Ute Tipi

Ute Tipi. . , The Ute , For over 8,000 years Colorado has been home to the area's oldest inhabitants, the Ute. The Ute call themselves Nuu-ci, or “the people,” and are made up of twelve ancestral bands. They speak the Numic language, stemming from the Uto-Aztecan language family, with the specific dialect of Shoshonean. The specific band of Ute to call the Summit County region their ancestral home is the White River Band of Utes, made up of the ancestral Yampa and Paranuche bands. , For centuries the Ute traversed western Colorado and Utah with the changing seasons and wildlife, following the abundant herds of elk, bison, deer, and bighorn sheep. Although much smaller, beavers and waterfowl were also hunted in the high mountains. Due to their skillfulness in tracking and hunting these animals, the White River Ute pride themselves and their heritage as large game hunters. Along with its wildlife, the Ten Mile Canyon and Vail Valley proved to be rich in berries, roots, nuts, and seeds, providing valuable supplements for human and animal consumption. , Bands of Ute existed across the entire Colorado Plateau, while often operating independently in extended family groups. To the Native Americans of the Plains, the Utes were skilled warriors and formidable defenders of their mountain region. The importance of horses in Ute culture grew significantly over time and were used to their advantage in broadening and strengthening their territorial claim. , To learn more about Ute history and current Ute culture, see the Ute exhibit in the Schoolhouse building. , Ute Tipi , The tipi is a traditional shelter used by Native American tribes throughout Colorado. They are sturdy, secure, and portable, and are a highly functional form of shelter. Evidence of the use of tipis as shelter in Colorado has been found dating back over 8,000 years. , The Ute Mountain Ute tribe in the Rocky Mountains primarily sheltered in wiki-ups even after the tipi came into widespread use. Wiki-ups were temporary, conical or dome shaped shelters made up of trees, bush, and bark. Because of their natural construction materials there are little remains of wiki-ups. The modern tipi that was prevalent from the mid-1800s typically housed a single family and could be easily disassembled, moved, and reassembled. The tipi is a tilted cone shape that is steeper in the rear with the walls sloping towards the entrance. The exteriors were sometimes brightly painted with signs and symbols. , The Ute tipis were framed with four poles and then covered with up to fourteen bison hides. Canvas eventually replaced the bison hides when the herds neared extinction due to intentional over hunting. Fireplaces were located inside the tipi in a floor pit or placed outside the entrance. The small opening in canvas near the top served as a chimney. Colorado Ute campsites have been found containing up to twenty tipis. , Today the Ute Mountain tribe still uses the wiki-up for ceremonial purposes and the tipi continues to serve as a sacred tie to communal tradition.