Ute Tribe thanks retired professor whose ancestors benefited from 'stolen' land

Tuesday, September 26, 2017  

The Ute Tribe is thanking a retired college professor for a $250,000 donation that's intended to make up for "stolen" land.

Through research, Dr. Christine Sleeter found out that her ancestors benefited from the federal government's taking of the tribe's lands in Colorado in the late 1800s. Although the 160-acre property in question left her family's hands long ago, she decided to share some of her inheritance with the tribe, whose citizens were forced to move to neighboring to Utah.

“Rather than just keep something when it’s become pretty obvious to me where that money came from that I inherited, I would rather give it back to the people who lost that land,” Sleeter told The Salt Lake Tribune.

Sleeter visited the Uintah and Ourah Reservation on Monday to deliver the donation. She met with tribal leaders and spoke to students at Uintah River High School, where her money will be put to use.

"The Ute Indian Tribe will be receiving Dr. Sleeter’s transfer of funds and current plans are to invest in the improvement of some of the tribal educational facilities," the tribe said in a press release.

Read More on the Story:
Professor gives $250K to Ute Indian Tribe to compensate for great-grandparents profiting off tribal land sales (The Salt Lake Tribune September 25, 2017)