When Legenda Die

When the Legends Die

Character Descriptions
1. Bessie
Bessie was a Ute Indian who lived on the Ute Reservation in Colorado. She was married to George Black Bull and had a son named Little Black Bull. In 1910 her husband went to work at the sawmill in Pagosa. He killed Frank No Deer for stealing his money. They went and lived on Bald Mountain. They lived the way their ancestors lived. Bessie remembered the old ways of doing things. George wanted to make her a house but we wanted a lodge that was, “round like the day and the sun and the path of the stars…the good things that have no end”. She told her son of old tales and sang songs with him. George was killed but Bessie and her son continued to live in the old way. She was an excellent basket maker and would trade her baskets for things they needed. She died one winter. She had a pain in her chest. Her son sang the going away songs.

2. George Black Bull
George was a Ute Indian who lived on the Ute Reser...