Description
Ute are the Indigenous people of the Ute tribe and culture among the Indigenous peoples of the Great Basin. They had lived in sovereignty in the regions of present-day Utah and Colorado. In addition to their ancestral lands within Colorado and Utah, their historic hunting grounds extended into current-day Wyoming, Oklahoma, Arizona, and New Mexico. The tribe also had sacred grounds outside their home domain that were visited seasonally. The first Europeans to come into contact with the Ute were in the 17th-century, The Spanish explorers. When the Ute tribe came into contact with the Europeans they were asked but not required to convert to become Mormons.
Language
Uto-Aztecan
Culture
The Ute were a nomadic people and the early Ute were not unified often traveled in loose bands. They made allegiances with other groups. One tradition was, during times of war, they turned their female prisoners over to the Ute women to "deal with." Ute Indians do not have formalized beliefs when it comes to religion but their beliefs are very important to them. People lived in extended family groups of about 20 to 100 people. They traveled to seasonally-specific camps. In the spring and summer, family groups hunted and gathered food. The men hunted buffalo, antelope, elk, deer, bear, rabbit, sage hens, and beaver using arrows, spears and nets.