries but often left to hunt in the plains and some of the bands occasionally raided the white settlers. Whenever the tribe wandered or acted in a way the settlers did not understand, statements such as the following were issued to reassure the whites as to the position and intent of the Indians: Tabbywatts, Piemps, and Yampa Utes; from White River country, the Uinta Utes, Snakes, Bannocks^ and other northern tribes of Indians were assembling in the Bannock country, fifty miles east of Bear Lake Valley, to perform their traditional religious rites. They meant peace, and when through with their rites would disperse. By 1873 the Utes were friendly Indians no longer; they resented the white man forcing them from their land. They became restless; but under the leadership of Chief Ouray, a new treaty was made with the Federal Government and three Ute agencies were established: White River, Gunnison, and Uncompahgre. During the time of the Meeker Massacre in 1879, some of the Northern Utes from White River made an unsuccessful attempt to persuade the Utes at Uncompahgre to join in a general war against the whites. This was the last known attempt of the bands to unite for war. |