Native American languages of Colorado facts for kids
Colorado, a state in the western United States, is known for its tall Rocky Mountains and the western edge of the Great Plains. For a long time, many different Native American tribes lived here. These tribes spoke languages like Uto-Aztecan, Algonquian, and Tanoan.
However, during a period called the Westward Expansion in the late 1800s and early 1900s, most of these tribes were moved to other states. Many went to Wyoming and Oklahoma. Today, only bands of the Ute tribe still live in Colorado. Because of this, only one Native American language is still spoken in Colorado: Colorado River Numic.
Native American Languages in Colorado
Today, only one Native American language is spoken in Colorado. The numbers below are based on information from language studies and U.S. Census data.
The table below shows details about this language:
| Language | Family Group | Number of Speakers | Total Tribe Population | Tribe(s) | Where it's Spoken in Colorado | Other Places it's Spoken |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado River Numic | Uto-Aztecan: Numic: Southern Numic | 2,000 | 5,000 | Ute: Ute Mountain, Southern Ute | Ute Mountain Indian Reservation, Southern Ute Indian Reservation | Nevada, Utah, Arizona, California |
