The Southern Ute Indian Reservation has been buzzing with young athletes this week as the tribe hosts the annual Tri-Ute Games. The games, which end today, brought together more than 300 children and teens from the Southern Ute, Ute Mountain Ute and Northern Ute tribes to participate in activities ranging from basketball and volleyball to archery and hands and bones, a traditional Native American guessing game.
Each tribe takes turns hosting the games, which started in 2007.
The three Ute tribes aren’t as close as they once were and the games represent a way to reconnect and rekindle relations among children and families of each of the tribes, tribal members said.
“Sports are a good way to bring people together,” said Alex Cloud, a Southern Ute Tribal Council member who used to be the tribe’s recreation manager.
The annual event also aims to foster relationships among members of the different tribes at a young age, said Beth Santistevan, media relations coordinator for the Southern Ute Tribe.
“We’re all related so this is a chance for our youth to know their relatives and make friends,” Santistevan said.
Some events, such as archery, cross country and handball trace their roots to traditional Native American culture.
Including games that their ancestors used to play adds an important “cultural component” to the event, Cloud said. Families often would come together and play those games at events such as the Bear Dance ceremony in the spring.
“When the kids play those games, they carry on the tradition,” he said.
More than 80 tribal staff members and volunteers helped out.
The coordinators said they aimed to strike a balance between hosting games that have winners and losers but de-emphasizing competition as a focus of the event.
“We all work together because at the end of the day we’re all Ute,” Cloud said.
ecowan@durangoherald.com
