![]() ![]() The one brother went on hunting while the other brother continued to observe the bear. They told the elders about them and the elders told them that they were called cliff dwellers which according to archaeologists were called Anasazi, the ancient ones. As they were out hunting, they encountered some small people who ran into the rocks in the hills. Ute legends or stories remember the time when the elders asked the hunters to go out and gather meat. ![]() One of the brothers noticed a bear standing upright facing a tree and seemed to be dancing and making a noise while clawing the tree. The origin of the Ute Bear Dance relates the time when two brothers were out hunting in the mountains and as they became tired, they laid down to rest. It was the role of the story teller to tell the family about the way of life and this was done in the winter time when the family was gathered around the camp fires. The women’s role was to prepare the family’s clothes that they were to wear during the dance. It was the men who usually prepared the Bear Dance corral and any other functions connected with the Bear Dance. The original meaning of the Bear Dance has long dropped by the wayside as modern ways have intervened with the old methods of telling the meaning of the Bear Dance. Many of the singers were ready to sing their songs which they had practiced or dreamed about during the winter months. ![]() All the bands would come and set up camp and prepare for the dance. Bear Dance – Jeremy Wade Shockley | Southern Ute DrumĪccording to some of the elders, this was usually around the middle of March. When the first thunder in the spring was heard, it was time for the Bear Dance. Origin of the Bear Dance can be traced back to the fifteenth century when the Spanish first came upon the Utes in the springtime. The Annual Ute Bear Dance which is held every spring is a social dance everyone enjoys. ![]()
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