Ute people are in the
Great Basin classification of Indigenous People, now living primarily in
Utah and
Colorado. There are three Ute tribal
reservations:
Uintah-Ouray in northeastern Utah (3,500 members);
Southern Ute in Colorado (1,500 members); and
Ute Mountain which primarily lies in Colorado, but extends to Utah and New Mexico (2,000 members). The name of the state of Utah was derived from the name
Ute. The word
Ute means "Land of the sun" in their language. "Ute" possibly derived from the Western Apache word "yudah", meaning "high up". This has led to the misconception that "Ute" means people high up or mountain people.