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Chipeta
1843-1924
Inducted 1985
Adopted by Claudette Konola
Chipeta (Ute for White Singing Bird) was inducted
into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame because of the courage
and valor she demonstrated in her efforts to mediate between
Native Americans and whites. Chipeta accompanied her intellectual,
diplomatic
husband Chief Ouray to the negotiations and signing of the first
treaty of Conejos, Colorado, in 1863 and also to a treaty signing
in Washington five years later. Both whites and Native Americans
admired and respected Chipeta for her beauty, wisdom, good judgment,
and compassion. She was the only woman ever permitted to sit
on Ute tribal councils. Sadly, after Ouray died in 1880, Chipeta
was
betrayed by the government and joined the forced march led by
the U.S. Army to relocate the Uncompahgre Utes to Ouray, Utah. |