Southern Ute Bear Dance welcomes spring
Friday - June 2, 2023 by Staff report | The Southern Ute Drum
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: 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: 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
The Bear Dance energy was high this weekend as dancers, singers, and family members came together in Ignacio for the annual Southern Ute Bear Dance, packing the corral each day for the spring celebration. Each Ute tribe holds their own Bear Dance, starting in the early spring months and ending at White Mesa in September. Singers from the Ute sister tribes help each other out during the four-day celebration, taking turns at the growler box in order to keep the dancers on their feet.