Monday, June 10, 2024

Ouray, Ute

 

This postcard of a Ute leader features a photo from the Colorado Historical Society. Its unusual for a postcard to include specific details about Native people; this is a significant shift from older cards that often did not even include the subject's name or tribal affiliation.

Ouray's father was Jicarilla Apache and his mother was Uncompahgre Ute. He grew up in the Taos Pueblo and spoke multiple languages (Ute, Apache, Spanish, English). He became a leader at age 27 and in 1880 traveled to Washington to negotiate for his people. However they were removed from their lands in Western Colorado and placed on a reservation in Utah in 1881