Tribes in the Great Basin
Hundreds of years ago, Utah was more than a barren desert wasteland, empty and ready to be used. For thousands of years, various Native American tribes occupied the land that is now Utah. The Utes, Paiutes, Goshutes, Shoshone, and Navajo were the five major tribes that lived in Utah. Each of these groups celebrated their own distinctive cultures and lands. The Utes, Paiutes, and Goshutes were thought to be related from thousands of years earlier but evolved into distinct tribes. Tribes were further broken into subgroups by region. These tribes over the years learned to live in Utah, with its unique climate.
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Goshutes
The Goshute bands are located in Western Utah and Eastern Nevada. There are two bands of the Goshute Nation in Utah and Nevada.
Shoshones
The Northwestern Shoshone band is found in Northern Utah and Southern Idaho. In 1987, the Northwestern band was recognized as an independent band, separate from the larger Shoshone tribe.
Figure 1
Utes
Three bands of Utes make up the Northern Ute Tribe. The Uintah and Ouray Reservation is the second largest Indian reservation in the United States.
Paiutes
The Paiute bands and reservations can be found in Southern Utah. The reservation is 10 separate land parcels in four counties in southwestern Utah.
Navajos
The Navajo Nation is one of the largest Native American nations today. The Navajo Reservation is in Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona.
Figure 1. Map from The Utah Journey, p. 55.