Native American Tribes of Colorado

Welcome to Native Languages of the Americas! You have reached the Native American states section of our website, a new educational project designed to provide information about indigenous people in different U.S. states. Follow the links to the right of our tribal map for more information about the language, culture and history of each Colorado tribe, or scroll below the map for Colorado Indian activities including a wordsearch, fact sheets for kids about each tribe, and worksheets teaching words from the different Native American languages of Colorado. Feel free to print any of these materials out for classroom use!

American Indians in Colorado

The original inhabitants of the area that is now Colorado included:

About Our Maps

The Apache nation

The Arapaho nation

The Cheyenne nation

The Pueblo tribes

The Shoshone tribe

The Ute nation

Other Indian tribes whose territory sometimes extended into Colorado included:

The Comanche tribe

The Kiowa tribe

The Navajo tribe

There are two federally recognized Indian tribes in Colorado today.

Here are the addresses of Colorado's Indian reservations:

Southern Ute Tribe:
PO Box 737
Ignacio, CO 81137

Ute Mountain Ute Tribe:
PO Box 52
Towaoc, CO 81334

Teaching and learning activities about Colorado Indians:

Feel free to print these out for classroom use!

Colorado Tribes Word Search: Printable puzzle hiding the names of Colorado's Indian tribes.

Colorado Language Greetings: Learn to say "hello" in several Native Colorado languages.

Colorado Native Animals: Learn the Native American names of Colorado animals.

Colorado Indian Facts for Kids: Answers to frequently asked questions about the tribes of Colorado.
We currently have pages for the Apache, Comanche, Arapaho and Cheyenne tribes.

Recommended books about Colorado Native Americans:

Colorado Indians: Introducing Colorado's Native American history and culture to kids.

American Indians in Colorado: The history of Colorado Native American peoples from prehistory through today.

The Contested Plains: Indians, Goldseekers, and the Rush to Colorado: Effects of the Colorado Gold Rush on the Plains Indian tribes.

The Ute Indians of Colorado in the Twentieth Century: Interesting ethnography of the Southern Utes.

The Ute Indians of Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico: History of the Ute Indian tribe in the Four Corners area.

Uses of Plants by the Indians of the Missouri River Region Handbook of herbs, food crops, and plant lore among the prairie tribes.

Other resources about American Indian history, culture and society in Colorado state:

Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs: State government page for the office dealing with Native American issues in Colorado.

Keeping the Past: Indians of Colorado: Article on the lifestyle of Colorado's Native American tribes.

Colorado Indian Market: Homepage of the annual Denver powwow includes photo galleries of Colorado Indian art.

People of the Colorado Plateau: Article on the history of the Paiute and Ute Indians in Colorado.

Native Americans of Larimer County: Article on the tribes of eastern Colorado from paleo-Indian times through the 19th century.

Colorado Native American Genealogy: History and genealogy of the Colorado Indian tribes.

Back to the index of American Indian tribes
Back to our index of Indian tribes by state
Back to Native American Indians for kids

Native American crafts Native American names Warm Springs tribe Pawnee Indians Black Hills jewelry

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