The Shoshone Indians were a nomadic tribe in the American West, living off hunting and gathering. Prominent members include Chief Washakie and Sacajawea. Today, they live on reservations and are still awaiting federal recognition.
The Shoshone Indians are a Native American tribe found largely in the American West. The tribe was originally nomadic, ranging from Idaho and Montana to California and Nevada. They carried few things and hunted for most of their food. Some of the better known Shoshone Indians are Chief Washakie, who served in the US Army, and Sacajawea, who traveled with the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The Shoshone today live on reservations in the southwestern United States and are still awaiting federal recognition.
The Shoshone, meaning “The Valley People,” were originally found in the Western United States. Small groups could be found in California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Montana and Oregon, and larger settlements were found in Idaho and Wyoming. Shoshone Indians are loosely grouped into Northern, Western and Eastern bands.
The tribe lived a nomadic life, often moving with the seasons. Because the Shoshone were often on the move, they carried little possessions and were not much interested in material possessions as a sign of status. This wandering nature also meant that they rarely established crops. Instead, the Shoshone were hunter-gatherers, living on berries, nuts, and game ranging from rabbits to buffalo.
Chief Washakie was a prominent leader of the Eastern Shoshone Indians of Wyoming. The chief was known for offering aid to travelers crossing the west in the 1850s; he also served as a scout for the US Army. In 1868 Chief Washakie signed a treaty to create a reservation in the Wind River Basin in Wyoming, an area long inhabited by the Shoshone Indians. Chief Washakie was respected by both his people and the American government. A military outpost was renamed Fort Washakie in his honor, and when he died in 1900, he was given a full military funeral.
The most famous Shoshone Indian was Sacajawea, a young woman who traveled with the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the northwestern United States in the early 1800s. Her husband, Toussaint Charbonneau, was a French Canadian trapper hired by Lewis and Clark. Sacajawea accompanied her husband and acted as interpreter. She gave birth to a son during the expedition. Her presence helped reaffirm the peaceful nature of the group and paved the way for many indigenous tribes. In 2000, the US government issued a gold dollar to commemorate Sacajawea and her son.
Today there are a number of Shoshone Indian reservations in California, Nevada and Utah. The Wind River Reservation in Wyoming is the third largest reservation in the United States. Despite the number of reservations and the fame of some of its inhabitants, the Shoshone are still waiting to be federally recognized as a tribe.
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