Indigenous Peoples of Colorado

The word Colorado originates from a Spanish word "ruddy" or "red"

Tribes and Bands of Colorado
The following list of American Indians who have lived in Colorado has been compiled from Hodge's Handbook of American Indians... and from Swanton's The Indian Tribes of North America. Some may simply be variant spellings for the same tribe.


 * Apache
 * Arapahoe
 * Bannock
 * Cheyenne
 * Comanche
 * Jicarilla
 * Kiowa
 * Kiowa-Apache
 * Navajo
 * Pueblos
 * Shoshone
 * Uncompahgre Band
 * Ute (Southern and Ute Mountain)
 * White River Band

Reservations
From the mid-1800s, the official policy of the United States government toward the American Indian was to confine each tribe to a specific parcel of land called a reservation. Agencies were established on or near each reservation. A government representative, usually called an agent (or superintendent) was assigned to each agency. Their duties included maintaining the peace, making payments to the Native Americans based on the stipulations of the treaties with each tribe, and providing a means of communication between the native population and the federal government.

Sometimes, a single agency had jurisdiction over more than one reservation. And sometimes, if the tribal population and land area required it, an agency may have included sub-agencies.

The boundaries of reservations, over time, have changed. Usually, that means the reservations have been reduced in size. Sometimes, especially during the later policy of "termination," the official status of reservations was ended altogether.

The following list of reservations has been compiled from the National Atlas of the United States of America, the Omni Gazetteer of the United States of America , and other sources. Those reservations named in bold are current federally-recognized reservations, with their associated agency and tribe(s). Others have historically been associated with the state or are not currently recognized by the federal government.


 * Southern Ute Reservation Federal, under jurisdiction of Southern Ute Agency, Tribes: Mauache Capote Ute
 * Ute Mountain Reservation Federal, under jurisdiction of Ute Mountain Agency, Tribe: Wiminuche Ute
 * Ute Reservation

Agencies of the Bureau of Indian Affairs
Agencies and subagencies were created as administrative offices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and its predecessors. Their purpose was (and is) to manage Indian affairs with the tribes, to enforce policies, and to assist in maintaining the peace. The names and location of these agencies may have changed, but their purpose remained basically the same. Many of the records of genealogical value were created by these offices.

The following list of agencies that have operated or now exist in Colorado has been compiled from Hill's Office of Indian Affairs..., Hill's Guide to Records in the National Archives Relating to American Indians , and others.


 * Conejos Agency
 * Consolidated Ute Agency
 * Denver Special Agency 1871-1875
 * Fort Lewis Agency
 * Los Pinos Agency
 * Middle Park Agency
 * Navajo Springs Agency
 * Southern Ute Agency, P.O. Box 315, Ignacio, CO 81137
 * Uintah and Ouray Agency -- located in eastern Utah; agency which serves the Uintah and Uncompahgre Utes, formerly of the Middle Park and White River Agencies.
 * Upper Arkansas Agency
 * Upper Platte Agency
 * Ute Mountain Agency, General Delivery, Towoac, CO 81334
 * White River Agency

Indian Schools
The Office of Indian Affairs (now the Bureau of Indian Affairs) established a network of schools throughout the United States, beginning with Carlisle Indian School, established in 1879. Some of these schools were day schools, usually focusing on Indian children of a single tribe or reservation. Some were boarding schools which served Indian children from a number of tribes and reservations.

In addition, other groups such as various church denominations established schools specifically focusing on American Indian children. (read more...)

The following list of Indian Schools in Colorado has been compiled from Hill's Office of Indian Affairs..., Hill's Guide to Records in the National Archives Relating to American Indians , and others.


 * Fort Lewis School
 * Grand Junction School
 * Ignacio Boarding School
 * Navajo Springs School
 * Ute Mountain School

Family History Library
For a complete list of available records use the Family History Library Catalog and search by Tribe and Location


 * Central Superintendency Records 1813-1878 (108 films - M856) Family History Library 1st film 1602893
 * Colorado Superintendency 1861-1880

See Also:

 * Colorado - History for a calendar of events some pertaining to American Indians
 * Colorado - Military for a list of forts