Ute People

Ute Origin

The Utes trace their origin to Sinauf, a god who is half man, half wolf. Along with his brothers, Coyote and Wolf, Sinauf kept the world in balance. In preparation for a long journey, Sinauf made a magical bag that he filled with sticks. All the sticks were different, and when placed in the bag they became people. As Sinauf put more sticks in the bag, the people became noisy. Sinauf’s brother Coyote grew curious from the noise, so he cut a little hole in the bag with his flint knife and peeked in. He laughed at the strange new creations and their many songs and languages. When Sinauf was ready to begin his journey to the high mountain Una-u-quich, he threw the magic bag over his shoulder. As he walked, the people in the bag began jumping out of the hole in small groups, forming families, bands, and tribes. When Sinauf reached the high mountain, he noticed the hole in the bag and how light it had become. Only the people at the very bottom were left in the bag. Sinauf lifted them out of the bag and said, “My children, I will call you Utikas, and you shall roam these beautiful mountains. Be brave and strong.” He then carefully put each in a special place. (Source: utahindians.org)