Dine' | Goshute | Paiute | Shoshoni | Ute | White Mesa

Five major tribes have inhabited and continue to inhabit Utah: 1) Ute; 2) Dine' (Navajo); 3) Paiute; 4) Goshute; and 5) Shoshoni. All five tribes have managed not only to survive, but progress despite their difficult past.

The state of Utah is named after the Utes or Yutas, a Spanish derivative. The Utes know adversity well. Following several armed conflicts with the Mormon settlers in 1861, at the request of the Mormons through the Treaty of Spanish Fork, the Utes were forced by executive order of President Abraham Lincoln to leave their beloved, beautiful Provo Valley and relocate in the arid, bleak Uintah Basin. In 1881, another reservation, the Uncompagre Reservation was established adjacent to the Uintah Reservation and two other bands from Colorado were removed to Utah. The Utes (tribal membership of 3,300 members) operate their own tribal government and oversee approximately 1.3 million acres of trust land. Tribal headquarters are in Fort Duchesne, Utah. The tribe is developing its resources and pursuing its own destiny in cooperation with various government entities in the Uintah Basin, including the state of Utah. (Source: A History of the Northern Ute People and Ute Indian Tribe, 1997)

By the end of the 1500s the Dine',? or the People, were spread throughout northern New Mexico, a portion of southern Utah and part of northern Arizona. As European settlement moved progressively closer to their sacred lands, some Navajo reacted by raiding neighboring groups, stealing goods and livestock. Following the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, settlers from New Mexico, Arizona, and the Mormon Colonies in southwestern Utah, sent a number of military expeditions to subdue the Navajo raiders. In 1864, an estimated one-half to two thirds of the Navajo population surrendered to government agents and made the infamous Long Walk-- a forced march to their incarceration at Fort Sumner (the area was also referred to as Bosque Redondo) in eastern New Mexico.

In 1868, the Dine' were finally allowed to return to their sacred lands. Clashes for control of land along their northern border resulted in a gradual Navajo expansion in some cases beyond their old habitat. The Utah Dine' continue to grow and develop. The Utah Dine' are served by both the Navajo Nation, headquarters in Window Rock, Arizona, and the Navajo-Utah Commission Office, Montezuma Creek, Utah. The Commission oversees and manages revenues derived from mineral development on the Utah portion of the reservation for Utah Dine'. The population of Utah Dine' is nearing 7,000 enrolled members. (Source: Willow Stories: Utah Navajo Baskets, Utah Arts Council, 1996, and Navajo Nation, 1997.)

The Goshute people exemplify the historic Great Basin desert way of life perhaps better than any other group because of the nature of their territory. They have both benefited and suffered from their desert isolation. There are two bands of the Goshute Nation-- the Skull Valley Band of Goshute (tribal membership of 127) and the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute (tribal membership of 409).

The Skull Valley Band has steadily clung to its 1863 treaty relationship with the Federal Government and refused any form of Federal aid. This band has headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Confederated Tribes have accepted lands designated through executive order (approximately 112,085 acres) and organized its government under the Indian Reorganization Act. The Confederated Tribes of the Goshute operate their tribal government in Ibapah, Utah. Both tribes are pursuing all avenues available to them to grow and develop their potentials. (Source: Utah Historical Society, Division of Indian Affairs Tribal Profiles, 1997)

The Paiute Bands in Southern Utah consist of five bands: the Shivwits Band, Indian Peaks, Kanosh Band, Koosharem Band and Cedar Band. Reservations were established between 1903 and 1929 for all but the Cedar Band whom the Federal Government overlooked. During the Termination Era of the 1950s, the Paiute were released from Federal supervision. Following years of bitter neglect and poverty, in 1980, through the efforts of Utah Senator Orrin Hatch, the Paiute were restored to federal recognition by the U.S. Congress. The Southern Band of Paiute now number approximately 709, and they are making great strides in economic development to return to their previous stature in Utah history. The Southern Band have their headquarters in Cedar City, Utah. (Source: Utah Division of Indian Affairs - Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah Tribal Profile, 1997)

At one time, the Shoshoni Nation of Utah inhabited most of Northwestern Utah. In many ways, the Northwestern Band of the Shoshoni are still recovering from the 1863 Bear River Massacre in which over 250 Shoshoni, mostly women and children, were massacred by Colonel Patrick Edward Conner and his California volunteers from Fort Douglas, Utah. This small band of the Shoshoni Nation has only recently (1980) been recognized by the Federal Government. Compared to its once immense land base, it now owns only 187 acres (donated by the LDS. church), and some private land held in trust by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Of this land, 75 acres, or 40% of its land base, is a cemetery. The Northwestern Band of the Shoshoni Nation are pursuing land acquisition efforts in cooperation with the state and federal government. There are approximately 383 enrolled members in Idaho and Utah. The Northwestern Band have offices in Brigham City, Utah, and Blackfoot, Idaho. (Source: Junction, January 1998 edition, and Utah Division of Indian Affairs - N.W. Band of Shoshoni Nation Tribal Profile, 1997)