Ute Bear Dance History & Cartoon Fun by Brownielocks.

The Ute Bear Dance is performed every Spring, around late May or June by the Ute Indians of Colorado. It is the oldest dance that the tribe performs and dates back further than the 15th Century when Spanish explorers witnessed it. And, it is the only dance that the Utes originated. The area of Colorado where this is most observed is in Towaoe and Ignacio. The purpose of this dance is for mating and courtship. The second purpose is to celebrate the arrival of spring, as well as an opportunity to get together and celebrate.

The dance originates from an Indian legend about two brothers who went hunting one day and came across a bear, who was standing up on his hind legs, shuffling back and forth while clawing a tree. Another version claims that the bear was scratching his back against the tree. The first brother went to hunt. The second brother stayed and watched the bear's strange movements. So, as a favor to the one brother for not killing him, the bear taught him to perform this dance he was doing and the mysterious song that goes along with it. The bear told the brother that he should teach this dance to his people so that they could show their respect for the bear, as well as draw strength from the bear's spirit.

Today the Bear Dance usually takes place in an open field or corral surrounded by a fence made of brush or woven branches. Women, traditionally, dress for the dance wearing tall, white buckskin moccasins and brightly colored shawls. However, today it's not uncommon to see the dancers wearing shorts and sneakers or cowboy boots and jeans.

Spectators line up against the fence. Two lines of dancers (one male, one female) face each other and start shuffling toward each other and then back to the accompaniment of a small group of singers. There is also the sound of the morache or rasp as their musical instrument played.

The women then select partners by flicking the fringe of their shawl at them. The dance continues with the two lines divided into couples. One of the singers plays the role of "the Cat" by using a willow switch to urge the shy or slower dances to move faster. The dancing continues for four or five days, and ends when one of the couples falls down from exhaustion or the singers get tired. There is a huge feast afterward, that has been organized by the Bear Dance Chiefs.

Scholars believe that the Bear Dance was mainly a fertility dance, being performed in the Spring because this is when the bears emerged from hibernation and start looking for mates. This idea is supported by the fact that the dance remains a "ladies choice" and that the women select their partners for the dance much the same way that female bears awake first and then chase the males.

Originally, the Bear Dance was held at the end of February or in early March; and, lasted a week (or longer). Today, it is more of a late Spring ritual. The Southern Utes hold their Bear Dance over Memorial Day weekend in Ignacio, Colorado. The Ute Mountain tribe holds it's Bear Dance during the first week in June in Towaoc, Colorado. Presently, there are a little more than 3,000 Utes, who primarily live on reservations. Visitors to the reservation are allowed to watch the Bear Dance, which in the past was closed to the public, except for Native Americans.