Chipeta: An unconventional Ute tribal leader
Chipeta, also known as White Singing Bird, was married to Chief Ouray of the Uncompaghre Utes. Ahead of her time, she served as a tribal leader, diplomat and human rights advocate.
She was born in 1843. In 1845, a band of Utes came upon the site of a recent massacre at a Kiowa Apache camp. Only one person was alive, a 2-year-old girl. The Utes rescued her and she was adopted by the tribe and given the name Chipeta.
As a teenager, she became a skilled artisan in leatherworks and beading. She was al...