When Brigham Young and the Mormons arrived in Utah in the mid-1800s, they encountered a Native American leader who already dominated the region. Wakara, a Timpanogos Ute, was a fierce warrior, prolific horse thief, and merciless slave trader. In a new biography, the historian Max Perry Mueller argues Wakara should be considered one of the founding figures of the American West.
Wakara led a pan-tribal coalition of horse thieves that expanded the Old Spanish Trail and made it easier to travel. They also exacted tribute from travelers, stole horse,s and traded slaves. Mueller writes that Wakara was “the most prolific trader in enslaved Indians” for hundreds of miles, providing white settlers with the labor and horsepower needed to expand the colonial empire. He was also a shrewd and pragmatic leader, converting to Mormonism and drawing on the settlers’ own systems to expand his power. Mueller joins us to explore Wakara’s complex life and enduring influence.
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Max Perry Mueller | Associate professor in the Department of Classics and Religious Studies at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. His latest book is “Wakara's America: The Life and Legacy of a Native Founder of the American West.”