The Ute Indians are a Native American tribe that historically occupied northern New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. They continue to live on three separate reservations and speak English, with around 40% speaking their native language. The tribe is divided into three tribes: Northern Ute, Southern Ute, and Ute Mountain, each with their own reservation and sources of income.
The Ute Indians are members of a Native American tribe indigenous to the United States. Historically, the Ute Indians occupied the mountains and plains of northern New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. Unlike many other tribes, the Ute Indians have not been resettled elsewhere and continue to live on three separate reservations in roughly the same area they have occupied for thousands of years. The state of Utah is named after the Ute tribe. There were more than 7,000 registered members of the Ute Nation as of 2010.
Most Ute Indians speak English and it is the dominant language used in tribal affairs as well as education and social activities. Additionally, the Utes share a common dialect or branch of the Uto-Aztecan language group, Shoshonean. It is estimated that around 40% of the tribe’s people speak their native language.
Originally, the Ute Nation was nomadic and was divided into several bands that traveled together. When he was forced onto reservations, the bands within the nation split into three tribes of Ute Indians. The three tribes are the Northern Ute, Southern Ute, and Ute Mountain. Each of these three tribes has its own reservation with its own laws, police, government and other services.
The Northern Ute tribe consists of the Uintah, Yampa, Grand and Tabeguache bands. This tribe lives in northeastern Utah on the Uintah-Ouray Reservation. The Uintah-Ouray reservation has approximately 4.5 million acres (about 1.8 million hectares) of land and is the second largest Native American reservation in the U.S. With approximately 3,500 registered members as of 2010, it was the largest of the Ute tribes . Although the Northern Ute Tribe has a variety of businesses, the main sources of income on the reservation are oil and natural gas extraction and cattle ranching.
Enrolled members of the Southern Ute tribe numbered approximately 1,500 as of 2010 and belong to the Capote or Mouache band. The Southern Ute Reservation is located in southwestern Colorado on approximately 678,000 acres (about 274,000 hectares). The Southern Ute Tribe is the wealthiest of the three Ute Indian tribes. Tourism, oil and gas leasing, gambling, and various financial and commercial investments have benefited this tribe.
The Ute Mountain Tribe had approximately 2,000 registered members as of 2010 and is made up of descendants of the Weminuche band. This tribe’s reservation totals approximately 597,000 acres (about 234,000 hectares) and is found primarily in southwestern Colorado, with small portions in New Mexico and Utah. Gambling and renting natural resources support the tribe.
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