In this section of our guide to American Indians, we will focus on the Shoshone (Shoshoni) people.
There are four major cultural and linguistic divisions of Shoshone. These are the Eastern Shoshone, the Northern Shoshone, the Western Shoshone, and the Goshute.
Today, most Shoshone are members of federally recognized tribes throughout their traditional settlement areas, where they are often co-located with the Northern Paiute people. These include the Battle Mountain Reservation in Nevada, the Duck Valley Indian Reservation in southern Idaho and northern Nevada, the Duckwater Indian Reservation in Nevada, the Elko Indian Colony in Nevada, the Ely Shoshone Indian Reservation in Nevada, the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Reservation in Nevada, the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in Idaho, the Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation in Nevada and Oregon, the Goshute Indian Reservation in Nevada and Utah, the Lemhi Indian Reservation in Idaho, the Northwestern Shoshone Indian Reservation in Utah, the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony in Nevada, the Skull Valley Indian Reservation in Utah, the South Fork Odgers Ranch Indian Colony in Nevada, the Wells Indian Colony in Nevada, and the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming.
The Shoshone are an American Indian group occupying the Great Basin of the United States Southwest. The Northern Shoshone were once known as the Snake Indians because many of their settlements were along the Snake River in Utah. This term was sometimes applied to the Shoshone people at large, perhaps because the Shoshone sign for themselves in Plains Indian Sign Language resembled a snake.
While they are now a distinct tribe with their own culture, the Comanche are a relatively recent offshoot of the Wyoming Shoshone, and Shoshone dialects are so similar that someone speaking the Comanche language would have no trouble conversing with members of other Shoshone groups. Historians hold that the Comanche split from the Shoshone in Wyoming during the 17th century, migrating south along the eastern face of the Rocky Mountains to Texas, a move made more likely with the acquisition of horses.
It is believed that the ancestors of the Shoshone were confined to the periphery of the Great Basin due to the larger strength of the Fremont culture, which dominated the Great Basin from 400 to 1300 AD. When the Fremont abandoned the area, the Shoshone were able to move in. later branching out into southeastern California, southeastern Oregon, southern Idaho, western Wyoming, and western Colorado, and divisions of the Shoshone still inhabit a large portion of the West.
The Northern Shoshone are concentrated in eastern Idaho, western Wyoming, and southeastern Utah, while the Western Shoshone are in Nevada, western Idaho, Oregon, northwestern Utah, and California, the Eastern Shoshone are in Wyoming, Colorado, and Montana, and the Goshute are in western Utah and eastern Nevada.
Today, Eastern Shoshone are members of the Northwestern Band of Shoshoni Nation of Utah, and the Shoshone Tribe of the Wind River Reservation. Descendants of the Northern Shoshone people are members of three federally recognized tribes in Idaho and Utah: Duck Valley Indian Reservation, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Reservation of Idaho, and the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation. Contemporary Western Shoshone tribes include the Duckwater Shoshone Tribe of the Duckwater Reservation, the Ely Shoshone Tribe of Nevada, the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribes of the Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation, the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation, the Paiute-Shoshone Tribe of the Fallon Reservation and Colony, the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation, the Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians of Nevada (Battle Mountain Band, Elko Band, South Fork Band, and the Wells Band), and the Yomba Shoshone Tribe of the Yomba Reservation. With fewer than 150 members, Goshute people are members of the Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians of Utah.
Sacagawea, a Lemhi Shoshone, was a guide for the Lewis and Clark Expedition. In 2000, the U.S. Mint issued the Sacagawea Dollar in her honor, depicting Sacagawea and her son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau. Lacking a contemporary image of Sacagawea, the face on the coin was actually modeled on a modern Shoshone-Bannock woman, Randy'L He-dow Teton. Several geographical features and parks have been named for Sacagawea.
Other notable Shoshone people have included Chief Washakie, who was considered the head of the Eastern Shoshone in the late 19th century. Chief Pocatello was a leader of the Northern Shoshone in the mid-19th century. He led a series of attacks against emigrant parties in the Utah Territory and along the Oregon Trail before surrendering and moving his people to their current reservation in Idaho.
Topics related to the Shoshone tribes, reservations, or individuals are appropriate here.
Recommended Resources
The Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation (CTGR) are one of two federally recognized tribes of the Goshute people. Headquartered in Ibapah, Utah, the reservation is in Juab and Tooele counties in Utah and White Pine County in Nevada. Approximately 200 tribal members reside on the 122,085-acre reservation. Council contacts, tribal council meeting schedules, information packets, announcements, and a calendar of events are set forth, and available CTGR positions are posted.
https://ctgr.us/
The federally recognized tribe of Western Shoshone is based in central Nevada, in northern Nye County. The reservation was established in 1940 when the tribe purchased the 3,272-acre Flior Ranch. In 2016, the Federal Bureau of Land Management gave the tribe 31,269 acres. The tribe's heritage, tribal government, tribal council, committees, and profile are set forth, along with photographs, videos, career opportunities, and departmental and administrative contacts.
https://duckwatertribe.org/
Originally inhabiting Wyoming and the northeast corner of the Great Basin where Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming meet, the Eastern Shoshone are currently settled on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. The history of the tribe is told here, including the Fort Bridger Treaty of 1868 and its tribal government, business council, cultural center, educational programs, businesses, and enterprises. Job opportunities, a calendar of events, and contacts are posted on the site.
https://easternshoshone.org/
Situated in and near the south side of the City of Ely in south-central White Pine County, Nevada, the Ely Shoshone Indian Reservation has a land area of just under 105 acres, an enrolled membership of around 500, and a resident population of between 100 and 150 people. As a self-governing tribe, the Ely Shoshone Tribe is a sovereign nation governed by a tribal constitution with a body of five tribal council members. Tribal news, departments, and administrative contacts are provided.
https://www.elyshoshonetribe.com/
The Paiute-Shoshone Tribe of the Fallon Reservation and Colony is a federally recognized tribe of Northern Paiute and Western Shoshone Indians in Churchill County, Nevada. Established in 1887, the reservation is comprised of 5,540 acres, on which a population of 1,692 reside. The tribal government, departments, and a calendar of events are published on the website, which includes news and announcements, access to various documents and forms, employment opportunities, and contacts.
https://www.fpst.org/
Ft. McDermitt Paiute-Shoshone Tribe
Spanning the Nevada and Oregon borders, next to Idaho, the federally recognized tribe of Northern Paiute and Western Shoshone people are close culturally and linguistically to the Bannock people and other tribes speaking the Shoshone language. In 2016, the Bureau of Land Management gave the tribe an additional 19,094 acres of land to expand its reservation, which originally had 16,354 acres in Nevada and 19,000 acres in Oregon. Tribal services, programs, and events are featured.
https://www.fmcdwc.org/
Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation
Sometimes referred to as the Northwestern Band of Shoshoni Indians, the Northwestern Ban is a federally recognized tribe of Shoshone people in Box Elder County, Utah, near the Idaho border. The Band does not consider its land a reservation since it owns it, is self-sustaining, and is not reliant on federal sponsorship. The Nation's history, tribal council, staff, and administrative contacts are provided, along with tribal services, its library, cultural programs, and events.
http://www.nwbshoshone.com/
Established in the early 1900s by members of related tribes who lived near Reno for work, The Indian Colony became a federally recognized tribe in 1934. Based in Reno, the tribe consists of more than a thousand members from three Great Basin tribes: the Paiute, the Shoshone, and the Washoe. The reservation land consisted of the original 28-acre Colony and another 1,920 acres put into trust in 1984 until 2016 when the Barack Obama administration transferred 13,400 acres of BLM land to the tribe.
https://www.rsic.org/
As an entity of the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation, Sacred Circle has five locations: one in Ibapah, two in West Valley City, and two in Salt Lake City, Utah. The website provides its locations, directions, and contacts, along with details of its services and programs, a list of providers, career information, hours of operation, and a calendar of community events. Appointments may be scheduled through the website, and a patient portal is provided.
https://sacredcircle.com/
Sho-Ban News covers Idaho and Indian Country and is owned by the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes in Fort Hall, Idaho. Its print edition is available for six-month and yearly subscriptions, payable by check or money order, but no digital edition exists. The site also posts advertising opportunities, contacts, community events, classified advertising, and obituaries. Sports reporting and selected news items are also available. Links to Shoshone and other relevant online resources are included.
http://shobannews.com/
Shoshone-Bannock School District #537
Located in Fort Hall, Idaho, the junior-senior high school educates Native American students about their heritage, rights, and responsibilities and prepares them for a lifetime of learning and achievement. The school offers free special education and Section 504 services to students who meet federal and state requirements. A school calendar, students, staff, and parent information and resources, its athletics program, and employment opportunities are featured on the site.
https://www.sbd537.org/
The Fort Hall Reservation in southeastern Idaho is the home of the federally recognized Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. Situated on the Snake River Plain, the reservation is named for Fort Hall, once a trading post in the Portneuf Valley that was a stop along the Oregon and California trails. The tribal government, justice and court system, financial services, and a tribal history are provided, along with tribal programs, departments, businesses, and events. Job opportunities are presented.
https://www.sbtribes.com/
Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation
The Duck Valley Indian Reservation was established in the 19th century for the federally recognized Shoshone-Paiute Tribe. It is located in the high desert on the state line between Idaho and Nevada, almost evenly divided between the two states. The reservation's history, tribal administration, tribal enrollment policies, health and public safety services, and member programs and services are set forth, along with current job postings, news, announcements, and contacts.
https://shopaitribes.org/
The South Fork Band is part of the Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians and is located on the South Fork Reservation. The website provides a video tour of the reservation and demographics, an introduction to its council members, an online contact form, and an overview of its departments and member programs and services. Announcements are published on the website, job opportunities are included, and links to other relevant online resources are included.
http://southforkbandcouncil.org/
The Te-Moak Tribe News Blog, formerly known as Shoshone Spirit, is a platform for the Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone. Serving as a news outlet for the tribe, which includes the Elko Colony, the Wells Colony, the South Fork (Lee) Reservation, and the Battle Mountain Colony, the tribe had previously published its news as the Shoshone Spirit in newspaper format, but it has since transitioned into a blog format. Articles may be submitted to keep the community informed.
http://te-moaktribenews.blogspot.com/
Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone
The Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians, comprised of the Battle Mountain Band, the Elko Band Colony, the South Fork Reservation, and the Wells Band Colony, is a federally recognized tribe with its own constitution and corporate charter. The tribal government, enrollment policies, resolutions, meetings, and employment opportunities are set forth, along with administrative contacts, a map, member programs and services, and access to various forms and documents.
https://www.temoaktribe.com/
The Yomba Shoshone Tribe of the Yomba Reservation is a federally recognized tribe of Western Shoshone Indians in central Nevada. Occupying 4,718 acres in Nye County, the reservation is divided into two districts: the Upper (Doyle Ranch), and the Lower (Bowler Ranch). An overview of the tribe, its mission statement, tribal council, and the history of the Yomba Shoshone are provided, along with its departments, services, administrative offices, job opportunities, and contacts.
http://www.yombatribe.org/
