But the Bear Dance is more than just a dance.

Ute Indian and squaw on the way to Bear Dance, 1924.

Origin of the Bear Dance can be traced back several centuries.

The most important gatherings, however, were religious in nature, such as the Bear Dance.

One of the oldest traditional ceremonies belonging to Utes is the Bear Dance.

The Bear Dance involved the entire community.

Today, the Utes celebrate the Bear Dance in a simple form, using it as a social gathering for families, bands, and tribes.

One aspect of the social and religious life of the People is the Bear Dance, traditionally performed in the spring.

As with the Bear Dance, it is held in a cottonwood-and-brush enclosure that opens to the east.

The ancient rituals continue to be held; the oldest is the Bear Dance in spring, at about the time bears leave hibernation.