History Of Utah's American Indians

by Forrest S. Cuch

In this volume, the editor and authos endeavor to write the history of Utah's first residents from an Indian perspective. An introductory chapter provides an overview of Utah's American Indians and a concluding chapter summarizes the issues and concerns of contemporary Indians and their leaders. Chapters on each of the six tribes look at origin stories, religion, politics, education, folkways, family life, social activities, economic issues, and important events.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Native American, Indigenous

Hardcover

First published November 1, 2000

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up in Zion National Park to get a better sense of the land that I was hiking and admiring. Zion is a majestic place, and of course there is a history to this place that predates white folks like me traipsing around and using up the resources. So I picked up A History of Utah’s American Indians.

To start off with, I will say this is an important book. It is 20 years old and could use an update, but even with that said it should be essential reading for all students in Utah’s schools at minimum. The book which was funded by Utah’s Division of Indian Affairs and Utah’s State Historical Society is arranged with an introduction, a chapter recounting a brief history of each of the recognized American Indian tribes residing in Utah, and a conclusion.

Two things make this volume important to me, a white reader from the eastern United States. First the chapters are for the most part written by members of the tribes that they are about. Having the stories of the tribes told from the perspective of those whose identity functions as a powerful reminder that the dominant narratives often sideline these points of view. Yet these points of view are essential if we want to truly understand a place and lean towards our democratic ideals.

Second, each of the chapters gives a brief history that takes us right up to the year 2000 in the history of the tribes, and the concluding chapter highlights issues of contemporary native peoples in Utah. By bringing the story up to the present day, this book pushes against the romantic notion that Indians lived in our past, but are no longer with us. Centering the challenging issues that they are living with and trying to work out with our government and with their neighbors is a powerful reminder that this is present work.

My criticisms of the text our minor. Mainly, I feel like at times the writing is dry and repetitive. It wasn’t the easiest book to read straight through.

In addition, there were separate chapters for the Northern Utes and the White Mesa Utes, and it struck me that that is partially because of happenstance of the way their reservations fell. The Utes like the Paiutes and Navajos in southern Utah were comprised of lots of bands without a single governing structure. So in some ways the idea of a single chapter written from say the Navajo perspective is another vestige of White European values being imposed on these people.

I liked this enough to want to seek out similar volumes on the indigenous people that lived in my neck of the woods.

[Russ · Rating 3 out of 5]

An education. I learned much from the history of each major tribal group. Sad to say, I had never heard of the Bear River massacre and I had no idea what happened with white contact and the ensuing difficulties for native peoples in Utah. I grew up thinking “my people” had been innocent of wrongdoing against the occupants of the land where I now live. The truth, as always, is much more complicated than I thought. We should require public officials to learn the history of the land where they live and serve, the history as experienced by the groups who lived there for centuries before white intrusion.

[Just Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is part of the 'Faces of Utah' project. It is a re-examination of history and reflections of the past in connection with the 1996 Utah State Centennial.
Native Americans have been slow to share their story, partly for fear of retribution, or a desire to leave the past behind. This book presents six tribal histories composed by Native Americans or their representatives, using oral as well as written history.
The Spaniards were the first to leave a lasting impact on the area. By the 1700s all tribes in Utah had some access to a horse. The Paiute and Goshute were hunters and gatherers who roamed southwestern and west-central Utah. This land usually did not provide sufficient grass to sustain large herds of any kind and the prey these Indians hunted was best caught on foot. The horse was seen by these Indians as an alternate food source. The Utes and Northern Shoshones hunted herds of buffalo and deer and became tepee-living, horse-wealthy warriors.
In 1847, a large contingent of white men entered the Salt Lake Valley. These whites, unlike travelers of the past, built settlements and claimed land, waterways, and forests as their own. Inherent in their theology was the thought that American Indians were descendants of 'Book of Mormon' characters, Hebrews thought to have fled Jerusalem six hundred years before the birth of Christ. These Hebrews were believed to have fallen from the grace of God and were given a dark skin as a sign of their spiritual standing. It was thought, in the forthcoming battles preceding the coming of Christ, these dark skinned natives would become white and delightsome and act as the battleaxes of the Lord in the wars leading to the coming Kingdom of God.. This Kingdom was expected to arrive within the lifetime of the settlers.
It is estimated that there were twenty thousand Indians in Utah in 1847, the year the Mormons moved in. In 1850, the white population was eleven thousand. A decade later, it was eighty-six thousand, which increased to one hundred forty-three thousand by 1870. Many Indians had been killed by 1870. At times, entire tribes were wiped out. Mormons, at times, were the guilty ones, as well as army personnel whose duty it was to protect the area and the emigrants who passed through it. Indians, driven by hunger, were forced to steal. Retribution was swift and sure.
In the summer of 1853, a settler killed a Ute and wounded two others. Chief Walkara, along with his brother, Arapeen, began a series of raids on Mormon settlements. Twenty whites and many more Utes were killed over a period of ten months. But the Mormons had become the majority and there was no way the Utes could prevail. In May, 1854, Brigham Young met with Chief Walkara, and the two reached an agreement. Still, many of the Indians were renegades and not under Walkara’s control, and there were many tribes other than the Utes. Peace with Walkara did not necessarily mean peace in Utah.
In September 1857, an incident referred to as the Mountain Meadows Massacre took the lives of over one hundred Americans traveling through Utah on their way to California from Arkansas. There were several issues that led to this tragedy, starting with vows taken a decade earlier to avenge the death of the prophet, Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum. These vows were taken in the temple in Nauvoo, Illinois, before the trek west led by Brigham Young. Years later, these same men were stimulated into action by rumors that some of the people in the Mountain Meadows party boasted about having the gun that killed Joseph Smith. Furthermore, when learning of the loss of one of their leading and well-loved apostles, Parley P. Pratt, the elders were further agitated. Pratt was murdered when he took the wife of another man as his twelfth plural wife. The woman’s first husband was from Arkansas, another reason for vengeance on the Arkansans at Mountain Meadows.
Mormons claimed the Indians were the perpetrators of this deed, but most knew the Indians were white men dressed as natives. My understanding is many Paiutes took part in the initial attack, but when they saw Indian blood and realized they had been lied to about the Mormon God stopping the bullets, they dropped out. This book states that the Paiutes were innocent all along.
The Bear River Massacre: (January 1863), and The Black Hawk War: (1865) are also addressed in detail. I need to point out the Indians rarely received the annuities promised to them at the signing of the various treaties. This book points out the Indians are still with us. We did not kill them all. They were and are a strong willed people.
There is no reason to believe that the Nephites and the Lamanites are anything more than characters of Joseph’s early ‘Ancient Inhabitants' tales–the ones his mother said sounded as if, “...he lived with them all his life.” Joseph knew the Nephites and the Lamanites. Until he wrote about them, no one else did. Secular history and science denies their existence.
This book is a work of art by many artists. The reading of it will open up your mind to some of the real damage the white man did to the Indians. We weren't all bad, and neither were the Indians. But it is sad when we look back and see the damage that was done. We can only wish it could be undone.

[fae .:book worm:. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am very grateful for this book. It is very important because it is "a telling of the past from the perspective of Utah American Indians."

I wanted to read this because of my ancestry here with the Timanogots Utes. It was painful at times to get through because there are detailed accounts of the attrocities people faced at the hands of colonization. However there are also many detailed accounts of the wonderful traditions and culture people have with the land here. I wish that people living here had this knowledge given to them in our school systems, I think there is great insight into the reality that other societies not based in capitalism have existed and been very beneficial to us and the earth. And they existed rather recently and their roots are still here.

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every Utahn should read this book. It tells Utah's history by representatives from each of our Native tribes. In general, I think it could have used another round of edits, but I have a much better understanding of the various tribes in our state and their respective backgrounds.

In reading this book, my wife and I decided to take our kids to the site of the Bear River Massacre on its tenth anniversary. We were excited to learn significant efforts are being made to preserve the history of this event.

As someone who loves local history, this gave me a greater appreciation for the area I live and those who share it. Published in the 1990's, this book is probably due for an update.

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting history of Utah’s Native people. This is the first time I read a description of the Bear River Massacre, it’s heart rending. This book is opening me a to the realization that my Mormon ancestors were not pioneers, but Colonizers.

[Ashley UpChurch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the writing of various authors in this detailed but easy-to-consume telling of Native American tribes. It was well organized and understandable, including lots of information without being dense or boring.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for my folklore class at SLCC. It was an interesting account of the Ute's, I learned so much! The Ute's are a remarkable people.