Western Shoshone
Encyclopedia
Western Shoshone comprises several Shoshone
tribe
s 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 culturally to the Paiute
, Goshute
, Bannock
, Ute
, and Timbisha
tribes. Linguistically, they speak the Western dialect of the Shoshone language
. Other Shoshone-speaking groups include the Goshute
(Utah-Nevada border), Northern Shoshone (southern Idaho), and Eastern Shoshone (western Wyoming).
Federally recognized Western Shoshone Tribes include Duckwater Shoshone Tribe, Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians of Nevada
and its four constituent band councils of Battle Mountain Band, Elko Band, Wells Band and South Fork Band), and Yomba Western Shoshone Tribe (near Austin, Nevada
) and Timbisha Shoshone Tribe (in the region surrounding Death Valley, California) and Ely Shoshone Tribe Other affiliated Tribes Include: Owyhee Shoshone Paiute Tribe, Bishop Paiute-Shoshone Tribe, Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe, and the Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Tribe.
The Western Shoshone have been engaged in legal battles with the federal government over rights to their land since 1962. As recently as 2004, Congress has attempted to force the purchase of Western Shoshone land but has been opposed by the majority of tribal leaders. Disputes over tribal land and international recognition of their struggle against the United States government is documented in the 2008 film American Outrage.
Shoshone
The Shoshone or Shoshoni are a Native American tribe in the United States with three large divisions: the Northern, the Western and the Eastern....
tribe
Tribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
s that are indigenous
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
to the Great Basin
Great Basin
The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds in North America and is noted for its arid conditions and Basin and Range topography that varies from the North American low point at Badwater Basin to the highest point of the contiguous United States, less than away at the...
and have lands identified in the Treaty of Ruby Valley 1863
Treaty of Ruby Valley 1863
The Treaty of Ruby Valley was a treaty signed in 1863, giving certain rights to the United States in the Nevada Territory. The treaty was signed by Numaga , a minor Paiute head man, in August 1863. As late as December 1992, Western Shoshone were still disputing the terms of this treaty with...
. They resided in Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. The tribes are very closely related culturally to the Paiute
Paiute
Paiute refers to three closely related groups of Native Americans — the Northern Paiute of California, Idaho, Nevada and Oregon; the Owens Valley Paiute of California and Nevada; and the Southern Paiute of Arizona, southeastern California and Nevada, and Utah.-Origin of name:The origin of...
, Goshute
Goshute
The Goshutes are a band of Western Shoshone Native American. There are two federally recognized Goshute tribes today: the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation and Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians of Utah of the Skull Valley Indian Reservation.-Name:The name Goshute derived either from...
, Bannock
Bannock (tribe)
The Bannock tribe of the Northern Paiute are an indigenous people of the Great Basin. Their traditional lands include southeastern Oregon, southeastern Idaho, western Wyoming, and southwestern Montana...
, Ute
Ute Tribe
The Ute are an American Indian people now living primarily in Utah and Colorado. There are three Ute tribal reservations: Uintah-Ouray in northeastern Utah ; Southern Ute in Colorado ; and Ute Mountain which primarily lies in Colorado, but extends to Utah and New Mexico . The name of the state of...
, and Timbisha
Timbisha
The Timbisha 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 south central California, near the Nevada border.-History:The Timbisha have lived in the Death Valley region of...
tribes. Linguistically, they speak the Western dialect of the Shoshone language
Shoshone language
Shoshoni or Shoshone is a Native American language spoken by the Shoshone people. Principal dialects of Shoshoni include Western Shoshoni in Nevada, Gosiute in western Utah, Northern Shoshoni in southern Idaho and northern Utah, and Eastern Shoshoni in Wyoming.Shoshoni-speaking Native Americans...
. Other Shoshone-speaking groups include the Goshute
Goshute
The Goshutes are a band of Western Shoshone Native American. There are two federally recognized Goshute tribes today: the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation and Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians of Utah of the Skull Valley Indian Reservation.-Name:The name Goshute derived either from...
(Utah-Nevada border), Northern Shoshone (southern Idaho), and Eastern Shoshone (western Wyoming).
Federally recognized Western Shoshone Tribes include Duckwater Shoshone Tribe, Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians of 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...
and its four constituent band councils of Battle Mountain Band, Elko Band, Wells Band and South Fork Band), and Yomba Western Shoshone Tribe (near Austin, Nevada
Austin, Nevada
Austin is a small, unincorporated community located in Lander County, Nevada, in the United States. As of 2004, its population is approximately 340. It is located on the western slopes of the Toiyabe Range at an elevation of . U.S...
) and Timbisha Shoshone Tribe (in the region surrounding Death Valley, California) and Ely Shoshone Tribe Other affiliated Tribes Include: Owyhee Shoshone Paiute Tribe, Bishop Paiute-Shoshone Tribe, Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe, and the Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Tribe.
The Western Shoshone have been engaged in legal battles with the federal government over rights to their land since 1962. As recently as 2004, Congress has attempted to force the purchase of Western Shoshone land but has been opposed by the majority of tribal leaders. Disputes over tribal land and international recognition of their struggle against the United States government is documented in the 2008 film American Outrage.
Notable Western Shoshone
- Ned BlackhawkNed BlackhawkNed Blackhawk 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 second major book, Violence Over the Land: Indians and Empire in the Early American West .-Life:Blackhawk grew up as an...
, a Te-Moak historian and professor at Yale - Mary DannMary DannThe Dann Sisters, Mary Dann and her sister, Carrie were Western Shoshone spiritual leaders, ranchers, and cultural, spiritual rights and land rights activists. Carrie and Mary Dann filed a request for urgent action with the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination...
- Corbin HarneyCorbin HarneyCorbin Harney was an elder and spiritual leader of the Newe people. Harney reportedly inspired the creation in 1994 of the Shundahai Network, which works for environmental justice and the abolition of nuclear weapons...
, elder and anti-nuclear activist - Felix Ike, Western Shoshone Claims Steering Committee
- Mary McCloud, Western Shoshone elder and activist
- Frank Temoak, Western Shoshone traditional hereditary chief
- Pauline Esteves, Western Shoshone elder and activist