The Washoe Indians are a Native American tribe from California and Nevada, officially recognized by the US government in 1934. They lived a seasonally nomadic lifestyle, respecting and revering their environment. Lake Tahoe is sacred to them, and they believe Cave Rock is home to powerful Water Babies. The Washoe have three communities in Nevada and one in California, with a tribal council working to preserve their culture and history.
The Washoe Indians are a Native American tribe located in the United States. They were officially recognized as a tribe by the US federal government in 1934. Originally their range extended from the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California to the Lake Tahoe Basin region in Nevada. The Washoe consider themselves the original inhabitants of the Lake Tahoe area.
Before the arrival of US settlers, the lifestyle of this Native American tribe was seasonally nomadic. The Washoe Indians lived in the Lake Tahoe region during the summer, where they spent their time fishing, hunting, and gathering medicinal plants and other foods in preparation for the winter months. During the fall, the Washoe people traveled to the Pine Nut Mountain region, where they harvested pine nuts. Winter and spring were usually spent in the valleys of the eastern Sierra.
The Washoe Indians see all aspects of the environment as sentient and hold all things to be sacred. This respect and reverence for the environment in which they live is an integral part of their culture. Their nomadic lifestyle and the often inhospitable environment they lived in required some care. Washoe hunters did not hunt for sport and were careful to leave adequate populations of animals to reproduce and replenish the number of different species.
Lake Tahoe is considered a sacred place by the Washoe Indians and is the focus of many of the tribe’s myths. They believe Cave Rock, located on Lake Tahoe, is sacred to powerful entities they call Water Babies. A tunnel was built by blowing up Cave Rock in 1931, and a second tunnel was created in 1951. The Washoe regarded this as desecration and blamed the subsequent flooding that occurred in nearby Carson Valley on the anger of the Water Babies. Partly in response to the Washoe protests, the United States Forest Service upheld a ban on rock climbing at Cave Rock in 2008.
There are three Washoe Indian communities in the state of Nevada, one located in California and another within the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony. A tribal council meets monthly to address ongoing governance issues of the Washoe Indians. This council consists of 12 representatives and a president. The Washoe Indian communities of Dresslerville, Woodfords, and Stewart, as well as those of Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, Carson Colony, and any other areas designated as Off-Reservation, each send two representatives to the Washoe Board. This governing body also works to preserve the history and culture of the Washoe Indians.
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