essay

The southern Ute of Colorado

acculturation in seven american indian tribesGloucester, Mass. • Published In 1963 • Pages: 119-206

By: Opler, Marvin Kaufmann.

Abstract
This study--a reworking of the author's original Ph.D. dissertation from Columbia University--is an investigative analysis of the cultural dynamics involved in Southern Ute acculturation. It is based on accurately checked historical accounts '…and upon deep insight into the functioning culture at significant points within the time span observed'. To make the material more suitable for analysis the author has divided the document into three major sections, the first dealing with the aboriginal Ute in the period prior to the introduction of the horse, the second with the post-contact period up to the establishment of the reservations (during which period the horse became a significant acculturative element), and finally the modern Ute community, in the final phase of acculturation. In this final stage the author compares and contrasts two widely separated Southern Ute bands--the Ignacio Utes of the Southern Ute Reservation and the Weminutc band at Towaoc of the Ute Mountain Reservation--in terms of the degree to which their respective cultures have been affected by the acculturation process. How each of these bands, evolving from a common level of cultural inadequacy and discontent, have made their adjustment, is the subject matter of the final section of this work.
Subjects
Culture summary
Acculturation and culture contact
Sociocultural trends
Community structure
Public welfare
Settlement patterns
Shamans and psychotherapists
Political movements
External relations
culture
Ute
HRAF PubDate
2019
Region
North America
Sub Region
Southwest and Basin
Document Type
essay
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
John Beierle; 1980
Field Date
1936-1937
Notes
by Marvin K. Opler
Includes bibliographical references
LCCN
40003756
LCSH
Ute Indians