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Ute Nations and Resources
Resource Lessons
Nuchiu Strong: A Colorado Kindergarten and 1st Grade Resource Guide - Lessons About the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe
In September 2021, the Kwiyagat Community Academy opened its doors to 28 smiling faces, ready to begin either their kindergarten or first grade school year. Each student, a part of history, as the Kwiyagat Community Academy is Colorado’s first public charter school on tribal land. “Kwiyagat” means bear, appropriately named considering the strength, courage, and actions the Ute Mountain Ute People have taken to preserve their language and culture in an everchanging world. As a proud partner of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, the Colorado Department of Education is honored to play a small role in supporting the Kwiyagat Community Academy in the development of K-1 lessons that embed the Ute language and culture. These lessons were developed in collaboration with K-1 Colorado educators and members of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. Each lesson is aligned to the most current Colorado Academic Standards to provide teachers with a description of what students need to know, understand and be able to do. The most recent social studies standards (2022) now include knowledge of Colorado’s two federally recognized Tribes, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe.
The lessons have one central theme, the Circle of Life, which is a central theme by which the Ute People live.
The lessons are divided into five units:
- Ute History
- People, Places and Environment
- Cultural Heritage and Diversity
- Cultural and Social Structures
- Citizenship
All five units are directly aligned to Essential Understandings used to develop common thinking around what Colorado’s elementary students need to know about the Ute People.
The Colorado Department of Education would like to thank the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe for generously sharing their stories, resources, and materials with Colorado’s K-1 educators. These lessons are an opportunity to learn about the beautiful, rich culture and language of the Ute Mountain Ute People and to broaden the cultural lens of Colorado’s K-1 classrooms, educators, and students.
Nuu-ciu Strong: A Colorado 4the Grade Resource Guide - Lessons About the Ute People of Colorado Updated April 2023
Colorado is very fortunate to have the Southern Ute tribe, the Ute Mountain Ute tribe and the Ute Indian tribe as part of Colorado’s past and present. Nuu~ciu Strong is a resource for fourth grade educators to use to support teaching the history, culture, and present lives of the Ute people. This resource was developed in collaboration with Colorado’s Ute tribes, the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs, the Colorado Department of Education, History Colorado, Denver Public Library, Denver Art Museum, and educators statewide. However, contributions for this resource extend well beyond the listed organizations. The kindness of many resulted in comprehensive lessons that truly showcase the Ute people.
Nuu~ciu Strong is from the perspective of the tribes. The generosity of Colorado’s tribes are in the stories, illustrations, and traditions shared throughout the lessons. The lessons in Nuu~ciu Strong are divided into five different units:
- Ute History
- People, Places and Environment
- Cultural Heritage and Diversity
- Cultural and Social Structures
- Citizenship
All five units are directly aligned to Essential Understandings used to develop common thinking around what Colorado’s fourth grade students need to know about Colorado’s Ute people. Recently, Colorado’s Academic Standards underwent a review and revision process. The most current 2020 standards are included in each lesson in order to provide teachers with a description of what students need to know, understand and be able to do.
Colorado’s fourth grade students have a unique opportunity to learn about Colorado’s earliest inhabitants from the inhabitants themselves. This is an opportunity Coloradans cannot take for granted. Nuu~ciu Strong is a gateway into the world of the Ute people, both past and present. The Southern Ute tribe and the Ute Mountain Ute tribe live strong in Colorado today. In order for Colorado to continue to understand, appreciate and preserve Colorado’s Ute tribes, educators have a responsibility to teach about the long and rich history of the tribes as well as the contributions of today.
Colorado Experience: Sacred Hot Springs
Rocky Mountain PBS partnered with the Southern Ute Indian Tribe to explore the deep and enduring relationship between the Nuuchiu and Colorado’s natural hot springs.
Indigenous knowledge and traditional medicine have long recognized the healing power of these precious waters—laying the foundation for many modern practices.
This episode features Cassandra Atencio, former Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, and voices from across the state, highlighting the healing properties, cultural significance, and geological wonders of these sacred sites. It also touches on modern challenges like land stewardship and the potential of geothermal energy.
This episode can be found on YouTube and Rocky Mountain PBS
Colorado Experience: The Ute Water Legacy
This episode dives into the history of the Ute Water Settlement, a landmark water agreement affecting the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute Tribes. Spanning several decades of negotiations, we take an in-depth look at the complex interplay of water rights, tribal sovereignty, and environmental stewardship in the arid West.
Additional Resources
- Governor Jared Polis proclaims March 21, 2019 as Ute Day at the Capitol
- Building Cultural Awareness in Support of American Indian and Alaska Native Students (Word Doc)
- Modules to Support Culturally Responsive Instruction for Native American Students Updated 2021
- Indigenous Students with Exceptionalities Online Course
