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     Here is a fine and rare Southern Ute war shirt dating to the late-19th century in traditional style. The Ute are a basin tribe who historically occupied eastern Utah, virtually all of Colorado, and the northwestern section of New Mexico. Linguistically the Ute belong to the Shoshonean division of the Uto-Aztecan language stock and are closely related to the Paiute of Nevada, the Kawaiiau of California, and the Chemehuevi of the Upper Colorado River in Arizona. Once the Utes were introduced to horses in the 1600s, they developed many Plains culture customs including bison hunting and horse raiding. They were often at war with the Sioux, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Comanche and Kiowa. During the Kit Carson campaign in the mid-1860s, Ute scouts and warriors were used to subdue the Navaho tribe into imprisonment at Bosque Redondo in New Mexico. Until the turn-of-the-century they were considered extremely warlike. The state of Utah derives its name from the Ute tribe.

     This shirt is of man's size with beaded and fringed decoration. It is composed primarily of two softly tanned deer buckskins for the body with attached buckskin sleeves. The entire exterior surface has been rubbed with yellow ochre. The sides are open and the bottom of the shirt has a pinked edge. Long buckskin fringe hangs from the wrists, the back of the sleeves, and down the lateral sides of the back and chest. A couple of fringe elements end in interesting perforated triangular tabs of unknown significance. What may be pronghorn antelope hooves are attached to buckskin drops at the neck. The hooves may represent talismans, or "medicine" for giving the power of speed to the wearer while on the warpath or on horse raids. Triangular neck flaps, or bibs, on the front and back of the shirt are also thickly fringed. A small political mirror (dating about 1896), such as those used historically for long-distance signaling, is attached to each flap . A single lane of beadwork completes the neck flap decoration.

     Wide beaded strips are also applied vertically to the front and back of the shirt as well as down the backs of both sleeves. The beadwork is sinew-sewn in tight, lazy stitch technique and is composed of thousands of tiny glass seed beads of Venetian origin. White was used as the background color, with large triangular elements of Sioux influence that represent the primary design motif. Other bead colors include cobalt blue, light blue, transparent red, dull yellow, and dull green. There are also a few faceted metallic beads. By the late 19th century, Ute artisans had become quite influenced by popular Western Sioux beadwork designs. Although derived primarily from Sioux patterns, the unique colors and line arrangements on this shirt are typically Ute.

     Authentic Ute clothing is seldom apparent. This is due partly because Ute beadwork is difficult to recognize, but mostly because of the Ute tradition of destroying material wealth, including clothing, at the time of an owner's death. Ours is a very fine and handsome example of a Southern Ute shirt from the reservation period and represents a traditional war shirt in both cut and decoration. The beadwork is expertly executed; the colors are pleasing and the attachment of the strips is well balanced. The long buckskin fringe is particularly tasteful and represents an aspect of Ute mens clothing that is especially desirable. The beautiful yellowish pigment used to color the buckskin adds a final enhancement to a wonderful work of tribal art. Although the shirt exhibits ample evidence of being well worn, it remains in soft, excellent condition.  Price on request.