Shawsheen (Shoshine) (1845-?) otherwise known as She-towitch, or Susan, was a Native American woman who was a part of the Tabeguache (Uncompahgre)

Ute Ute or UTE may refer to: * Ute (band), an Australian jazz group * Ute (given name) * ''Ute'' (sponge), a sponge genus * Ute (vehicle), an Australian and New Zealand term for certain utility vehicles * Ute, Iowa, a city in Monona County along ...

tribe and sister to

Chief Ouray Ouray (, 1833 – August 24, 1880) was a Native American chief of the Tabeguache (Uncompahgre) band of the Ute tribe, then located in western Colorado. Because of his leadership ability, Ouray was acknowledged by the United States government as ...

. She is known for her capture by the Cheyenne and Arapaho in 1860 or 1861, her protection and care for Arvilla and

Josephine Meeker Josephine Meeker (January 28, 1857 – December 20, 1882), was a teacher and physician at the White River Indian Agency in Colorado Territory, where her father Nathan Meeker was the United States (US) agent. On September 29, 1879, he and 10 o ...

during their captivity, as well as her role within the politics of her tribe as a female leader alongside her sister-in-law,

Chipeta Chipeta or White Singing Bird (1843 or 1844 – August 1924) was a Native American woman, and the second wife of Chief Ouray of the Uncompahgre Ute tribe. Born a Kiowa Apache, she was raised by the Utes in what is now Conejos, Colorado. An adv ...

Childhood and marriage

Shawsheen was born either on the Western Slope of Colorado, or in northern New Mexico and historians believe that she spent most of her childhood in the

Uncompahgre Valley The Uncompahgre Valley is an agricultural valley of the Uncompahgre River around the town of Montrose in the western part of the U.S. state of Colorado. The valley is bounded to the south and east by the San Juan Mountains and to the west by t ...

. Like many Young Ute girls, she would have learned the arts of

bead work Beadwork is the art or craft of attaching beads to one another by stringing them onto a thread or thin wire with a sewing or beading needle or sewing them to cloth. Beads are produced in a diverse range of materials, shapes, and sizes, and vary b ...

and weaving in order to trade with other Native Americans and settlers. Shawsheen was married to Chief Johnson 2, otherwise known as Canalla, a White River Ute. The marriage was arranged by her father, Guero in order to increase relations between the Northern Utes and the Tabeguache Utes. After the marriage, Shawsheen left the

to live on the White River with her new family.

Capture by the Cheyenne and Arapaho

Sometime in 1860 or 1861, while out hunting near the Cache la Podure River on the

Eastern Plains The Eastern Plains of Colorado refers to a region of the U.S. state of Colorado east of the Rocky Mountains and east of the population centers of the Front Range. Geography The Eastern Plains are part of the High Plains, which are the wester ...

of Colorado, Shawsheen and members of her family encountered members of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribe. During an altercation Shawsheen was taken captive. Her family alerted the United States Cavalry, but troops weren't able to locate her until two years later when soldiers from

Camp Collins Camp Collins (also known as the Fort Collins Military Reservation) was a 19th-century outpost of the United States Army in the Colorado Territory. The fort was commissioned in the summer of 1862 to protect the Overland Trail from attacks by Native ...

(now Fort Collins) found her. Historian Brandi Dennison describes the scene: "The cavalry successfully located the raiding party along the Cache la Podure River just as the Cheyenne bound Susan to an unlit pyre." The troops rescued Shawsheen and she was sent to live with Simeon Whitley, a former agent of the Grand River Ute Agency, whom she stayed for a few months before returning home. During her stay with Whitley, she was able to learn to speak and understand English. Mrs. Collier, wife of Sergeant Collier, the man who led the soldiers that found Shawsheen, gave the name "Susan" to Shawsheen, a name many historians refer to her by today. There is some debate regarding Shawsheen's escape from captivity; many historians cite the story of her rescue from near sacrifice as correct, however the oral traditions of her descendants credit her with escaping on her own. During her time in

captivity Captivity, or being held captive, is a state wherein humans or other animals are confined to a particular space and prevented from leaving or moving freely. An example in humans is imprisonment. Prisoners of war are usually held in captivity by a ...

, she was treated as a slave instead of an adopted family member as in other North American Indian captivities. Her status within the tribe as a slave meant that she was forced into hard labor and menial tasks until her eventual escape.

Meeker Massacre

The

Meeker Massacre Meeker Massacre, or Meeker Incident, White River War, Ute War, or the Ute Campaign), took place on September 29, 1879 in Colorado. Members of a band of Ute Indians ( Native Americans) attacked the Indian agency on their reservation, killing th ...

was an attack on an Indian Agency by the Ute on September 29, 1879 in Meeker, Colorado. During the massacre,

Nathan Meeker Nathan Cook Meeker (July 12, 1817 – September 30, 1879) was a 19th-century American journalist, homesteader, entrepreneur, and Indian agent for the federal government. He is noted for his founding in 1870 of the Union Colony, a cooperative a ...

, an Indian Agent, along with his ten employees were killed, and his daughter Josephine and wife Arvilla Meeker were taken captive along with other women and children by the Ute. After the Massacre, the Ute met and discussed what to do with the captives. While many urged that the captives be killed or burned at the stake, Shawsheen, along with her husband, adamantly advocated for the release of the captives and their safety. Josephine Meeker said of her captivity, "We all owe our lives to the sister of Chief Ouray..." The captives praised Shawsheen for her kindness in not only advocating for their release, but doing her best in keeping them safe from harm for the duration of their captivity. The captive women even referred to her as "God Bless Susan" for her kindness. After the captives were released they immediately began to write about their experiences and many called for the recognition of Shawsheen for her actions.

Jane Swisshelm Jane Grey Cannon Swisshelm (December 6, 1815 – July 22, 1884) was an American Radical Republican journalist, publisher, abolitionist, and women's rights advocate. She was one of America's first female journalists hired by Horace Greeley at hi ...

asked that Shawsheen be given land in Colorado, despite the fact that the Ute's of western Colorado were being removed to Utah. Shawsheen has been hailed as a hero, by not only the Meeker women, but many others, for her actions within the Meeker Massacre and her protection of the captives. Josephine Meeker wrote about Shawsheen in her captivity narrative. She stated, "I may say more, which is that we all owe our lives to the sister of Chief Ouray." Josephine describes how Shawsheen advocated for their release and ensured their safety.

Names

Shawsheen has been referred to by many names throughout her historical narrative. Her descendants refer to her as She-Towitch, while many modern historians refer to her as Susan, "Ute Susan" or Shawsheen. She has also been known as Tsashin, Shosheen, Shashein, and Shasheen in other newspaper or familial accounts.

Life and Legacy

Shawsheen's life and contributions to early Colorado history have been recognized by th
Greeley Museums
in Greeley, Colorado. This organization also preserves and interprets th
Meeker Home Museum
the original home of the Meeker family. In Greeley, there is an elementary school named after her,
Shawsheen Elementary
as well as scholarship on her life and legacy on display at th
Greeley Museum

References

{{reflist 1845 births 19th-century Native Americans Ute people Year of death unknown