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Show the luxurious growth of currants, gooseberries, and buffaloberries in the region ( Ferris 1983: 341- 342). Brigadier General C. C. Augur also includes this trail on his for the U. S. Corps of Engineers in 1872. E. Sites of Spiritual Significance Out of respect to the Ute people and their deeply felt sensitivities on matters of spiritual significance, it is insisted that the material contained in this section not be printed or used in any manner beyond this technical report without the express written consent of the Northern Utes Tribe's cultural preservation office. E. l Burial Sites The deceased and their remains are greatly respected by native peoples in the Great Basin as they are in other regions of Indian country. The Northern Ute are no exception in this regard. They hold a high respect towards the dead and their places of burial, and as a result, there is a strongly expressed desire among all of the Ute consultants that gravesites of known and unknown origin not be disturbed. This not only includes the sites themselves but also their general environs. There is a general sense that those who visit these places for private prayer and other obligations should be respected and protected from the gaze of onlookers ( 4.2; 2.1; 3.1; 4.1; 4.2; 5.1). The recent protest over the building of a filling station next to a cemetery off Highway 40 is vivid testimony to the strongly felt sensitivities and sensibilities of the Utes on this matter. Unless a person has reason to be at a gravesite to pay their respects and to pray, burial areas are to be avoided. This happens not only out of consideration for the mourners, especially in the case of recent burials, but also out of respect for the spirits of the deceased. Whenever people go to burial sites, they must handle themselves in a considerate and respectful way. As one consultant ( 2.1) put it, these are not places, " for people to play around and shoot around." The desire to be respectful to one's ancestors and other deceased persons is reflected in the prayers and the offerings of tobacco when persons approach gravesites ( 4.2). Because gravesites are places that must be accorded the highest respect, disturbing them brings sadness and sorrow to the descendents of the people who are buried there ( 1.2; Smith 1974a: 151). Disrespectfully tampering with places of internment is believed to have serious consequences for those involved and for others around them. Meddling with graves and the spirits who may linger there, or even inadvertently attracting a ghost's attention, is thought to bring danger and illness ( Chapoose Oral History Interview, American West Center, 1960 No. 4; 100 |
