Ute History

This lesson falls under our homeschool curriculum on Native American History. We recommend that this lesson be taught after the lesson on Apache Native Americans.

1. Internet Access – Pull up the following:

1. United States Map of Native American Populations by Geographic Region

1. Teacher: Last lesson we learned about the Apache Native Americans of the Southwest [point to southeast area of United States]. Now, we’re going to learn about the Ute of the Great Basin.

2. Teacher: First, we’re going to learn about what and where the Great Basin is in the United States. Then, we’re going to learn about the Ute people. Sound good? [Get Student’s positive response and begin lesson].

1. Teacher: Ute is pronounced “yoot” which rhymes with “boot”. Can you say that? [Have the Student practice several times].

2. Teacher: Good. Ute means “tribe”.

3. Teacher: Now, the Ute lived in an area of the United States called the Great Basin [point to the Great Basin area of the map]. The Great Basin is a part of our country which is like a giant kitchen sink with a drain in the middle. The entire area is a desert – do you know why? [Get Student’s response].

4. Teacher: Because the edges of the Great Basin go straight up in the form of high mountains. Those mountains are so high that they don’t even let the rain pass through into the Great Basin area.

5. Teacher: And the reason why rain can’t pass through is that rain comes from clouds and if the clouds can’t pass over the high mountains, then rain can’t come through either.

6. Teacher: Also, whenever some clouds that are high enough actually pass through the Great Basin and makes rain, that rain falls onto the Great Basin rivers and ends up in lakes. But what is important to know is that most of this rain water either dries up in the desert or ends up in salt lakes, which animals cannot drink. And because there is not much water in the Great Basin it’s harder than other areas of the United States to find food.

7. Teacher: So, knowing that it was hard to find food in any one place, do you think the Ute were nomads? [Engage the Student in conversation but come to the point that the Ute were nomads because they had to move around to find sources of food].

8. Teacher: That’s right; the Ute were nomads because there was never enough food in one place. The Ute mostly ate buffalo, deer, nuts, seeds, and fruits.

9. Teacher: As for clothing, the Ute clothes were about the same as the Cheyenne (leather shirts and breech clothes for men, dresses made from deer skin for women) except that their leaders did not usually wear headdresses or war bonnets, although a few did later on.

10. Teacher: And the weapons of the Apache used was similar to the Cheyenne and Apache, bow and arrows, spears and shields, although later they got rifles from the Americans.

11. Teacher: As for the men and women, the men were in charge of hunting, trading and war while the women were in charge of the family and the house.

12. Teacher: Well, like the Cherokee (remember the Trail of Tears?), the Ute were gathered up and sent to reservation while the Americans took over their lands, which were discovered to have gold.

13. Teacher: OK – time for review. Get in front of the class. [Have the Student stand in front of you (consider inviting other members of the family also to set the stage) and ask her the following:

1. What does “nomad” mean? It means a way of living in which you move a lot with no fixed home

2. Were the Ute ever farmers? Why or why not? The Ute were not farmers since they lived in the Great Basin which were deserts and did not grow enough to feed the people

3. What kind of homes did the Ute live in? Wiciups and teepees.

Next Week's Lesson: Nez Perce Native Americans >>