Secrets 2: Looking Through Different Eyes - 50. Chapter 50 S2

Chapter 50 – Interesting Times

When we reached the Southern Ute Cultural Center and Museum, we were immediately overcome by our first impression of the place. That is because the entryway is in the truncated shape of a cone, which means it is cut off at the top and doesn’t come to a point. We later learned that this design was meant to represent the shape of a tipi, as well as the theme the “Circle of Life”, which is central to the Ute’s tribal belief system.

“It’s certainly an unusual looking building,” Mom said as she was looking at the central structure, so I quickly looked the museum up on my phone.

“It is, unless you’ve studied the Utes’ culture heritage and its belief system,” I replied. I then explained the tipi shape, which represents the homes the Utes lived in for many years, as well as their belief in the circle of life. “The shape of the tipi was meant to remind the viewer of the homes the Utes lived in for many centuries. That shape was constructed using ponderosa pine logs arranged in horizontal layers with slight gaps in between and continually formed smaller circles as they rise skyward.”

“And using that design,” Devin continued, since he was looking this up on his phone as well, “was also meant to remind the viewer of the thin willow branches that the Utes utilized when weaving the baskets. The Ute artisans had become well known for their basketry, as well as their beadwork and pottery. And the wooden tipi shape completely encompasses a circular building.”

“Now that you told us those things, I can see the basic form of the tipi,” Dad concurred.

“And I can see that it looks like an upside-down basket that might have been woven by someone like Paul Bunyon,” Mom followed.

“Or the Great Spirit god of the tribe,” Dad added.

“That’s possible,” I continued, “because I looked it up and the Utes worship a Great Spirit named Senawahv, I think I pronounced that right. They believe that god created the world, as well as all of the animals, plants, and the Ute people. They believe in several lesser gods as well, such as a God of Peace, a God of War, a God of Blood, and a God of Weather, and they have rituals to honor each of them.”

“I can understand why they have a God of Blood, if they also have a God of War,” Dad observed.

“It says here,” Devin said reading off his phone, “that during construction special pads were used to lift everything off the ground in order to avoid water damage in the future.”

“That was probably very wise,” Mom agreed.

Now that we finished our discussion, we went back to observing the building. On either side of the central atrium were two curved wings, and later we learned what each wing contained. One housed the permanent and temporary exhibits, while the other one contained numerous classrooms, an archive, a restoration area, and storage areas for the artifacts that weren’t currently being used.

“It also states that the museum’s sloped roofs,” Devin continued, “are designed to resemble the Rocky Mountain skyline.”

“Yes, I can see that,” Dad concurred after quickly studying the slope of the roofline.

“And the small stream that we noticed as we were walking here,” I continued, “is to remind the Utes of the time when they were hunter-gathers. That’s because every year during the summer season they would head into the mountains where there were many streams that were full of water from the melting snow.”

“That’s very interesting,” Mom stated. “I don’t think we have anything to reminds us about where our ancestors once lived.”

“Except maybe the preserved historical places,” Dad countered.

“Those are only to remind us where the famous and wealthy people lived, not my ancestors,” Mom countered.

“There’s also a large open space directly in front of the main building and between the two wings of the museum that is surrounded by a circular sidewalk,” I continued. “That area is referred to as the meadow and it serves as a central gathering place for the community. It is also where tribal ceremonies are held, including such things as the very important Bear and Sun Dances.”

Just as I was making those comments, a large group of people came out of the building and one man was carrying a drum that was roughly the circumference of a standard automobile tire. Some of the other men and boys were carrying what I assumed were their version of a drumstick, which was a stick approximately 18 inches (46 mm) long with a padded end. The man carrying the drum set it down just outside of the circular “meadow” and the men and boys that were carrying the drumsticks formed a circle around the drum. The other people then spread out along the left side of the meadow.

“It looks like were going to get to see something special,” Dad stated.

“Yes, it does,” Devin responded, “and I can’t wait to see what they’re going to do.”

“Just a second and I’ll ask someone,” I said before walking over to ask one of the older people standing near me, while Devin and my parents listened in. “What are they going to do here?”

“We’re teaching the younger members of the tribe how to do the Bear Dance. There is a part for each age group to perform, which means the children, their parents, and their grandparents,” she replied.

“I see, but why do you call it a Bear Dance?”

“It got that name from the story behind the dance. You see, one day two brothers went on a hunt and they walked a very long way without having any success. Since they were tired, they laid down on the ground to take a nap. When the brothers awoke, they noticed a group of small people that were darting around the rocks as they traveled into the hills, so one brother decided to follow them. Shortly after that brother left, the other brother noticed a bear standing on its hind legs over by a tree. The brother thought the bear seemed to be doing a dance and singing as it clawed at the bark on the tree, and he thought it looked strange.”

“So, is that why you do the Bear Dance?”

“When the boy asked the bear what it was doing, the bear taught him how to do the dance and sing the song that went with it. The bear then told the young man to return to his people and that he was to teach them how to do the dance and sing the songs as well. The bear said it was a way to release the tension after being cooped up all winter long, and it would also show respect to the bear spirit. In return, the bear spirit would make them strong and ready to go about their business after a long winter of inactivity.”

“I take it the brother told the rest of the tribe about this then.”

“Yes, he did. When the brothers returned, the first brother told the elders of the tribe about the small people that he followed into the rocks and hills, and the elders told him those were the ancient ones – the cliff dwellers. They also told him that now the archeologists refer to the ancient ones as the Anasazi.”

“And those are the people that lived in the dwellings in the cliffs,” Devin stated.

“Yes, they are,” she replied. “And after the first brother finished telling the elders about his adventure, the second brother told them about his interaction with the bear. He also taught the elders how to do the dance and sing the songs, and now the tribe does the dance every year in the spring. They’d select a date sometime between the middle and the end of May and we’ll be doing it next week over at the casino. If you aren’t aware of this, the Museum is at one end of a long tract of land and the Sky Ute Casino is at the opposite end. In between is a large patch of open land that will be used for future development.”

“Thank you for the information,” I replied just before the drum beat started and the singing began, and then she left to join in the dancing. I learned later, after looking it up on my phone, that the bear dance dates back hundreds of years – as far back as the fifteenth century. We know this because the Spanish made a note about the dance in their journals, so that makes it the oldest known dance in North America.

As I turned my attention back to the dance, I realized that I didn’t know if the particular order that they were following was the one they always followed when doing this dance. However, today the oldest group was dancing first, the middle group went next, and then the youngest group went last, but later I learned later that every year the order they danced varied. I imagine they were doing it this way today so the younger group could watch the other two groups and learn how the dance was done. I say this, because I noticed a few of the youngest group members were practicing on the sideline before it was their turn to perform.

“It’s neat how there are boys and men of all ages beating the drum together,” Devin stated. “I wonder if this is the way they teach the boys how to do it or if it’s what they always do.”

“Just a second and I’ll ask someone,” I replied, and then I walked over and asked one of the men that was in the next oldest group that was waiting its turn to dance.

“We always have a multi-generational group beating the drum,” he responded. “It’s a good way to pass along the skill to the next group, as they follow the beat of the lead drummer.” I thanked him for answering my question and rejoined Devin.

When the Bear Dance ended, we entered the atrium and began looking around. We quickly discovered that the central core of the museum was constructed of steel and glass and has a walkway that rings the atrium about halfway up the walls of the interior of the edifice. And at the center of the atrium is a three-story tall pole, and once it gets above the walkway it branches out in several different directions, like the limbs of a tree. Those limbs of this tree reach up to support a circular skylight that is divided into four sections that represent the four seasons, as well as the circle of life.

There’s also a large bear totem, along with an array of large photos of different Utes throughout the years, and they were dressed for both every day and ceremonial activities. There were also images of infants on cradle boards, and there were cradle boards, which the Utes would use to carry their babies when working or traveling.

There is also a gift shop in the atrium that sells items that will remind the guests of their visit to the museum and learning about the Ute tribe. In the gift shop you might find intricate beadwork sewn into wallets, purses, and moccasins, as well as included in medallions and Bolos. There’s also artwork and portraits showing the Ute people in various activities and poses, along with traditional basketry, dresses and vests. There are also books on both the local region and Ute history, as well as small and medium size bronze sculptures.

“It seems like every museum that you go to has a gift shop to give visitors a chance to purchase memories of their visit or merely a chance to separate the visitors from their money.”

“Well, most museums are non-profit, so they have to make money in order to support themselves. Oh, and I also heard someone else say that the atrium is designed to glow inward by day and outward by night, but I didn’t know what he meant by that.”

“Why didn’t you ask him then?”

“Because I didn’t want to interrupt the conversation he was having and I didn’t want to hang around until he finished, since it looked as if it might take a while.”

“There’s a guy that was doing the bear dance earlier and it looks like he’s answering questions, so why don’t you go over and ask him?”

“You know, you could ask him too,” I reminded Devin, “since I asked the people outside questions, but I’ll do it.”

“We have a question and I’m wondering if you could answer if for us.”

“I’ll try, and by the way my name is Tom Ouray. I volunteer here as a guide, as well as participate in the dances and ceremonies held here. What is your question?” I told him. “Ok, that saying means that the atrium is designed to use the natural sunlight to light up the atrium during the day and make the interior appear to “glow” from within. At night the lighting fixtures that are inside the atrium are aligned to also illuminate the exterior of the building and create a visible glow that extends into the surrounding area.”

“Thank you for that answer, and isn’t there a town around here that’s named Ouray? Is that where you got your last name from?”

“There is a town named Ouray and it’s north of Durango and south of Montrose. I didn’t get my last name from the town, though. We both got our names from a famous Ute chief by the name of Ouray. In 1863 he helped to negotiate a treaty with the federal government, and in 1868 he traveled to Washington D.C. to represent his people and was appointed as “head chief of the Utes” by the federal government. In fact, President Hayes called him “the most intellectual man I’ve ever met,” and when he died in 1880, he was buried in a secret location somewhere south of Ignacio. However, 45 years later most of his bones were recovered and reinterred in a concrete vault at the Ouray Memorial Cemetery in Ignacio.”

“Does that mean you were related to him?”

“No, and there’s a story behind how I got this name.”

“Ok, what’s the story then?” Devin pressed.

“You see, all Utes had only one name and didn’t have a surname, but when Ute children were sent to the Indian boarding school, they were forced to choose anglicized first and last names. After my third-great-grandfather was no longer at the Indian school, he rejected the last name given to him there and used Chief Ouray’s name instead.”

“But you have an anglicized first name.”

“A name I only use when dealing with the government and outsiders. My Ute name is Sapiah. It was the name my parents gave me and was the name of another Ute chief, so I got both of my names from Ute leaders.”

“Does Sapiah mean something in Ute?”

“No, and he was also referred to as Charles Buck and also Buckskin Charley by outsiders.”

“I see, and I thank you for the information.”

After leaving the atrium, our journey began at the Circle of Life seven-screen movie theater that showed films describing the Ute way of life. We learned that one of the first lessons Ute children are taught is to listen and another is to respect their elders. The Utes are also taught that the Sun is their father and that everything comes from the sun, because without the sun nothing will grow. The Sun Dance is another important dance done by the Utes and it’s a spiritual connection that represents the thirsting spirit of the Ute people. The dance is usually performed in the middle of summer, generally between the middle and end of July.

“Damn, I wish we could see that dance too,” Devin stated.

“Then we’ll have to come back here at the end of July.”

We also learned that the Ute people honor Mother Earth but they don’t believe they own the land, only that they are allowed to use it. That was one of the major conflicts when the Europeans first arrived, because the Europeans would say that they “owned” certain pieces of land, and the Utes didn’t understand what they meant. The Utes were happy to share the land with the Europeans, but the Utes had no concept of why the Europeans would say they ‘owned’ certain parcels of land.

We also learned that the Utes, like other tribes, were forced to attend Indian schools and weren’t allowed to speak in their native tongue while they were there. They had to speak English instead, but now that’s all changed. Both the Ute schools and the Southern Ute Cultural Center and Museum are actively teaching the Ute language to younger members of the tribe so their language won’t be lost. And unlike in the past when nearly every treaty forced them to give up land, today the South Ute Tribal Council exercises Sovern powers over their lands and is totally self-governing. They exercise total control over both their lands and natural resources found there, which is unlike many other tribe.

“I imagine that’s the reason the Utes are the wealthiest of all Native American tribes,” Dad stated. “I discovered that little tidbit during my research while planning this trip.”

“That’s interesting,” Mom said, “and I’ve heard that the tribes are starting to favor being called ‘American Indians’ rather than ‘Native Americans’. They feel the term native often expresses a negative connotation.”

“During my research I discovered that it depends on the tribe,” Dad responded. “It might even vary with members within a tribe, although the term ‘American Indian’ may appeal to more of them, but some even prefer the term ‘Indigenous American’ instead.”

“That could get confusing,” Devin stated.

“It all depends on individual preference,” Dad stated.

Once we entered the exhibits, we discovered there are ‘Permanent Exhibits’ and ‘Temporary Exhibits’ and the ‘Permanent Exhibits’ are divided into sections. One section represents the woven basketry made by the Ute people and there are display cases that showcase some examples of these items. There are photos hanging on the walls that show other examples from previous time periods.

Another section tells about the fireside creation story, as told by tribal leaders. “Why is this drawing of a wolf here, and why is the wolf wearing a yellow trench coat and holding a cloth bag?” Devin asked.

“Let’s listen to the recording and maybe we’ll find out,” Dad urged.

As we listened to the recording, we discovered that the Creator, Sinawav, gave the coyote a very important task. He handed the coyote a sack that was tied shut and contained items inside, and the Creator told the coyote to carry the sack over the far hills until it came to the valley beyond, and it wasn’t to open the sack until it got there.

Of course, the coyote’s curiosity got the best of it and the coyote opened the sack as soon as he was out of sight of the Creator. Some people that were inside the sack escaped and the coyote tried to catch them, but they were too fast and spoke strange tongues, so the coyote couldn’t get them to understand what it was saying. The coyote still carried on, though, and when it got to the valley beyond, it opened the sack as directed and dumped out the people that were left. They were the Ute people, and even though there weren’t very many of them, they were strong and would survive. And then the coyote headed back to the Creator.

When it got back to the Creator, the Creator could tell that the coyote had failed in his job and it explained what it had done. The Creator explained those that escaped are the tribes that will forever be at war with the chosen ones, the Utes. And then Sinawav cursed the coyote and doomed him to walk the earth on all fours forever, as a night crawler.

“That’s certainly different from the creation stories of any religion that I’ve ever heard of,” Devin stated.

”I know. The other creation stories all involve a god or gods, but I’ve never heard any of them mention animals before, especially a coyote, but at least now you know why that drawing is there.”

In the next section was an interactive map that showed the historical extent of the territory over which the Utes used to range. It included Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Eastern Nevada, Northern New Mexico, and Arizona. The interactive map also gave us the Ute names for the various places and defined specific band territories and travel routes.

“I didn’t know the Utes have lived in this area for such a long time, because it says they’ve been here since at least the year 1000, and possibly even longer,” Mom announced. “It also says the Utes were in control of these lands until at least 1855, when the might of the U.S. Army overpowered them and took control.”

“That’s probably why it shows the extent of the land given to the Utes changed with each treaty they made with the government,” I pointed out. “It says here that the area kept shrinking until they were forced to live within the confines of several smaller reservations.”

“Damn, the Utes kept getting screwed,” Devin stated. “It seems like each time the Utes made a treaty with the government they had less and less land.”

“Yes, I believe many Native American tribes found that to be the case,” Dad replied. “The settlers kept wanting more of their land, especially once gold or silver was found there, and then the settlers and prospectors wanted the land so they could mine the ore.”

“I guess that’s where the term Indian giver comes from,” Mom stated. “The government would give the Indians the land and then later take it away, sometimes just some of it, but the Indians would still wind up will less land than they had before.”

“Yes, that’s probably how that term came about,” Dad agreed.

“I always thought it was talking about the Indians giving away things and then taking it away, but now I know better,” I confessed.

The next section we came to was the Petroglyph and Spear Points area. Here we saw examples of petroglyphs that had been drawn on hides, possibly to teach others in the tribe what they meant, but there were also photos of petroglyphs on that had been drawn on various rock faces. In addition to those items, there were also interactive displays that anyone could use to learn more about the petroglyphs. There were also display cases with large collections of spear and arrow points that were either created or used by the Utes.

After that area was the Camp Life section with displays of how the Utes preserved the meat so it would last longer and not spoil. After the men killed the buffaloes or other animals, they would cut off large sections of meat, and the women would cut those sections into strips. They would then hang those strips on the racks they built using small, slender trees or slender branches from larger trees. They did this so they could dry the meat in the sun and the wind so it would last up to several months and not rot. The women would also make pemmican by first pounding the dried meat into almost a powder and then mixing it with berries or dried fruits before covering it in a layer of tallow.

We also learned that tallow is a nutrient rich substance made by melting suet, which is the hard fat from around the kidney and loins of certain mammals, such as buffalo. The women would heat the suet until it melted, which removes it from the muscles and tendons, and only the liquid tallow is all that remained.

“Mom, did your grandparents or great-grandparents ever do things like that?”

“I’m not sure, but I know their life was much harder than ours is, because they didn’t have the appliances and advantages we have today. I know my grandfathers hunted, as well as raising animals, and I remember them telling me stories about having to kill and butcher the animals. They would skin the hides from the animal first, so they could butcher the meat.”

“And how would they preserve it?”

“They had a smokehouse, so they would hang the meat up and smoke it or they would treat it with salt to draw out the moisture so it would last longer and not spoil. They had to do that because they didn’t have refrigerators or freezers to keep the meat in, and they couldn’t go to a grocery store to buy what they needed.”

“Ok, I’m starting to get the picture now.”

“And my great-grandmothers would have to make all their meals from scratch. She would bake her own bread, and make her own noodles and spaghetti, as well as growing her own vegetables so she could prepare every dish that her family ate with her own hands. She had to do this because they couldn’t buy those things at the store. They had to be totally self-sufficient.”

“Wow, I’ve seen things like that in the movies, but I never thought my own great-great-grandparent had to do all of those things too”

“My grandparents had it a little better, because they could purchase some of the things they needed from stores, but there weren’t many items available to them. And even if they did buy some of the things at the store, now that my grandfather was working in a factory instead of having his own farm, like his father, my grandmother still had to fix most meals by hand. There still weren’t any box mixes or frozen meals she could use, like there are today.”

“How about your parents?”

“They had it a little better, because instead of small general stores that my grandparents shopped at, my parents had larger grocery stores to go to where they could get quite a few things. Those grocery stores weren’t nearly as large and didn’t have as many choices as the big supermarkets we have today, but they did have things like sliced bread and box and can foods. Some of those had become available to their parents, but there wasn’t a large supply off them or as many choices, like there were for my parents or what we have today. Not only do we have more choices, but there are large selections of frozen foods available as well, including frozen meats, which means it doesn’t have to be cooked within a couple of days after purchasing it. You can even freeze the fresh meat you buy at home, and that allows us to buy large quantities of fresh meat and freeze most of it for future use.”

“Some of that I know about and realized before, but the rest of it I just never thought about.”

The Camp Life area also had examples of the clothing the Utes wore, male and female, along with moccasins, all which they made. This section also contained two buffalo tipis that we could check out, both the inside as well as the outside. Tipi is the original spelling of the word, which comes from the Sioux language, both the Dakota and Lakota Sioux dialects. It was derived from their word “thipi”, which literally meant ‘they dwell’ or ‘used to live in’. The word teepee, or tepee, is the anglicized spelling of the word that was most likely used by the early settlers, newspaper men, the U.S. Army, and the federal government.

There was another section dedicated to Hide Tanning and Brush Shelters.

“It says on my phone that the Utes were known for making the softest leather out of deerskin than any other tribe or group of settlers.”

“I wonder what they did differently from the others?” Dad mused.

“I imagine it’s a secret that they’re not about to share,” I replied.

This is where we also learned that the Ute tribes had lived in wickiups before they began hunting buffaloes. A wickiup was a dome-shaped shelter that was constructed using slender tree branches and then covered with willows, bark, grass, or reeds. Wickiups were large enough to house about five or six people, or enough room for a typical family, but Utes lived with extended families, so this created a problem.

“Whose family did they take in then? The husband or the wife’s family?” Mom asked.

“I guess it was the husband’s family, since the man could have many wives,” I responded after checking my phone. “if they took in the wife’s family and the man had many wives, then it could get really crowded.”

“Were tipis any different in how many people could live there?” Dad wanted to know, so I looked that up on my phone as well.

“Yes, it says here that once the Utes started hunting buffalo and building tipis, the tipis could accommodate 10 to 40 people, but typically it was more like 10-20 people.”

“Damn, that’s still a lot of people,” Dad replied. “They should be able to take care of the parents and the in-laws, or the aunts, uncles, and cousins instead, especially if the tipi could house up to 40 people.”

“With that many people living together, I wonder how they ever got enough privacy to conceive any children,” Devin mused.

“It must be that the heavy Buffalo blankets they used didn’t allow others to see or hear what they were doing under them,” Mom whispered to Dad, although I could still hear what she was saying.

The next section was the Horse Exhibit, complete with a model of a horse and a rider pulling a travois. A travois was a wooden A-frame that was formed with two long poles, usually 10 to 12 feet (3-3.6m) in length, and then lashing them together with shorter limbs as the formed the A-frame. They were then covered with a buffalo hides so the travois could be used to carry all of their belongings when they were on the move. As mentioned earlier, the Utes were hunter-gatherers and were typically on the move and the travois might also become part of the tipi later, rather than a separate item that’s only used when on the move.

Some of the land that the Utes used to travel over was also occupied by other tribes, such as the Paiutes and Shoshone, and those tribes all spoke a Numic, or Uto-Aztecan language. This meant they could all understand one another and they even intermarried, so they usually got along fairly well. However, this didn’t stop them from having conflicts from time to time between those tribes, as well as with other tribes and the settlers.

“You mean they might be related to each other through marriage and they would still fight and possibly kill each other?” Mom asked.

“Mom, I’m sure there have been plenty of people you’ve known who’ve had family fights that have gotten out of control.”

“Yes, but never to the point where they were trying to kill each other.”

“Maybe not, but it’s been known to happen.”

We also learned that many of the major trails that the Utes had historically followed were later used by the railroads, and then by the highway system. This was especially true with the Old Ute Trail, that was later referred to as the Old Spanish Trail, and it went from Santa Fe all the way to California.

“I looked it up on my phone and it says that part of the Old Spanish trail was turned into Route 66, which was very important from the 1940s to the 1960s.”

“Yes, I remember that people not only traveled on it, but they were also saying there were a lot of interesting things to see along the way,” Mom added.

Next were the Traditional Display Cases that featured articles representing Ute gaming, weaponry, and clothing. In particular, there were the clothing and headdresses that were worn on ceremonial occasions. Those garments might have intricate beadwork the Ute women were famous for, and they might use the beads to form the shapes of animals or other symbolic designs.

“What do you think, Ma. Would you have worn any of those things?”

“They are quite attractive, but I’m not sure if I could get used to wearing buckskin. If those same designs were on garments made out of fabric, I think I’d be tempted to buy them.”

The men might even have fringe on the arms of their leather shirts, and they would also wear feathers in their hair or headdresses, and they would typically use eagle feathers. The chiefs might wear a large headdress containing a great many feathers, and each of those feathers had a significance. In fact, the feathers were either earned for a feat of valor or a great generosity, so many feathers in the headdress of a chief would often indicate an individual of superlative leadership qualities.

“What about you, Dad? Would you have worn any of those items?”

“Yes, I think I would have looked quite handsome in one of those war bonnets.”

There were also paintings and photographs showing members of the Ute tribe wearing those or similar items. There was also a photo of a very significant occurrence for the Ute tribe. On September 24, 1939, the Ute Chieftains Memorial Monument was dedicated in honor of four Ute Chiefs, Ouray, Buckskin Charley, Severo, and Ignacio. The Southern Ute tribe, which is comprised of the Caputa and Mouache bands, progressed under the auspices of Chief Ouray and Buckskin Charley.

Next was the Farming and Allotment Era, when the government was dividing the Ute people onto different reservations. That was followed by a Boarding School Video, where it was pointed out that cultural genocide was being practiced, meaning the government was actively trying to destroy the Ute culture. The federal government was doing the same with other tribes as well, because Indian children were being sent to government boarding schools where the stated goal was to kill the Indian, but save the man.

Many Indigenous children died while at these Indian schools, due to harsh conditions and poor health care. Of the 27 Ute children sent to the Albuquerque boarding school in 1883, 12 would die over the next two years. Understandably, many Ute parents were wary of these boarding schools, but the schools still continued to impact Ute children for generations to come.

You see, if the parents refused to send their children to the boarding school, they were threatened with being sent to jail. Many children would even run away when they saw the authorities coming to take them away, but eventually the child’s parents would pack them up, rather than to be sent to jail. Boarding school would run for nine months out of the year and the children had no idea what to expect when they arrived there, and it turned out to be worse than they anticipated.

While at the boarding school, the children could no longer wear their normal clothing and were forced to wear uniforms that were made of fabrics they weren’t used to. There were even photos showing the children posing in the uniforms they had to wear, and the boys and girls would also be forced to have their long hair cut and then have to keep it short. The children were no longer allowed to speak in their native tongue, and if they were caught speaking in the Ute they would be severely punished. The children were forced to speak English instead, but the teachers and others that worked at the Indian school couldn’t be with the children all day long, so the children would speak Ute when the adults weren’t around.

“That was pretty sneaky,” Devin said, “but I guess I would have done the same thing, if I were them.”

The children were also conditioned to respond to bells. There was a bell to signal when they were to wake up and when the school day started, and then there was another bell when it was time for lunch, and another to signal recess. There was another announcing the end of the school day, and one more for dinner, and one more when it was time for lights out and they were to go to sleep.

A bell was also their cue to line up for each activity during the day, and then they would have to march to each of those places. The day was almost entirely planned out for them, from the time they got up, the time they ate their meals, when they went to class, and when they went to sleep. There was hardly any free time when they could do what they wanted! And due to the harsh discipline and the strict routine they had to follow, it made it easy for the boys to transition from boarding school into the military when they grew older.

“It sounds more like it was a military boot camp, instead of a school,” Dad stated.

“I’m sure the children thought that as well,” Devin mumbled.

Many children would try to resist the strict authority, but if they got caught trying to avoid the routine, they would be punished. The boys would be forced to run through the ‘belt line’, where the rest of the boys lined up on either side of the hallway with their belts and the boy being punished had to run between them. The other boys were told to whip the boy hard with their belts and if they didn’t, they would be the next one to run through the belt line next. That meant the boys would be sure to strike the other boy hard with their belts and the boy going through the belt line would have to run very fast to minimize the pain he endured. He would suffer even greater pain if he should stumble and fall, because the boys would never stop striking him with their belts.

“It’s terrible what the government did to those poor Ute children,” Mom remarked.

“Yes, but it could’ve been worse,” Dad responded. “The Canadian government is still dealing with the unexplained deaths that happened to children at the Indian schools there.”

Like many schools at that time, the children were taught to read and they would have to give book reports that they would read in front of the entire class. They also had to learn and recite the multiplication tables when they were called upon in class. Since there was such a tight schedule and so much studying and memorization to do, by the time they graduated, many of the children had not only forgotten the Ute language, but they forgot the Ute ways and beliefs as well. In fact, they had forgotten so much that nearly all of the children felt as if they had been completely brainwashed.

“It sounds like they had been,” Devin said as he watched the film.

Not all Southern Utes went to boarding schools and some were allowed to attend local public schools instead, but they still weren’t allowed to speak in their native language. Many Utes in the 1920s and 30s also went to government run vocational schools where they were taught a trade, and the vocational and public schools would eventually merge in 1956. Today, the Southern Ute tribal government operates the Southern Ute Indian Montessori Academy for all of the children of tribal members. This school integrate Ute values and learning styles with the Montessori teaching method because they want their children to have the best education possible and also learn aspects of the Ute culture.

“That sounds like a pretty good system,” Mom observed.

“Yes, and much better than the alternatives,” I concurred.

After the Utes had been confined to a reservation, the Utes had to learn an entire new way of living that depended on farming, herding sheep, and raising cattle, and all of the people had to work together. It also meant they didn’t have time to do beading, basket weaving, or other traditional skills any longer. And once a month, the Bureau of Indian Affairs would provide basic rations that they would have to wait in line for – and these rations consisted of flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and coffee.

“At least it was free,” Devin stated.

“Yes, but since they didn’t have jobs off the reservation, it meant they didn’t have any money to buy those or other basic needs.”

Into the 1940s and 50s the Utes on the reservation were still riding horses and didn’t have cars, and there were no telephones. Most lived in log houses and their children were often wearing hand-me-down shoes and clothes. In the 1970s, however, the Southern Ute tribe began to invest profits from the natural gas production on the reservation, and this profoundly changed the fortunes of the tribe.

“Good for them,” I stated after reading that.

They now operate their own tribal government and are responsible for overseeing approximately 1.3 million acres of trust land. The Utes also operate several businesses, including a super market, gas station, bowling alley, tribal feedlot, Uinta River Technologies, Ute Tribal Enterprises LLC, and water systems. Thanks to high gas prices in recent years and lucrative investments in and beyond the energy sectors, this once impoverished tribe is now worth $4 billion. Each of its 1,400 members is a millionaire many times over, on paper anyway, but the Southern Utes are not just sitting on their wealth.

“It looks like the Utes are better off than the Navajo,” I added.

Devin nodded in agreement, but he and I were reticent to reveal that we had been made members of the Navajo tribe, since the Utes consider the Navajo their traditional enemies. They have other tribes that they considered traditional enemies as well, due to the practice of those tribes stealing their women and children and selling them to European settlers and other indigenous groups as slaves.

“So, Africans weren’t the only ones sold into slavery,” Dad noted.

“No, they weren’t, but it is less well known when it comes to the American Indians.”

It also said the reservation is now a place of opportunity where the young and old alike can keep up with learning new technologies, while practicing ancient customs, although sometimes they find it difficult navigating between two worlds.

“Yeah, we’d probably have difficulty doing that as well,” I commented while Devin and I looked at one another.

Next there was the “Permanent Gallery Virtual Tour: The Ute Comanche Peace Treaty Renewal of 1977”. This was followed by an area devoted to Leonard C. Burch, a Southern Ute Leader who had lived from 1933-2003, and it honors his life and service. He served as the Southern Ute Tribal Chairman from 1967-1984, 1988-1996, and again from 2000-2003. In the display case dedicated to him, his army uniform and tribal headdress are on display, along with photos of him from throughout his life.

“Wow, he was chairman of the Utes for a very long time,” Mom observed, and we all nodded our heads in agreement.

The final exhibit is the KSUT Tribal Radio station that operated from, 1976-2016, and the display focuses on items from broadcasting items to information about tribal members, all done in the Ute language. It was an NPR affiliate community station and a Native radio station with multiple lines of programming. The exhibit showcases the history of “two stations under one signal” and also includes photos, promotional items, posters, production CDs, and early newspaper clipping.

It also has recordings of some of the key words in the Ute language. Hello in the Southern Ute is máykh, the Utes refer to themselves as Nuche or Numi Nuuchiyu, and the Ute language is Nuu-a-pagia. Other useful words are: kave (horse), tave (sun), Tavakiev (Pike’s Peak – or literally sun mountain), sagar (white), kaakay (singing), and wichich (bird).

“That was certainly interesting,” Mom said as we were leaving the Southern Ute Cultural Center and Museum.

“Yes, it was,” I agreed, and when I looked across the parking lot, in the distance I spotted something. I nudged Devin and then pointed in the direction of what I saw, since my parents were walking ahead of us.

“Is that…?” he said, cutting off what he was going to say and I merely nodded in response.