Searching for Chipeta: The Story of a Ute and Her People [Chapter 17: Life on the Uintah-Ouray Reservation]
Chipeta was born in 1843 as part of a Tabeguache band, one of the 12 Ute bands that lived in the area that would become Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. Chipeta married Ouray, who was appointed chief of the Utes by the U.S. government, and together they worked to promote peace between the tribe, the U.S. government, and the steady stream of settlers pushing into their homeland. Despite their efforts, the Utes were eventually forced out of Colorado and onto a desolate reservation in Utah. Krudwig's narrative attempts to explain what the Utes suffered and the deceit of the U.S. government, but middle readers may have difficulty following the complicated negotiations, politics, and personal relationships that were all part of Chipeta's life. The small black-and-white photographs are historically accurate, but the captions are often incomplete or confusing, and there are no maps or source notes. The absence of these aside, Krudwig tells a compelling story about a subject not often covered in books for youth.