The Pahvant people were a band of the Ute Tribe that lived in present-day Utah.
Like many of the Native American Tribes and specifically the Ute bands, they lived near a water source and were called the "water people." They were prolific on the water, which provided them a source of food through fish and waterfowl such as ducks.
They also practiced farming and lived off the land through hunting and gathering.
When they acquired horses in the 19th century, they, like all Ute bands, became excellent horsemen.
Their tribe would eventually be driven out by the Mormons when they settled in Utah. The band would be absorbed into the Paiute band of Utes.
Homeland
Pahvants lived west of the Wasatch Range in the Pavant Range towards the Nevada border along the Sevier River in the desert around Sevier Lake and Fish Lake. Therefore, they called themselves Pahvant, meaning "living near the water" or "water people."
The Moanunts, another Ute band, lived on the other side of the Sevier River. The two bands had the same dialect but were two distinct groups of people.
In their way of living, they resembled their neighbors, the Kaibab Paiute, and intermarried with neighboring Goshute and Southern Paiute.
Their hunting and gathering grounds extended west to the present-day border of Utah and Nevada. They camped in six villages during the winter season.
They hunted waterfowl, fished along the Sevier River, and hunted deer in the mountains. They gathered roots, berries, and pine nuts.
They also farmed for many years along Corn Creek.
First Contact
In 1776, while the eastern portion of the continent was signing the Declaration of Independence and fighting an American Revolution, the Dominguez-Escalante expedition was occurring out west, and the Pahvant and Moanunt Utes had their first contact with Europeans.
They were considered to be friendly and attentive people and were called "Bearded Indians." This was the case with many Ute bands, although the acquisition of horses did change the lifestyle of some bands.
Mormons
The demise of the Pahvant band came with the emigration of the Mormons led by Brigham Young.
Just 11 years prior to the first shots fired on Fort Sumter that would ignite the Civil War on the East Coast, the Mormons would migrate to Utah and settle on the land owned by the Pahvant band.
The Mormons would take the most valuable land and proceed to plow food sources that were used by the natives. This would lead to a period of starvation.
The Mormons came into the area with a plan and knew how to develop the land properly, unlike the natives, who would live off the land but not cultivate it.
This would, unfortunately, quickly shift the balance of power from the natives to the Mormons. The natives would go on to fight many wars with the new settlers to try and preserve their livelihood.
Brigham Young would establish three farm reserves to feed local tribes as he believed it was "cheaper to feed the Indians than fight them." This would prove to be ineffective as it tried to take a culture that was built on hunting to make the farmers.
The Pahvants were excellent with the bow and could take down large game to feed themselves but were not skilled in farming. The idea that one can change an entire culture that has spent generations honing a skill immediately is nonsensical.
This would lead to the Pahvant starving and becoming desperate, which would cause many wars.
In the fall of 1853, there were a number of conflicts between emigrants to the area and the Pahvant Utes. The Utes raided several towns, killed some settlers, and stole cattle.
About October 1853, some pioneers had passed through Pahvant land and were having peaceful communication until they tried to take bows and arrows away from the Utes. A scuffle ensured, and the settlers killed the father of Chief Moshoquop and wounded or killed other members of the band.
Captain John Williams Gunnison had come to the area to survey the land for a transcontinental railroad. He heard of the conflict but believed the issues had been resolved and set up camp on Sevier Lake to explore and survey the area.
On the morning of October 26, 1853, a group of Pahvant Utes attacked the camp. They killed Gunnison and seven men with bows and arrows and rifles.
Following negotiations with the U.S. military and the Mormons, in February 1855, Kanosh arranged for one woman and six men to stand trial for the murder of Gunnison and his men.
They were found guilty of Murder in the Second Degree, with three of them tried to be sentenced to three years of hard labor and a fine. They were brought to a penitentiary near Salt Lake City but escaped five days later. It was reported that Mormons played a part in their release
The Demise of the Pahvant Band
The Mormon settlers were more developed and had the backing of the United States government, which gave them more military power. This would lead to the destruction of many of the resources the were depended on by the Pahvant Utes.
The Mormons also brought with them diseases that the Ute band did not have any immunity. This would decimate their population, killing the young, old, and strong warriors alike. This would reduce their ability to fight back, and they would eventually be forced to merge with another band of Utes and live on a reservation.
Conclusion
The Pahvant Utes were victims of evolution. Their culture did not evolve much from the early centuries to the 19th century. The tools they used were similar to what their ancestors used, and they did not have the mentality to develop the land rather than just live off of its resources.
This mindset was different from the Western world, which had seen empires and kings rise and fall and technology develop.
At the time of the eventual demise of the Pahvant, the United States was working on connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean through the building of the Transcontinental Railroad.
The Pahvant should be remembered for their kindness and sustainability. They sustained themselves for many centuries, unlike even the greatest of empires.