The Southern Ute Drum
The American Bison has always been an iconic symbol of North America. There were once millions of American Bison, also known as buffalo, across the plains in the United States. During the late 19th century, the American Bison was almost wiped out. The loss of the bison devastated the Native populations who relied on these animals for food and cultural practices.
The Moache-Capote (Southern Ute Indian Tribe) band of Nuchu (Ute People), who had lived off the buffalo, lost this important cultural staple following westward expansion. It was not until 1984 that the Southern Ute Indian Tribe began managing its own bison herd. The Tribe’s first bison came from the Colorado National Monument near Fruita, Colorado.
The first calf born on the Reservation was named Rolling Thunder. In the beginning, the Tribe was not exactly sure what to do with the bison. Starting with a small corral, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe eventually moved the herd to a 40-acre pasture just south of Ignacio in 1989, a significant step toward creating space for these animals. The bison would move once again to their current location around the late 1990s. The buffalo are now on the 350-acre Spring Creek Pasture, a few miles southeast of Ignacio. There are about 100 bison currently in the herd.
The Southern Ute Indian Tribe is a member of the InterTribal Buffalo Council, or ITBC, which provides grant funding to help maintain the herd. The ITBC helps tribal nations manage their buffalo herd numbers, keeping cultural practices alive and well across Indian Country.
The Southern Ute Wildlife Division manages the herd and the pasture. Harvest season runs from October through March, when young bulls are usually chosen for harvesting. The Tribe’s bison are processed in a USDA-certified meat processing facility in Pueblo, Colorado. An annual roundup provides vaccinations and dewormer shots, as well as ear tags; wildlife biologists also examine the animals for any injuries. Every other year, the roundup coincides with a harvest and field-dressing demonstration. This hands-on community cultural event is hosted by the Wildlife Division and attended by the Tribe’s cultural leaders and Southern Ute Indian Montessori Academy students.
“When we bring people out there for that harvest event, we see what it means for the people [to have] that cultural connection,” said Aran Johnson, the Tribe’s Wildlife Resource Management Division Head. “Having that sunrise ceremony and the words spoken by the Sundance chief, talking about the buffalo, you see the recognition that people have of the power of that animal.”
The Southern Ute Indian Montessori Academy, which integrates academic and cultural knowledge into its curriculum, brings students out in the field for this hands-on experience. During the roundup, a bison is chosen to be harvested. During the field-dressing demonstration, the Academy students, teachers, and family members work together to field-dress the buffalo. Students view these sacred animals up close and learn traditional practices tied to Ute culture.
Maintaining the herd is a big task for the Wildlife Division’s Bison Manager, Wesley Lewis. The buffalo are grass-fed and eat only natural forage to ensure they stay healthy and suitable for meat, providing for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. Hay is produced on-site for the bison’s food. A goal of the pasture is to be self-sufficient and have enough hay for the herd through the winter, which explains the center pivot installed in the field for seasonal irrigation.
“We like to phrase it: healthy land, healthy buffalo, healthy tribe,” Johnson said.
The bison are a vital resource for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe beyond the meat they provide. The buffalo is an iconic symbol and figure to many Native American tribes and tribal nations across the United States. Historically, the Nuchu survived on buffalo; they didn’t waste a single part of the animal, making many things from it. The bands that comprise the Southern Ute Indian Tribe famously thrived off buffalo long before colonization. Buffalo were used in cultural and ceremonial practices as well as for everyday life, including the production of clothing, housing, and tools. The hooves were melted into glue, while hides were used for drums, tipis, and clothing. The bones were used as well, such as the bison’s forearm, which was used by men only in the spring Bear Dance ceremony as a growler, mimicking the sound of a bear growling. The buffalo was, and continues to be, the way of life for the Ute people.
Southern Ute tribal member and former Chairman of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, Matthew Box, reflected on the Tribe’s past with the buffalo. Box was born and raised on the Southern Ute Reservation; his Ute name growing up was “Buffalo,” given to him by his grandmother, Dorothy Box. His grandfather, Eddie Box Sr., otherwise known as “Red Ute,” was born in 1920 before the U.S. Government recognized the Utes as American citizens. Eddie Box Sr. taught Matthew his beliefs about the buffalo when he was growing up, which Box emphasized are his grandfather’s teachings and do not represent the entire Tribe, as everyone grows up with different traditions.
“Everything that the buffalo gave their lives for [shows us] that they love us,” Box said. “The buffalo is the people, and the people are the buffalo.”
In the late 19th century, bison were deliberately hunted to the brink of extinction.
“As it was intended,” Box added. “There was an intention behind it, which was trying to wipe us out.”
The killing of the buffalo was used to get the tribal nations across the United States to surrender to the government. The Southern Ute Indian Tribe’s pasture on the Reservation stands as a testament that the Ute people will survive.
“We evolve, and we utilize,” Box said. “It’s a great aspect of survival and teaching.”
These animals today not only support the Tribe and help keep the membership healthy, but they also represent a culture and people who were almost killed off with the buffalo. The American Bison is more than an animal; it’s a symbol of resilience for the Nuchu and for many tribal nations in the United States.
Zuriah Baker is a member of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. Her Ute name is Sagarü Ayöv, which translates to White Dove, given to her by her maternal grandmother. She is a senior at Bayfield High School and is currently serving a year-long internship with The Southern Ute Drum newspaper.
By Zuriah Baker
