Chipeta

Chipeta (Ute for White Singing Bird) a Native American, 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 D.C. 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.