5 Historic Tribes of Utah

1. Ute Tribe Location: Central-eastern Utah “Ute” means “land of the sun” Largest Utah tribe Wore animal skins, wove grasses &

bark Lived in tepees

1. Utes Tepee is a cone-like tent made of

animal skin. It provided warmth in the winter and

dry during rains but it also kept cool in the summertime.

They could be easily disassembled and packed up which was good for nomadic tribes

2. Shoshone Location: mountains and valleys of

northern Utah “Shoshone” means the “valley people” Explorers Lewis and Clark called them

the “Snake People” Similar to the Utes (clothes, housing) Fun fact: Sacagawea was a Shoshone

3. Goshutes Location: in dry regions, western Utah Did not use horses Ate crickets, plants Because they burrowed into the ground for

small animals, they were also known as “Root Diggers”

They were often left hungry Wore light clothes, cloths, hats out of twigs Lived in wiki-ups

3. Goshutes Wiki-ups are small shelters made of

twigs, brush, branches and grass. There was no door In the winter, many of them took

shelter in caves

4. Paiutes Location: dry regions, southwestern

Utah Irrigated beans, corn and squash Did not use horses Lived in wiki-ups Wore light clothing “paiute” either means “water ute” or

“true ute”

5. Navajo Location: southeastern Utah Also known as “Dine” Relied a LOT on sheep for food and

wool for crafts like rugs Got horses later on from the Utes Lived in hogans Largest Native American tribe in the

country!

5. Navajos Hogans are made from wooden poles,

tree bark and mud Doorway tended to open to the east to

welcome the sun Kept the inside cool from the hot sun