NORTHERN SHOSHONE IN UTAH

THEIR LANGUAGE WAS PART OF THE UTO AZTECAN FAMILY. NORTHERN SHOSHONE WERE CONCENTRATED IN NORTHEASTERN UTAH AFTER 1750 THE WARFARE AND PRESSURE FROM BLACKFEET, CROW AND LAKOTA CHEYENNE, AND ARAPAHO. THEY WERE CALLED THE SNAKE INDIANS BY EARLY ETHNIC TRAPPERS FROM EUROPE. NORTHERN SHOSHONE ARE CONCENTRATED IN EASTERN EASTERN IDAHO, WESTERN WYOMING AND NORTHEAST UTAH. THE MOST FAMOUS MEMBER OF THE SHOSHONE MAY HAVE BEEN SACAJAWEA, A MEMBER OF THE LEWIS LENNHI SHOSHONE BAND. SHE WENT WITH LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION IN THEIR EXPLORATION OF THE WESTERN U.S.


THESE FOLKS WERE IN THIS AREA FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS. AS MORE EUROPEANS MIGRATED WESTWARD, TENSIONS ROSE WITH THE INDIGENOUS NATIVES. DURING THE LATE 1800'S THERE WERE WARS. THE NORTHERN SHOSHONE, CHIEF POCATELLO, FOUGHT IT WITH SETTLERS IN IDAHO DURING THE 1860'S THEY RAIDED FARMS AND RANCHERS FOR FOOD AND ATTACKED MIGRANTS. THE WARFARE RESULTED IN THE BEAR RIVER MASSACRE (1863). U S FORCES TRAPPED AND KILLED 4 - 500 NORTHWESTERN SHOSHONE WHO WERE IN WINTER ENCAMPMENT. THEY FOUGHT AGAINST THE U. S. IN THE SNAKE WAR AGAINST THE U.S. IN THE SNAKE RIVER WAR FROM 1864 - 1868. BY 1845 THE POPULATION OF WESTERN AND NORTHERN SHOSHONE POPULATION WAS 4500 AFTER AFFECTED BY DISEASES AND WARFARE.


THESE SHOSHONE ADAPTED TO RESOURCES IN THEIR AREA. EARLIER THE NORTHWEST BAND CALLED THEMSELVES THE JACKRABBIT EATERS AND LIVED IN NORTHERN UTAH AND SOUTHERN IDAHO. THEY LIVED IN SMALL FAMILY GROUPS HUNTING AND GATHERING SCARCE RESOURCES THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER AND FALL. DURING THE YEAR THEY GATHERED INTO LARGE GROUPS TO PROVIDE COVER, TIMBER AND FOOD SOURCES. SOMETIMES THEY WENT TO IDAHO AT BATTLE CREEK HOT SPRINGS.


SOME OF THE ANIMALS THEY HUNTED INCLUDED BEAVER, ELK, PORCUPINE, MOUNTAIN LIONS, BOBCATS, OTTERS, BADGERS, MARMOTS, AND BEAR. THEY MOSTLY TOOK THE MALES TO AVOID DISRUPTING BREEDING. PLANTS THEY ATE INCLUDED THISTLE, SAGEBRUSH SEEDS, BALSOMROOT, BUFFALO BERRIES, TIMBER PINE SEEDS, SEGO LILIES, WILD RYE SEEDS, INDIAN RICE GRASS, CATTAILS. OF ALL THE PLANTS PINYON PINE SEEDS WERE THE MOST IMPORTANT FOR FALL GATHERING. THEIR HARVEST WAS A TIME OF RELIGIOUS CEREMONY AND THE GATHERING WAS SACRED. THE ANIMAL S KILLED WERE ALSO RITUALLY. SAGEBRUSH WAS VERY VERY SPIRITUAL AND USED RITUALLY. ACCORDING TO SHOSHONE THE FIELDWORKER , THE LAND, WATER, FISH AND FISHERMEN ARE HOLY.

ONCE THE MORMONS MOVED INTO UTAH THEY ENDED THEIR SEASONAL MIGRATIONS. CATTLE GRAZING POLLUTED THEIR STREAMS. IN 1875 THE GOVERNMENT MOVED THE BAND INTO A 1700 ACRE FARM AROUND WASHAKIE IN NORTHERN IN 1875. THEY MOVED INTO PERMANENT HOUSES AND WERE TAUGHT HOW TO FARM. THEY HELD ONTO SOME OF THEIR CULTURE.


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