Ute

The Ute are a Native American people of the western United States. Historically, their homeland covered parts of the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau, including present-day Utah, southern Colorado, northern New Mexico, and parts of Nevada. The Ute language is part of the Uto-Aztecan family, within the Numic branch, and consisted of several dialects spoken by different bands. The name Ute is both what outsiders called them and what many groups called themselves; the term also links to the name of the state Utah.

Traditional Ute lifeways were adapted to varying environments with seasonal movement, hunting, gathering, and some horticulture. After European contact and the introduction of horses, mobility increased and trade networks expanded with neighboring peoples such as Pueblo communities and Shoshone. In the 19th century, Ute bands signed treaties with the United States and were largely displaced to reservations in present-day Utah and Colorado.

Today, three federally recognized Ute governments manage their communities: the Southern Ute Indian Tribe in Colorado; the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation in Utah; and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe in Colorado. They administer programs in housing, health, education, and cultural preservation, and work to maintain language and traditional practices, such as beadwork, storytelling, and ceremonial and social gatherings.

Cultural heritage continues through museums, language revitalization efforts, and partnerships with schools and universities. The Ute remain important constituents of the broader Native American history of the American West.