Tuesday, August 19, 2014
View of entrance
On the Southern Ute reservation, no archaeological excavation is permitted on tribal land. "Nothing is collected: it's looked at, observed, inventoried, GPSed, documented (for example the temper & design) then it's put back." As well, no photos are permitted in the gallery.
Our museum guide explained the shape of the inner lobby is like a tipi, the inside of a basket, and a shawl around a woman.
She asked us to view the exhibits clockwise. We started with a video inside a life-sized teepee that stood in the middle of the gallery. Ute elders talked about their culture and some of the changes that have impacted it. They spoke of a practice in their culture that children are asked to listen to their elder. They welcomed us to the centre and asked us to listen and to learn about Ute culture. We listened to a creation story of how the Ute people came to be. Then we travelled through several exhibits that explained different elements of Ute culture. Bear are featured prominently in Ute culture. It is the only animal that is not hunted, as the bear is their brother & protector. In the Shavano Valley, near Montrose, Colorado, rock art shows a bear dance. A bear emerges from its cave in the spring and dances around the tree. It is Bear that gave dance to Ute women. In the dance, the women take the initiative, selecting partners and directing elements of dance. A 3 part instrument, the Growler, mimics the growl of the bear during the dance.
The Ute tribe has a 12, 000 year old culture. Before European contact, the Ute people lived in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Wyoming and Arizona. The Uto-Aztecan family of languages all descended from a common ancestral language spoken 1000s of years ago. The closest relations are Shoshone, Comanche and Paiute.
The Ute people followed migration patterns. In the fall, they went into the mountains. They wintered in wooded areas and hunted deer and elk. In the summer, they picked fresh berries. Ute people made their baskets with tightly woven sumac or willow. Pine pitch made the water jar baskets leakproof. Like the Puebloans, Ute people also used a mano and metate, a grinding tool to crush grains.
The pack to carry their items when they moved was called a parfleche. "If you couldn't move in 10 minutes, you had too much stuff". For shelter, the Ute people used wickiups, then teepees.
The Ute people began to use horses in the 1600's, as a result of contact with Spanish people.The Ute tribe collected a toll from the Spanish for the use of the Ute Pass trail. They controlled this trail until 1855.
Contact with the Europeans was described in a timeline and an accompanying interactive screen that gave further information about each historical event. The role of the Ute men in the killing of Nathan Meeker and ten other men was one of the events described. Leading up to 1879, the Ute people were losing their land to settlement and mining and had no recourse to protect it. The federal government wanted them to abandon their lifestyle, become farmers, and send their children to school. The information I read today emphasized that the Ute men involved in the attack (which then led to the White River War) were not the actions of the whole Ute tribe, yet, in 1880, all Ute people's land was taken away and they were forced onto reservations. Today's information also emphasized that Chief Buckskin Charley led the rescue of women and children taken hostage to avoid continued conflict.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_River_War
The gallery focused on changes that happened to Ute culture as a result of reservation life. "In the old times, school was everywhere, out in the open, whereas now, you're confined to a class room." In a school room exhibit, each desk had a fact about Ute education from different time periods. From 1892-1903, Ute children attended a residential school in Durango, Colorado. In a video, elders shared their memories of the residential school system. One elder is now an educator and has developed programs that support the learning of Ute culture, for example in the Southern Ute Indian Montessori Academy.
Another significant cultural change for the Ute people is that the government rescheduled their ancient ceremonial events around farm work, the academic calendar and national holidays.
"We were used to providing for our families by moving seasonally through our vast territory. Suddenly living in one place year round, depending on the government was a painful adjustment. That was someone's else's idea of civilization."
The exhibit also focused on the present, the accomplishments of modern Ute individuals and how Ute people of today are keeping their culture alive. We watched a video of young people who are learning more about their culture through school programs, pow wows, drumming, pageants, and teachings from elders.
The Southern Ute Cultural Center and Museum website: http://www.succm.org/feature#1
Top left text: "The Southern Ute practice modern wildlife management that reflect their traditional values and belief that animal populations must be respected and maintained for future generations. To maintain a sustainable population of cougars, the Ute allow a certain number of lions to be harvested by tribal members. In honor of Ute traditions, parts of the animal may be used for ceremonial or personal purposes."
Bottom left text: "Southern Ute game managers take the job of maintaing cougar populations seriously. These orphaned mountain lion kittens found on the reservation were raised, rehabilitated, and released on remote tribal lands."
Bottom right text: "According to Steve Whiteman, head of Wildlife Management for the Southern Ute Tribe, the land of the Utes is outstanding mountain lion habitat because of its expanse and bountiful prey. According to recent studies, there may be 50 to 60 cougars across Ute lands in Southern Colorado, which is carrying capacity for the reservation."
Another significant cultural change for the Ute people is that the government rescheduled their ancient ceremonial events around farm work, the academic calendar and national holidays.
"We were used to providing for our families by moving seasonally through our vast territory. Suddenly living in one place year round, depending on the government was a painful adjustment. That was someone's else's idea of civilization."
The exhibit also focused on the present, the accomplishments of modern Ute individuals and how Ute people of today are keeping their culture alive. We watched a video of young people who are learning more about their culture through school programs, pow wows, drumming, pageants, and teachings from elders.
The Southern Ute Cultural Center and Museum website: http://www.succm.org/feature#1
This photo is from the exhibit "Mountain Lions" at the Anasazi Cultural Center. As it is about the Ute people and their culture, I have added it here.
Top left text: "The Southern Ute practice modern wildlife management that reflect their traditional values and belief that animal populations must be respected and maintained for future generations. To maintain a sustainable population of cougars, the Ute allow a certain number of lions to be harvested by tribal members. In honor of Ute traditions, parts of the animal may be used for ceremonial or personal purposes."
Bottom left text: "Southern Ute game managers take the job of maintaing cougar populations seriously. These orphaned mountain lion kittens found on the reservation were raised, rehabilitated, and released on remote tribal lands."
Bottom right text: "According to Steve Whiteman, head of Wildlife Management for the Southern Ute Tribe, the land of the Utes is outstanding mountain lion habitat because of its expanse and bountiful prey. According to recent studies, there may be 50 to 60 cougars across Ute lands in Southern Colorado, which is carrying capacity for the reservation."
We visited Durango, after our visit to the Southern Ute Cultural Center and Museum.
We explored two art galleries and met some interesting people. We spoke with a photographer who has photographed landscapes of Utah and Arizona. She highly recommended a visit to the Valley of the Gods in Utah. We also chatted with a Californian who traveled with her husband and young son for two and a half years. Their travels included Atlantic Canada.
Painted dumpster!
I ordered a pint of Prescribed Burn for the taste of sharp peppery ale I first quaffed in Alamosa.
Here's the brewery's website for a better read: http://steamworksbrewing.com/whats-on-tap/
Our server told us that the brewery used to be a car dealership. Can you see it?On the way home, some historical signs...
On August 10, 1776, there passed by here the expedition of Fathers Francisco Atanasio Dominquez and Silvestre Velez de Escalante with eight companions. They were seeking a route to link the long established missions of New Mexico with Monterey, the recently founded capital of California.
"Throughout their journey, they encountered a dozen native tribes,
yet they never resorted to violence toward their fellow man."
Being the emotional lady I am, I'd need a beer after that tour too. I'm always happy to hear about tribes working toward preserving their culture, but it is always a tough pill to swallow remembering the history or being forced to reservations.
ReplyDelete;-D It was a very emotional experience, Jess. I think the center did a stellar job of balancing remembrance and hope. As well as the extensive account of Ute history, and the impact on their traditions, there was also a powerful msg of hope with images of pow wows and family and community celebrations, and videos of young people reconnecting w/ their culture. Those images showed a culture still very much alive and vital. The dancers from the first evening at the Cortez Cultural Center told me their pictures were at the center.
ReplyDelete