Ute Sundance

Ute Sundance is a song of renewal sung by the Ute Tribe at the beginning of the new year and is one of the Ute's most important rites of passage. Debts, misunderstandings, and grudges are forgiven, so that no one needs to start the new year with old negativity. The young men enact a difficult dance, personifying the release of the pain experienced in the community during the past year. Valerie Naranjo transcribed and reworked the traditional melody of the Ute Sundance for solo voices and marimbas and Ethan Sperry has written the choral version.