Inneputs

Description: Photographic cabinet card depicting Inneputs, a Native American of the Ute people who lived reclusively in defiance of the Uintah Reservation.
Date: c. 1889
Geography: Utah, United States
Classification: Cabinet Card
Dimensions: H. 16.50cm x W. 21.50cm (6 ¹⁄₂" x 8 ¹⁄₂")
Curatorial Note: Inneputs (know also as Inepgut) lived in relative seclusion between the late 1860's and 1912, largely with nature in the basin outside Whiterock, and in defiance of the Uintah Reservation. Sensational legends and curiosity toward his seeming eccentricities perversely drew the attraction of stagecoach passengers traveling on the Nine Mile Road between Price and Vernal. As so, he became disparagingly referred to as "The Crazy Indian." This object is included in the collection as a historic document reflecting the social attitudes and circumstances of its time.
Inscription: [Front, handwritten] "White Rock Agency Utah" [Back, typed with handwritten annotation] "INE-PE-GENT, (~~Indian~~ "Crazy") of the Uintah tribe of the Ute Indians. Has lived as shown in this ka-ne-ne (tent) for the past 20 years. He and his brother found an old government rifle and and while trying to fix same, it accidentally exploded and killed his mother, this accident preyed so much on hs mind that he went insane. He does not eat food as a rational being, but rather as a wild beast, gathering old bread, bones, etc., for his subsistence. When it is remembered that the thermometer registers as low as 38 degs. below zero, and this Indian does not wear a particle of clothing to protect himself from the elements, it is considered remarkable that he has survived as long as he has."
Accession Number: 2014.0001