Western Shoshone comprise several
Shoshone tribe
The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confli ...
s that are
indigenous
Indigenous may refer to:
*Indigenous peoples
*Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention
*Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band
*Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
to the
Great Basin and have lands identified in the
Treaty of Ruby Valley 1863
The Treaty of Ruby Valley was a treaty signed with the Western Shoshone in 1863, giving certain rights to the United States in the Nevada Territory. The Western Shoshone did not cede land under this treaty but agreed to allow the US the "right to t ...
. They resided in
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 Wyomi ...
,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the 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. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, and
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 ...
. The tribes are very closely related culturally to the
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 "Paiu ...
,
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 o ...
,
Bannock,
Ute, and
Timbisha
The Timbisha ("rock paint", Timbisha language: Nümü Tümpisattsi) are a Native American tribe federally recognized as the Death Valley Timbisha Shoshone Band of California. They are known as the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe and are located in sout ...
tribes.
They speak the Western dialect of the
Shoshone language. Other Shoshone-speaking groups include the
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 o ...
(Utah-Nevada border),
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), and
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 ...
(western Wyoming).
Bands
Bands of Western Shoshone are named for their traditional geographical homelands and their primary food sources.
:*Kuyatikka (Kuyudikka,
Bitterroot
Bitterroot (''Lewisia rediviva'') is a small perennial herb in the family Montiaceae. Its specific epithet ("revived, reborn") refers to its ability to regenerate from dry and seemingly dead roots.
The genus '' Lewisia'' was moved in 2009 fro ...
Eaters), Halleck, Mary's River, Clover Valley, Smith Creek Valley, Nevada
[
:*Mahaguadüka (]Mentzelia
''Mentzelia'' is a genus of about 60-70 species of flowering plants in the family Loasaceae, native to the Americas. The genus comprises annual, biennial, and perennial herbaceous plants and a few shrubs.
They are commonly called blazing stars ...
Seed Eaters), Reese River
The Reese River is a tributary of the Humboldt River, located in central Nevada in the western United States.
The Reese rises in the southern section of the Toiyabe Range, on the flanks of Arc Dome. In its upper reaches, the Reese River is a ...
, Ruby Valley
{{coord, 40.400, -115.300, display=title
Ruby Valley is a large basin located in south-central Elko and northern White Pine counties in the northeastern section of the state of Nevada in the western United States. From Secret Pass it runs south- ...
, Nevada[
:*Painkwitikka (Penkwitikka, Fish Eaters), Cache Valley, Idaho and Utah][
:*Tipatikka (Tepattekka'a, Tetadeka, ]Pinenut
Pine nuts, also called piñón (), pinoli (), pignoli or chilgoza (), are the edible seeds of pines (family Pinaceae, genus ''Pinus''). According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, only 29 species provide edible nuts, while 20 are trade ...
Eaters, Bia Tevateka), northernmost band,[ northern Utah
:*Tosawiˑccɨh (Tosaˑwihi, Dosawii, White Knife Shoshone), Battle Mountain, Nevada (perhaps variant name for the Tsogwiyuyugi)
:*Tsaiduka (]Tule
''Schoenoplectus acutus'' ( syn. ''Scirpus acutus, Schoenoplectus lacustris, Scirpus lacustris'' subsp. ''acutus''), called tule , common tule, hardstem tule, tule rush, hardstem bulrush, or viscid bulrush, is a giant species of sedge in the pl ...
Eaters), Railroad Valley
Railroad Valley is one of the Central Nevada Desert Basins in the Tonopah Basin and is about long north-south and up to wide, with some southern areas running southwest to northeast.
Description
The southern end of the valley begins near Gra ...
, Nevada[
:*Tsogwiyuyugi, ]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 ...
[
:*Waitikka (]Ricegrass
''Oryzopsis'' is a genus of Chinese and North American plants in the grass family. Species from this genus are commonly called ricegrass.[Ryegrass
''Lolium'' is a genus of tufted grasses in the bluegrass subfamily (Pooideae). It is often called ryegrass, but this term is sometimes used to refer to grasses in other genera.
They are characterized by bunch-like growth habits. ''Lolium'' i ...]
Seed Eaters), Ruby Valley
{{coord, 40.400, -115.300, display=title
Ruby Valley is a large basin located in south-central Elko and northern White Pine counties in the northeastern section of the state of Nevada in the western United States. From Secret Pass it runs south- ...
, Nevada[
:*Wiyimpihtikka (]Buffalo Berry
''Shepherdia'', commonly called buffaloberry or bullberry, is a genus of small shrubs in the Elaeagnaceae family. The plants are native to northern and western North America. They are non-legume nitrogen fixers.
''Shepherdia'' is dioecious, wit ...
Eaters), Big Smoky Valley, Nevada:[Thomas, Pendleton, and Cappannari 280–283]
Tribes
Federally recognized Western Shoshone tribes include:
* Duckwater Shoshone Tribe of the Duckwater Reservation
The Duckwater Shoshone Tribe of the Duckwater Reservation is a federally recognized tribe of Western Shoshone, based in central Nevada in the high desert Railroad Valley, in northern Nye County. Their autonym is ''Tsaidüka'' in their Shoshoni lan ...
, Nevada
* Ely Shoshone Tribe of Nevada
* Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribes of the Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation, Nevada and Oregon
* 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 ...
, Utah
* Paiute-Shoshone Tribe of the Fallon Reservation and Colony, Nevada
* 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
* Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley 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, between ...
, Nevada
* Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians of Nevada
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 ...
:* Battle Mountain Band
:* Elko Band
:* South Fork Band
:*Wells Band
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 ...
* Yomba Shoshone Tribe of the Yomba Reservation, Nevada.
Legal battles
The Western Shoshone have been engaged in legal battles with the federal government over rights to their land since the erroneous filing of a claim in 1951 for land presumed to have been taken. Most western states comprising the Great Basin were created by federal statutes that referenced that "no part of Indian country will be included into the boundaries or jurisdiction of any state or territory ...without the consent of the Indians". 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 ...
1861–1864, gold was needed from the west by the Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
to prosecute the war against the south.
The Doty treaties were entered into by the US with the Shoshone. In 1863 the Treaty of Ruby Valley was entered into with the Western Bands of the Shoshone Nation (18 Statute 689–692) and identified the boundaries of their territory. The Western Shoshone did not consent to the inclusion of their property into the boundaries or jurisdiction of any state or territory. The Western Shoshone possess all the interests the United States sought to purchase by the treaty for $5,000 per year for 20 years. The treaty was also used by the Union to demonstrate to Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
an governments and banks backing the Union that it could do what it said and provide the gold needed for the war. "the treaty is in full force and effect" The United States failed to make any, but the first payment.
In an effort to close a 1951 Indian Claims Commission 326-k case, the Western Shoshone Claims Distribution Act of 2004 established by the United States to give the perception that the Indians have been served justice, made payment of $160 million to the Great Basin tribe for the perceived acquisition of . The 326-k claim was $1.05 per acre for 26,000 million acres but did not in fact constitute a transfer of rights, title and interest since the Treaty of Ruby Valley is controlling. These facts are the basis for the failure of the United States Department of Energy to prove ownership to the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository and the withdrawal of the license application. In 1979 Congress appropriated $26 million to settle the land claims, but the tribes said they wanted the US to abide by the 1863 treaty and stop trespassing on their lands.
In 1985 the US Supreme Court ruled in the US v. Dann that the appropriation of funds by Congress and the acceptance by the Secretary of the Interior constitutes "payment" and effects Section 70 U of the ICC Act and forever bars further claims and Western Shoshone title is 'presumed to be extinguished', but the tribes have left the money with the government. As recently as 2004, Congress has attempted to force the purchase of Western Shoshone land but this has been opposed by the majority of tribal leaders. Disputes over tribal land and the international recognition by the United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
of their struggle against the United States government is documented in the 2008 film '' American Outrage''.
Western Shoshone have demonstrated related to a number of issues as they try to protect their property; they have called for an end to nuclear testing within their country as well as filing injunctions against gold mining
Gold mining is the extraction of gold resources by mining. Historically, mining gold from alluvial deposits used manual separation processes, such as gold panning. However, with the expansion of gold mining to ores that are not on the surface, ...
that would result in dewatering of Mount Tenabo
Mount Tenabo (Shoshoni: "Lookout Mountain") is the principal peak in the Cortez Mountains. The mountain is of cultural and religious significance to the Western Shoshone people.
Etymology
There are various theories as to the name's etymology. Th ...
, Nevada.
Passports
The Western Shoshone have issued their own passports since 1992. In 2010, when Timbisha Shoshone Chairman Joe Kennedy and Western Shoshone elder Carrie Dann went to the World Peoples Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth in Cochabamba, Bolivia
Cochabamba ( ay, Quchapampa; qu, Quchapampa) is a city and municipality in central Bolivia in a valley in the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cochabamba Department and the fourth largest city in Bolivia, with a population of 630 ...
, Chairman Kennedy traveled on his Western Shoshone passport. For further information on passport issues, see the Iroquois passport
The Iroquois or Haudenosaunee passport is a form of identification and an " expression of sovereignty" used by the nationals of the Six Nations (Iroquois: ''Haudenosaunee'').
History
The Haudenosaunee government has issued passports since at le ...
.
Notable Western Shoshone
*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 ...
(Te-Moak), historian and professor at Yale
* Carrie Dann, elder and lands right activist
* Mary Dann, elder and land rights activist
* Corbin Harney, elder and anti-nuclear activist
* Darlene Cheryl Murphy (maiden name: Darrough) elder that speaks Shoshone fluently, and she is a retired NDOT Engineer. Commended by many for her beadwork, basket weaving, and for all of the years she spent pushing for the Western Shoshone people to receive their rightful portion of millions of dollars accumulating interest sitting in an account from the U.S. Government (activists who were members of the Western Shoshone slowed distribution down by demanding money and land) but Darlene spoke for herself, her daughter, and her grandchildren stating she was not demanding anything. But that she wanted to be able to see this money before her life is over. Sadly her father died before the money was distributed. She has made good choices in life with the thought of her dad always watching over her, so she only wanted to make him proud.
After many years of Darlene relentlessly contacting political officials personally and traveling to Washington D.C. to speak to them face to face, she was respectfully heard, which lead to the Western Shoshone money finally being distributed. Approximately $22,500.00 was given to each qualifying Western Shoshone, compensation from the U.S. Government for the inhumane sufferings their ancestors and relatives unforgettably endured.
See also
*Western Shoshone Claims Distribution Act of 2004 The Western Shoshone Claims Distribution Act of 2004 established the legal framework for the distribution of the "Western Shoshone Judgement Funds" stemming from docket 326-K before the Indian Claims Commission. It further establishes an educationa ...
Notes
References
* Kroeber, A. L. 1925. ''Handbook of the Indians of California''. Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin No. 78. Washington, D.C.
* Thomas, David H., Lorann S.A. Pendleton, and Stephen C. Cappannari. "Western Shoshone." 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: 262–283. .
"Western Shoshone Struggle Earns World Recognition"
External links
*http://www.nativecommunityactioncouncil.org
*http://www.poohabah.org
Great Basin Indian Archives
Te-Moak Tribe of the Western Shoshone Indians of Nevada
Timbisha Tribe of the Western Shoshone Nation
Western Shoshone Defense Project Records
Special Collections, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Reno.
{{authority control
Native American tribes in California
Native American tribes in Nevada
Native American tribes in Utah
Native American tribes in Idaho