The Shoshone tribe is made up of nine different indigenous groups who lived in the western United States. They were nomadic hunter-gatherers and had a population of over 10,000. Their religion was based on dreams, visions, and animal spirits. They suffered losses due to disease and warfare with European settlers, including the Bear River Massacre. Sacagawea was a member of the Shoshone tribe.
The Shoshone tribe is made up of diverse indigenous groups whose ancestors occupied lands in what is now the western United States. There are nine different Shoshone tribes and each live on their own reservation. An estimated 1,000 Shoshone still speak their native language in addition to English. There are approximately 10,000 Shoshone in the United States and their reserves are located in California, Idaho, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming.
Early Europeans often referred to the Shoshone tribe as “Snake Indians,” but “Shoshone” translates to “The Valley People” in the Uto-Aztecan language spoken by the Shoshones. The Shoshone tribe was a nomadic hunter-gatherer tribe who traveled and occupied parts of what became Arizona, Oklahoma, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, and Oregon. Sacagawea, the Native American woman who accompanied the Lewis and Clark Expedition and whose image has been featured on an American coin, was a member of the Shoshone tribe.
The Shoshone tribe had three distinct divisions and the total population was probably more than 10,000 at most. The Eastern and Northern Shoshone tribes lived in tipis, and the Western Shoshone tribe, who did not rely as much on hunting and subsisted on a largely plant-based diet, built wickiup houses. Traditional Shoshone women’s clothing included buckskin dresses and infants were carried in cradles on their backs. The men wore buckskin breeches, leggings, and shirts. Both men and women wore their hair in long braids and facial tattoos were common.
Shoshone religion was based on dreams, visions, animal spirits, and a creator called Appah. Facing the sun, the Shoshone people sang a prayer to Appah every morning. Dancing was an important part of Shoshone religious rituals, and many were performed as a means of calling upon the spirits for help. Shamans led these rituals and dances, and were also called upon to heal the sick and perform rituals.
In 1845, the population of the Shoshone tribe was estimated at about 4,500, with losses attributed to disease and warfare brought on by European settlers. The largest number of Shoshone casualties in a single battle with the US government occurred in 1863 in what is called the Bear River Massacre. Between 350 and 500 Shoshone were trapped and killed by soldiers in their winter camp. The land where the massacre took place is now owned by the Northwestern Shoshone and is a memorial. The last of the “Indian Wars” in the northwestern United States was fought in 1879 and involved 300 members of the Shoshone tribe.
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