Mormon settlers and the near extinction of the Paiute way of life at Bryce Canyon

How Mormon Settlers Displaced Bryce Canyon’s Paiute Tribes

The Paiute called Bryce Canyon “Anka-ku-was-a-wits” – red painted faces – when they first hunted there around 1200 A. D.

They saw the strange rock formations as Legend People, turned to stone by the trickster Coyote for bad deeds. Yet their deep bond with this land soon broke.

Mormon settlers moved in during the 1850s, taking the best hunting grounds and water. Within 25 years, the Paiute lost 90% of their people.

Though President Carter restored their tribal status in 1980, they got back just a fraction of their land. The story of these stone figures and the people who named them awaits at Bryce Canyon National Park.

Paiutes Made Bryce Canyon Their Seasonal Home Around 1200 A.D.

Paiutes moved into the Bryce Canyon area around 1200 A. D. They hunted wildlife and gathered plants on the Paunsaugunt Plateau as seasons changed.

Unlike earlier folks in the region, Paiutes didn’t build permanent homes in the canyon. They followed food sources throughout the year.

These smart foragers knew how to use at least 96 different plants for food.

When they needed shelter, they built simple structures using poles covered with juniper bark, rushes, and nearby natural materials.

They Gave The Red Rock Formations Special Names

Paiutes saw Bryce Canyon’s strange rock formations as spiritual places.

They called the canyon “Unka-timpe-wa-wince-pock-ich,” meaning “red rocks standing like men in a bowl-shaped recess.” They named the colorful hoodoo formations “Anka-ku-was-a-wits,” or “red painted faces.”

Even the plateau carries their language—Paunsaugunt means “home of the beaver. ” The nearby Paria River got its name from Paiute words for “muddy or elk water.”

Supernatural Beings Once Lived Where Hoodoos Now Stand

Paiutes believed the hoodoos were once “To-when-an-ung-wa” or Legend People. These magical beings could change into people, birds, animals, or lizards whenever they wanted.

The Legend People lived in an earlier world that was green and lush, with plenty of fresh water in streams and rivers.

Paiute storytellers only shared these sacred tales during winter months, following customs that showed respect for changing seasons.

Coyote Turned Bad Legend People Into Stone

The Legend People got into trouble by fighting and stealing from each other. Coyote, a trickster spirit, decided to punish them for their bad behavior.

He used his magic to turn all the Legend People into stone, freezing them exactly as they stood. Their painted faces and different poses stayed just as they were in that moment.

This created the thousands of colorful rock formations that fill Bryce Canyon today.

A Paiute Elder Shared The Legend With A Park Ranger

In 1936, a Paiute elder named Indian Dick from the Kaibab Reservation told the whole story to a park ranger.

He explained that before any Indians lived there, the Legend People called it home.

“Because they were bad, Coyote turned them all into rocks,” he said. His nephew, Indian Johnnie, later helped translate “Anka-ku-was-a-wits” as “red painted faces.”

Visitors can now read this story at the Bryce Canyon National Park visitor center.

Mormon Scouts Started Looking At Paiute Land In The 1850s

Mormon scouts first checked out the Bryce Canyon area in the 1850s, looking for good farming and ranching spots.

These early explorers worked as part of Brigham Young’s plan to start new settlements across Utah Territory. Their reports got more Mormon families interested in moving to lands the Paiutes had used for centuries.

The Mormon church wanted to spread across the mountain west. The scouts noted water sources, grazing lands, and places good for farming and cutting timber.

A Scottish Immigrant Built His Home Right Below The Canyon

Ebenezer Bryce moved from Scotland with his wife Mary and settled in the Paria Valley in 1874. He built his house just below what we now call Bryce Canyon Amphitheater.

He made a road up to the canyon rim to get firewood and lumber. He also dug a seven-mile irrigation canal from Paria Creek to water his crops.

Bryce didn’t seem too amazed. He just called it “a helluva place to lose a cow.”

Traditional Paiute Ways Of Life Quickly Fell Apart

As more Mormon settlers arrived in the 1870s, Paiute life changed forever. Settlers’ cows and sheep ate the native plants that Paiutes gathered for food.

Farmers took over the springs and water sources that Paiutes had used for centuries. Mormon livestock trampled and ate the seeds that Paiute women collected to make flour.

The Paiutes couldn’t follow their normal pattern of hunting and gathering anymore because settlers claimed all the best land.

Nine Out Of Ten Paiutes Died Within 25 Years Of Mormon Contact

By 1880, the Paiute population dropped by 90 percent—just 25 years after Mormon settlers arrived.

Things got so bad that Jacob Hamblin, a Mormon leader, told explorer John Wesley Powell: “there is nothing left for them to depend upon but beg or starve.”

Diseases spread through Paiute communities. Without access to their traditional foods, many went hungry. Some Paiute groups completely vanished.

The few survivors worked odd jobs for white settlers just to eat.

The Government Cut Off All Help To The Paiutes In 1954

The U.S. government passed the Termination Law in 1954, which took away the Paiutes’ status as a recognized tribe.

They lost all government support including tax protection, health care, education help, and farming assistance.

Nearly half of all tribal members died because they couldn’t get health care or earn enough money to live.

Forced to pay property taxes on their remaining lands, they lost about 15,000 acres they couldn’t afford to keep.

President Carter Finally Gave The Paiutes Back Their Tribal Status

After fighting for their rights for decades, the Paiutes finally got some justice when President Jimmy Carter signed the Paiute Restoration Act on April 3, 1980.

This law gave them back their status as a federally recognized tribe and made them eligible again for government services and benefits.

But they only got back 4,800 acres of land—less than a third of the 15,000 acres they lost during termination.

Today’s Paiute communities work hard to keep their traditional stories alive while dealing with modern challenges.

Visiting Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Bryce Canyon National Park charges $35 per vehicle for a 7-day pass. Free shuttles run May through September to help you reach canyon viewpoints with interpretive panels.

The Visitor Center has exhibits about the Paiute people who called this place “Anka-ku-was-a-wits” meaning red painted faces.

Watch the “Song of Seasons” film that plays every hour.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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