Bear Dance: Strength and Tradition

Tuesday - May 26, 2020 by Jeremy Wade Shockley | The Southern Ute Drum
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Circa 1970’s: Growlers lead the dancers with traditional Bear dance songs.
2019: Feeling the rhythm of singing Bear Dance songs, a young boy sits amongst his elders on the first day of the dance.
2009: The annual spring celebration, which takes place each Memorial Day weekend at the Bear Dance Grounds, is a women’s choice dance that invites people of all ages to participate.
2013: Long lines fill the Bear Dance corral on the final day of the Southern Ute Bear Dance.
1985: On the last day of the Southern Ute Bear Dance - A crowd of over 400 people attended. As the day wore on, more dancers, danced into the evening. Again this year no one fell down to the end the “last dance.”
Photo Credit: SU Drum Archives
Photo Credit: Jeremy Wade Shockley | The Southern Ute Drum
Photo Credit: Jeremy Wade Shockley | The Southern Ute Drum
Photo Credit: Jeremy Wade Shockley | The Southern Ute Drum
Photo Credit: SU Drum Archives
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Bear Dancing through the years…

Time honored traditions resonate with all three Ute Tribes, the annual spring celebrations take on a different look in 2020 as the Bear Dance Chiefs take measures to protect the Ute people and their relatives during the coronavirus pandemic. The Southern Ute Drum curated a handful of contemporary and historic images to pay homage to the Southern Ute Bear Dance, recognizing the significance of this special weekend for the Pino Nuche, and the blessings that usher in the new year.  

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