Ute Knowledge: Colorado's Original Science Technology, Engineering, and Math

From History Colorado Center, the Ute Knowledge: Colorado’s Original Science Technology, Engineering, and Math exhibit tells the story of how Ute Indians have used science, technology, engineering, and math to survive and thrive in the Rocky Mountains.

The Ute people are Colorado’s longest continuous residents, and they have thrived here through their deep understanding of, and a connection to, the Colorado landscape and
environment. The exhibit includes maps of Ute homelands, historic and contemporary photos, and quotes from Ute elders and youth.

The exhibit includes a video monitor with nine short films highlighting collaborative field work to study Ute shelters, ethnobotany and rock art in 2017 and 2018. In the videos, Ute elders, Ute youth, and scientists discuss the connections between Ute knowledge and STEM.

Visitors can explore hands-on activities (engineering a stick shelter, creating a beadwork pattern, testing woven materials, and matching plants with their uses) that highlight how Ute people solved problems in the past and still do today.