The Shoshone or Shoshoni ( or ) are a

Native American tribe In the United States, an American Indian tribe, Native American tribe, Alaska Native village, tribal nation, or similar concept is any extant or historical clan, tribe, band, nation, or other group or community of Native Americans in the Unit ...

with four large cultural/linguistic divisions: *

Eastern Shoshone Eastern Shoshone are Shoshone who primarily live in Wyoming and in the northeast corner of the Great Basin where Utah, Idaho and Wyoming meet and are in the Great Basin classification of Indigenous People. They lived in the Rocky Mountains d ...

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

Northern Shoshone Northern Shoshone are Shoshone of the Snake River Plain of southern Idaho and the northeast of the Great Basin where Idaho, Wyoming and Utah meet. They are culturally affiliated with the Bannock people and are in the Great Basin classificat ...

: southern

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

Western Shoshone Western Shoshone comprise several Shoshone tribes that are indigenous to the Great Basin and have lands identified in the Treaty of Ruby Valley 1863. They resided in Idaho, Nevada, California, and Utah. The tribes are very closely related cultural ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, northern

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

Goshute The Goshutes are a tribe of Western Shoshone Native Americans. There are two federally recognized Goshute tribes today: * Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation, located in Nevada and Utah * Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians of Utah ...

: western

, eastern

They traditionally speak the

Shoshoni language Shoshoni, also written as Shoshoni-Gosiute and Shoshone (; Shoshoni: soni ta̲i̲kwappe'', ''newe ta̲i̲kwappe'' or ''neme ta̲i̲kwappeh'') is a Numic language of the Uto-Aztecan family, spoken in the Western United States by the Shoshone ...

, part of the

Numic languages Numic is a branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family. It includes seven languages spoken by Native American peoples traditionally living in the Great Basin, Colorado River basin, Snake River basin, and southern Great Plains. The word Numic com ...

branch of the large

Uto-Aztecan language Uto-Aztecan, Uto-Aztekan or (rarely in English) Uto-Nahuatl is a family of indigenous languages of the Americas, consisting of over thirty languages. Uto-Aztecan languages are found almost entirely in the Western United States and Mexico. The n ...

family. The Shoshone were sometimes called the

Snake Indians Snake Indians is a collective name given to the Northern Paiute, Bannock (tribe), Bannock, and Shoshone Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribe (Native American), tribes. The term was used as early as 1739 by French trader an ...

by neighboring tribes and early American explorers. Their peoples have become members of

federally recognized tribes This is a list of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States of America. There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. , 574 Indian tribes were legally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the United ...

throughout their traditional areas of settlement, often co-located with the

Northern Paiute Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a r ...

people of the Great Basin.

Etymology

The name "Shoshone" comes from ''Sosoni'', a Shoshone word for high-growing grasses. Some neighboring tribes call the Shoshone "Grass House People," based on their traditional homes made from ''sosoni''. Shoshones call themselves ''Newe'', meaning "People".Loether, Christopher
"Shoshones."
''Encyclopedia of the Great Plains''. Retrieved 20 Oct 2013.

Meriwether Lewis Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774 – October 11, 1809) was an American explorer, soldier, politician, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery, with ...

recorded the tribe as the "Sosonees or snake Indians" in 1805.

Language

The

is spoken by approximately 1,000 people today. It belongs to the Central Numic branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Speakers are scattered from central Nevada to central Wyoming. The largest numbers of Shoshoni speakers live on the federally recognized

Duck Valley Indian Reservation The Duck Valley Indian Reservation () was established in the 19th century for the federally recognized Shoshone- Paiute Tribe. It is isolated in the high desert of the western United States, and lies on the state line, the 42nd parallel, betwee ...

, located on the border of Nevada and Idaho; and Goshute Reservation in Utah.

Idaho State University , mottoeng = "The truth will set you free" , established = , former_names = Academy of Idaho(1901–1915)Idaho Technical Institute(1915–1927)University of Idaho—Southern Branch(1927–1947)Idaho State ...

also offers Shoshoni-language classes.

History

Shoshone Mike's band after Death, February 26, 1911

Charles Ferrel and survivors Battle of Kelley Creek

The Shoshone are a

, who originated in the western

Great Basin The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic basin, endorheic watersheds, those with no outlets, in North America. It spans nearly all of Nevada, much of Utah, and portions of California, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and Baja California ...

and spread north and east into present-day Idaho and Wyoming. By 1500, some Eastern Shoshone had crossed the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

into the

Great Plains The Great Plains (french: Grandes Plaines), sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. It is located west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, an ...

. After 1750, warfare and pressure from the

Blackfoot The Blackfoot Confederacy, ''Niitsitapi'' or ''Siksikaitsitapi'' (ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ, meaning "the people" or " Blackfoot-speaking real people"), is a historic collective name for linguistically related groups that make up the Blackfoot or Bla ...

Crow A crow is a bird of the genus '' Corvus'', or more broadly a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. Crows are generally black in colour. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not pinned scientifica ...

Lakota Lakota may refer to: * Lakota people, a confederation of seven related Native American tribes *Lakota language, the language of the Lakota peoples Place names In the United States: * Lakota, Iowa * Lakota, North Dakota, seat of Nelson County * La ...

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enroll ...

, and

Arapaho The Arapaho (; french: Arapahos, ) are a Native American people historically living on the plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Lakota and Dakota. By the 1850s, Arapaho band ...

pushed Eastern Shoshone south and westward. Some of them moved as far south as Texas, emerging as the

Comanche The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in La ...

by 1700. As more European-American settlers migrated west, tensions rose with the indigenous people over competition for territory and resources. Wars occurred throughout the second half of the 19th century. The Northern Shoshone, led by Chief Pocatello, fought during the 1860s against settlers in Idaho (where the city

Pocatello Pocatello () is the county seat of and largest city in Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the principal city of the P ...

was named for him). As more settlers encroached on Shoshone hunting territory, the natives raided farms and ranches for food and attacked immigrants. The warfare resulted in the

Bear River Massacre The Bear River Massacre, or the Engagement on the Bear River, or the Battle of Bear River, or Massacre at Boa Ogoi, took place in present-day Franklin County, Idaho, on January 29, 1863. After years of skirmishes and food raids on farms and ranc ...

(1863) when US forces attacked and killed an estimated 250

Northwestern Shoshone The Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation ( shh, So-so-goi) is a federally recognized tribe of Shoshone people, located in Box Elder County, Utah. They are also known as the Northwestern Band of Shoshoni Indians.Pritzker 239 Current land hol ...

, who were at their winter encampment in present-day

Franklin County, Idaho Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 Census the county had a population of 14,194. The county seat and largest city is Preston. The county was established in 1913 and named after Franklin D. Richard ...

. A large number of the dead were non-combatants, including children, deliberately killed by the soldiers. This was the highest number of deaths which the Shoshone suffered at the hands of United States forces. 21 US soldiers were also killed. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

travelers continued to migrate westward along the

Westward Expansion Trails In the history of the American frontier, overland trails were built by pioneers throughout the 19th century and especially between 1829 and 1870 as an alternative to sea and railroad transport. These immigrants began to settle much of North Ame ...

. When the Shoshone, along with the Utes participated in attacks on the mail route that ran west out of

Fort Laramie Fort Laramie (founded as Fort William and known for a while as Fort John) was a significant 19th-century trading-post, diplomatic site, and military installation located at the confluence of the Laramie and the North Platte rivers. They joined ...

, the mail route had to be relocated south of the trail through

. Allied with the

Bannock Bannock may mean: * Bannock (food), a kind of bread, cooked on a stone or griddle * Bannock (Indigenous American), various types of bread, usually prepared by pan-frying * Bannock people, a Native American people of what is now southeastern Oregon ...

, to whom they were related, the Shoshone fought against the United States in the

Snake War Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more jo ...

from 1864 to 1868. They fought US forces together in 1878 in the

Bannock War The Bannock War of 1878 was an armed conflict between the U.S. military and Bannock and Paiute warriors in Idaho and northeastern Oregon from June to August 1878. The Bannock totaled about 600 to 800 in 1870 because of other Shoshone peoples b ...

. In 1876, by contrast, the Shoshone fought alongside the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

in the

Battle of the Rosebud The Battle of the Rosebud (also known as the Battle of Rosebud Creek) took place on June 17, 1876, in the Montana Territory between the United States Army and its Crow and Shoshoni allies against a force consisting mostly of Lakota Sioux and Nort ...

against their traditional enemies, the

and

. In 1879 a band of approximately 300

(known as " Sheepeaters") became involved in the

Sheepeater Indian War The Big Horned Sheepeater Indian War of 1879 was the last Indian war fought in the Pacific Northwest portion of the United States; it took place primarily in central Idaho. A high mountain band of approximately 300 Shoshone people, the Tukudeka, ...

. It was the last

Indian war Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asi ...

fought in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

region of the present-day United States. In 1911 a small group of Bannock under a leader named

Mike Daggett Mike Daggett, original Shoshoni name Ondongarte (died February 25, 1911), was a Shoshone man who is best known for his involvement in the Battle of Kelley Creek, during which he was killed with several members of his family. Daggett was also ...

, also known as "Shoshone Mike," killed four ranchers in

Washoe County, Nevada Washoe County () is a county in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 486,492, making it Nevada's second-most populous county. Its county seat is Reno. Washoe County is included in the Reno, NV Metropolitan Statist ...

. The settlers formed a

posse Posse is a shortened form of posse comitatus, a group of people summoned to assist law enforcement. The term is also used colloquially to mean a group of friends or associates. Posse may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Posse'' (1975 ...

and went out after the Native Americans. They caught up with the Bannock band on February 25, 1911, and in a gun battle killed Mike Daggett and seven members of his band. They lost one man of the posse, Ed Hogle. in the

Battle of Kelley Creek A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

. The posse captured a baby, two children and a young woman. (The three older captives died of diseases within a year; the baby,

Mary Jo Estep Mary Josephine Estep (1909 or 1910 — 19 December 1992) was a Shoshone child survivor of the Battle of Kelley Creek, "the last massacre" of Native Americans in the United States, in 1911. Early life Mary Josephine Estep was born in 1909 or 191 ...

, died in 1992). A rancher donated the partial remains of three adult males, two adult females, two adolescent males, and three children (believed to be Mike Daggett and his family, according to contemporary accounts) to the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

in Washington, DC, for study. In 1994, the institution repatriated the remains to the Fort Hall Idaho Shoshone-Bannock Tribe. In 2008 the

Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation The Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation ( shh, So-so-goi) is a federally recognized tribe of Shoshone people, located in Box Elder County, Utah. They are also known as the Northwestern Band of Shoshoni Indians.Pritzker 239 Current land hold ...

acquired the site of the

and some surrounding land. They wanted to protect the holy land and to build a memorial to the massacre, the largest their nation had suffered. "In partnership with the American West Heritage Center and state leaders in Idaho and Utah, the tribe has developed public/private partnerships to advance tribal cultural preservation and economic development goals." They have become leaders in developing tribal renewable energy.

Historical population

In 1845 the estimated population of Northern and Western Shoshone was 4,500, much reduced after they had suffered

infectious disease An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable dise ...

epidemic An epidemic (from Ancient Greek, Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of patients among a given population within an area in a short period of time. Epidemics ...

s and warfare. The completion of the

First transcontinental railroad North America's first transcontinental railroad (known originally as the "Pacific Railroad" and later as the " Overland Route") was a continuous railroad line constructed between 1863 and 1869 that connected the existing eastern U.S. rail netwo ...

in 1869 was followed by European-American immigrants arriving in unprecedented numbers in the territory. In 1937 the

Bureau of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and A ...

counted 3,650 Northern Shoshone and 1,201 Western Shoshone. As of the 2000 census, some 12,000 persons identified as Shoshone.

Bands

Shoshone people are divided into traditional bands based both on their homelands and primary food sources. These include: * Eastern Shoshone people: :* Guchundeka', Kuccuntikka, Buffalo EatersShimkin 335 :* Tukkutikka, Tukudeka, Mountain Sheep Eaters, joined the Northern Shoshone :* Boho'inee', Pohoini, Pohogwe, Sage Grass people, Sagebrush Butte People * Northern Shoshone people: :* Agaideka, Salmon Eaters, Lemhi, Snake River and Lemhi River ValleyMurphy and Murphy 306 :* Doyahinee', Mountain people :* Kammedeka, Kammitikka, Jack Rabbit Eaters, Snake River, Great Salt Lake :* Hukundüka, Porcupine Grass Seed Eaters, Wild Wheat Eaters, possibly synonymous with Kammitikka :* Tukudeka, Dukundeka', Sheep Eaters (Mountain Sheep Eaters), Sawtooth Range, Idaho :* Yahandeka, Yakandika, Groundhog Eaters, lower Boise, Payette, and Wiser RiversMurphy and Murphy 287 *

Western Shoshone people Western Shoshone comprise several Shoshone tribes that are indigenous to the Great Basin and have lands identified in the Treaty of Ruby Valley 1863. They resided in Idaho, Nevada, California, and Utah. The tribes are very closely related cultura ...

: :* Kusiutta, Goshute (Gosiute), Great Salt Desert and Great Salt Lake, Utah ::*Cedar Valley Goshute ::*Deep Creek Goshute ::*Rush Valley Goshute ::*Skull Valley Goshute, Wipayutta, Weber Ute ::*Tooele Valley Goshute ::*Trout Creek Goshute :*Kuyatikka, Kuyudikka, Bitterroot Eaters, Halleck, Mary's River, Clover Valley, Smith Creek Valley, Nevada :*Mahaguadüka, Mentzelia Seed Eaters, Ruby Valley, Nevada :*Painkwitikka, Penkwitikka, Fish Eaters, Cache Valley, Idaho and Utah :*Pasiatikka, Redtop Grass Eaters, Deep Creek Gosiute, Deep Creek Valley, Antelope Valley :*Tipatikka, Pinenut Eaters, northernmost band :*Tsaiduka, Tule Eaters, Railroad Valley, Nevada :*Tsogwiyuyugi, Elko, Nevada :*Waitikka, Ricegrass Eaters, Ione Valley, Nevada :*Watatikka, Ryegrass Seed Eaters, Ruby Valley, Nevada :*Wiyimpihtikka, Buffalo Berry EatersThomas, Pendleton, and Cappannari 280–283

Reservations and Indian colonies

Battle Mountain Reservation The Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians of Nevada is a federally recognized tribe of Western Shoshone Indians in northeastern Nevada. History The tribe organized under the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act. Western Shoshone elected a traditiona ...

, Lander County, Nevada. Current reservation population is 165 and total tribal enrollment is 516. * Big Pine Reservation, central

Owens Valley Owens Valley (Numic Numic is a branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family. It includes seven languages spoken by Native American peoples traditionally living in the Great Basin, Colorado River basin, Snake River basin, and southern Great Pl ...

Inyo County, California Inyo County () is a county in the eastern central part of the U.S. state of California, located between the Sierra Nevada and the state of Nevada. In the 2020 census, the population was 19,016. The county seat is Independence. Inyo County is ...

; Owens Valley Paiute Shoshone * Bishop Community of the Bishop Colony, northern

; * Death Valley Indian Community, Furnace Creek,

Death Valley National Park Death Valley National Park is an American national park that straddles the California–Nevada border, east of the Sierra Nevada. The park boundaries include Death Valley, the northern section of Panamint Valley, the southern section of Eureka ...

, California; Timbisha Shoshone *

, southern Idaho/northern Nevada, (Western) Shoshone-Paiute Tribes * Duckwater Indian Reservation, located in

Duckwater, Nevada Duckwater is an unincorporated community located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Nevada, in the Duckwater Valley at about the same latitude as Sacramento, California. It is in Nye County, at the eastern edge of the Duckwater Indian ...

, approximately from Ely. *

Elko Indian Colony The Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians of Nevada is a federally recognized tribe of Western Shoshone Indians in northeastern Nevada. History The tribe organized under the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act. Western Shoshone elected a traditio ...

Elko County, Nevada Elko County is a county in the northeastern corner of Nevada, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 53,702. Its county seat is Elko. The county was established on March 5, 1869, from Lander County. Elko County is the fourth ...

Ely Shoshone Indian Reservation The Ely Shoshone Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation for the Ely Shoshone Tribe of Nevada, Shoshone people, in and near the south side of the city of Ely in south-central White Pine County, Nevada White Pine County is a largely rur ...

Ely, Nevada Ely (, ) is the largest city and county seat of White Pine County, Nevada, United States. Ely was founded as a stagecoach station along the Pony Express and Central Overland Route. In 1906 copper was discovered. Ely's mining boom came later than ...

, 111 acres (0.45 km²), 500 members * Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Reservation near

Fallon, Nevada Fallon is a city in Churchill County in the U.S. state of Nevada. The population was 9,327 at time of the 2020 census. Fallon is the county seat of Churchill County and is located in the Lahontan Valley. History The community was first populat ...

, 8,200 acres (33 km²), 991 members, Western Shoshone and Paiute *

Fort Hall Indian Reservation The Fort Hall Reservation is a Native American reservation of the federally recognized Shoshone-Bannock Tribes (Shoshoni language: Pohoko’ikkateeCrum, B., Crum, E., & Dayley, J. P. (2001). Newe Hupia: Shoshoni Poetry Songs. University Press ...

, 544,000 acres (2,201 km²) in

Lemhi Shoshone The Lemhi Shoshone are a tribe of Northern Shoshone, also called the Akaitikka, Agaidika, or "Eaters of Salmon".Murphy and Murphy, 306 The name "Lemhi" comes from Fort Lemhi, a Mormon mission to this group. They traditionally lived in the Lemhi Ri ...

with the Bannock Indians, a

Paiute Paiute (; also Piute) refers to three non-contiguous groups of indigenous peoples of the Great Basin. Although their languages are related within the Numic group of Uto-Aztecan languages, these three groups do not form a single set. The term "Pai ...

band with which they have merged * Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation, Nevada and Oregon, Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe *

Goshute Indian Reservation The Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation is located in Juab County, Utah, Tooele County, Utah, and White Pine County, Nevada, United States. It is one of two federally recognized tribes of Goshute people, the other being the Skull Vall ...

, 111,000 acres (449 km²) in Nevada and Utah, Western Shoshone * Lemhi Indian Reservation (1875–1907) in Idaho, Lemhi Shoshone, removed to Fort Hall Reservation * Lone Pine Community of the Lone Pine Reservation, lower

; Owens Valley Paiute Shoshone * Northwestern Shoshone Indian Reservation, Utah, Northwestern Band of Shoshone Nation of Utah (Washakie)"Northwestern Band of Shoshone Tribal Profile."
''Utah Division of Indian Affairs.'' Retrieved 23 Dec 2012. *

Reno-Sparks Indian Colony The Reno-Sparks Indian Colony in Nevada was established in the early 1900s by members of related tribes who lived near Reno for work; they became a federally recognized tribe in 1934 after forming a government under the Indian Reorganization Ac ...

, Nevada, 1,988 acres (8 km²), total 481 members of Shoshone, Paiute, and Washoe bands *

Skull Valley Indian Reservation The Skull Valley Indian Reservation (Gosiute dialect: Wepayuttax) is located in Tooele County, Utah, United States, approximately southwest of Salt Lake City. It is inhabited by the Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians of Utah, a federally reco ...

, 18,000 acres (73 km²) in Utah, Western Shoshone *

South Fork Odgers Ranch Indian Colony The Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians of Nevada is a federally recognized tribe of Western Shoshone Indians in northeastern Nevada. History The tribe organized under the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act. Western Shoshone elected a traditiona ...

Wells Indian Colony The Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians of Nevada is a federally recognized tribe of Western Shoshone Indians in northeastern Nevada. History The tribe organized under the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act. Western Shoshone elected a traditiona ...

Wind River Reservation The Wind River Indian Reservation, in the west-central portion of the U.S. state of Wyoming, is shared by two Native American tribes, the Eastern Shoshone ( shh, Gweechoon Deka, ''meaning: "buffalo eaters"'') and the Northern Arapaho ( arp, ho ...

, population 2,650 Eastern Shoshone, 2,268,008 acres (9,178 km²) of reservation in Wyoming are shared with the Northern

Notable people

Sacagawea Sacagawea ( or ; also spelled Sakakawea or Sacajawea; May – December 20, 1812 or April 9, 1884)Sacagawea
...

(1788–1812),

guide of the

Lewis and Clark Expedition The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select gro ...

Jean Baptiste Charbonneau Jean Baptiste Charbonneau (February 11, 1805 – May 16, 1866) was a Native American-French Canadian explorer, guide, fur trapper, trader, military scout during the Mexican–American War, ''alcalde'' (mayor) of Mission San Luis Rey de Franc ...

(1805–1866) son of Sacagawea, explorer, guide, military scout *

Cameahwait Cameahwait was the brother of Sacagawea, and a Shoshone chief. He was the head of the first group of inhabitants of modern-day Idaho who were encountered by Europeans. Cameahwait met Meriwether Lewis and three other members of the Lewis and Cla ...

, chief in the early 19th century *

Bear Hunter Bear Hunter (died January 29, 1863), "also known as Wirasuap (bear spirit)" was a Shoshone chief of the Great Basin in the 1860s. On January 29, 1863, he and his Shoshone band (Northwestern Band) were attacked by the US Army in what is know ...

(d. 1863), war chief * Old Toby *

Ned Blackhawk Ned Blackhawk (b. ca. 1970) is a Te-Moak tribe, Western Shoshone American historian currently on the faculty of Yale University. In 2007 he received the Frederick Jackson Turner Award for his first major book, ''Violence Over the Land: Indians a ...

(b. ca. 1970), historian and professor at Yale *

Mary Dann and Carrie Dann The Dann Sisters, Mary Dann (1923–2005) and Carrie Dann (1932–2021), were Western Shoshone elders who were spiritual leaders, ranchers, and cultural, spiritual rights and land rights activists. They challenged the federal government over uses ...

* Randy'L He-dow Teton * Chief Washakie * Chief Pocatello *

Lolly Vegas Lolly Vegas (born Candido Albelando Vasquez-Vegas; October 2, 1939 – March 4, 2010) was a Mexican American musician of Indigenous descent. He played in numerous ensembles with his brother, Pat, including Pat & Lolly Vegas, The Avantis and Re ...

, lead singer of

Redbone (band) Redbone is an American rock music, rock band founded in 1969 by brothers Pat Vegas, Pat and Lolly Vegas. All band members during their commercial peak were of Mexican American and Native Americans in the United States, Native American heritage, w ...

Taboo (rapper) Jaime Luis Gomez (born July 14, 1975), better known by the stage names Taboo, or Taboo Nawasha is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, DJ and comic book writer, best known as a member of the musical group Black Eyed Peas. Early lif ...

, member of the

Black Eyed Peas Black Eyed Peas (also known as The Black Eyed Peas) is an American musical group consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo (rapper), Taboo. The group's line-up during the height of their popularity in the 2000s featured Fergie (singer ...

(Shoshone grandmother)

Notes

References

* Murphy, Robert A., and Yolanda Murphy. "Northern Shoshone and Bannock." Warren L. d'Azevedo, volume editor. ''

Handbook of North American Indians The ''Handbook of North American Indians'' is a series of edited scholarly and reference volumes in Native American studies, published by the Smithsonian Institution beginning in 1978. Planning for the handbook series began in the late 1960s and ...

: Great Basin, Volume 11.'' Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution, 1986: 284–307. . * Shimkin, Demitri B. "Eastern Shoshone." Warren L. d'Azevedo, volume editor. ''

: Great Basin, Volume 11.'' Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution, 1986: 308–335. . * Thomas, David H., Lorann S.A. Pendleton, and Stephen C. Cappannari. "Western Shoshone." Warren L. d'Azevedo, volume editor. ''

: Great Basin, Volume 11.'' Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution, 1986: 262–283. .

External links

Northern Shoshone treatiesGreat Basin Indian ArchivesReno-Sparks Indian ColonyTe-Moak Tribe of the Western Shoshone Indians of NevadaTimbisha Tribe of the Western Shoshone NationWestern Shoshone Defense Project

The Sheepeaters
{{Authority control Indigenous peoples of the Great Basin Native American tribes in Colorado Native American tribes in Idaho Native American tribes in Montana Native American tribes in Nevada Native American tribes in Oregon Native American tribes in Utah Native American tribes in Wyoming