This painting of a group of Ute people, led by Chief Buckskin Charlie, is from a photograph taken in 1912 but was placed in this decade to represent the early Ute people who lived in the Pikes Peak region.
Ute history dates back 12,000 years ago, long before any other explorers or settlers came to this area. Evidence shows that there was an Indian presence in the Garden of the Gods 3,380 years ago. According to Ute beliefs, the Ute people "have always been here." Their ancestors migrated from Mexico into the American west. By the 1500's Utes occupied two-thirds of Colorado, an eastern portion of Utah and northern New Mexico.
The word "Ute" means "high land" or "land of the sun." The Utes were originally divided into seven tribes, now more generally known as the Northern Utes and the Southern Utes. Some lived in the mountains where they hunted wild game and made shelters from bark and brush called "wickiups." The groups who lived on the planes were hunters and gatherers, moving from place to place according to the food supply. Their shelters were called tipis made from animal hides and were easy to move from place to place.
Horses were introduced to the Utes about 1640 and that changed the way they lived. They became excellent horsemen and were able to hunt buffalo. They were also able to travel easier and better fight off their enemies.
Trappers and traders began exploring the west about 1800. Many conflicts happened because of people invading Indian territory. The Homestead Act of 1862 passed by Congress encouraged farmers and settlers to move west, and Ute land was taken over. Through the years many treaties were made and broken and eventually the Ute people were moved to reservations in 1881.
The Utes believe they are closely related to nature and have a tremendous respect for the environment. They still gather together in the spring for the annual Beardance, Sundance and other social ceremonies. Today the Northern Utes live in northeast Utah, the Southern Utes live in the southwest corner of Colorado near Ignacio and the Ute Mountain Utes live near Towaoc, Colorado.
Painted by:
Written by: Diana Francese