F641E149C594AD6787258B6B005B9B23 Hearing Summary

Peter Ortego, Legal Counsel for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, presented on his experience in Colorado and the value of having a connection to one's language background. He noted that most of the Ute people he encounters speak English very well but may not be as comfortable with written English, which emphasizes the importance of using simple language. He talked about the differences between the Southern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute written languages and explained that the same words are spelled differently in each language. He told the members that there are also the Uinta and Ouray Ute tribes, whose language slightly differs from the others, and emphasized the importance of involving the tribal elders who generally have a better grasp of the native language.