Indigenous peoples of the Great Basin: Difference between revisions
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[[Image:Nordamerikanische Kulturareale en.png|thumb|Cultural regions of North American people at the time of European contact, including the Great Basin.]] |
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The '''Great Basin tribes''' of [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] occupied an area of some 400,000 mile² (1,000,000 km²), between the [[Rocky Mountains]] and the [[Sierra Nevada (U.S.)|Sierra Nevada]], in what is now [[Nevada]], and parts of [[Oregon]], [[California]], [[Idaho]], [[Wyoming]], and [[Utah]]. There is very little precipitation in the [[Great Basin]] area, which affects the lifestyles and cultures of the [[indigenous people|indigenous]] inhabitants. |
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While [[anthropologist]]s can point to many distinct tribes, the people shared certain common cultural elements that distinguished them from the surrounding groups. All but the [[Washoe (tribe)|Washoe]] spoke [[Numic languages]], and there was considerable intermingling between the groups, which lived peacefully and often shared common territories. They were predominantly [[hunter gatherer|hunters and gatherers]]. |
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Anthropologists use the terms "Desert Archaic" or more simply "The Desert Culture" to refer to the culture of the Great Basin tribes. This culture is characterized by the need for mobility to take advantage of seasonally available food supplies. The use of [[pottery]] was rare due to its weight, but intricate [[basket]]s were woven for containing water, cooking food, winnowing [[grass]] seeds and storage--including the storage of pine nuts, a Paiute-Shoshone staple. Heavy items such as [[metate]]s would be [[cache (disambiguation)|cache]]d rather than carried from foraging area to foraging area. [[Agriculture]] was not practiced within the Great Basin itself, although it was practiced in adjacent areas (modern agriculture in the Great Basin requires either large mountain [[reservoir (water)|reservoirs]] or deep [[artesian]] wells). Likewise, the Great Basin tribes had no permanent settlements, although winter villages might be revisited winter after winter by the same group of families. In the summer, the largest group was usually the [[nuclear family]] due to the low density of food supplies. |
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In the early historical period the Great Basin tribes were actively expanding to the north and east, where they developed a [[horse]]-riding [[bison]]-hunting culture. These people, including the [[Comanche]], [[Bannock (tribe)|Bannock]] and Eastern [[Shoshone]] are often considered to be [[Great Plains tribes]]. |
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There is evidence that the original inhabitants of the region arrived as early as 10,000 B.C., though the Numic-speaking Shoshonean peoples were relatively recent arrivals, coming as late as 1000 A.D. The first Europeans to reach the area were the [[Spain|Spanish]], but the Great Basin was settled by Whites relatively late, and can be dated to the first [[Mormon]] settlers who arrived in 1848. Within ten years, the first reservation was established, in order to transform the native population into "civilized" [[Christian]] [[farmer]]s. The process included sending children to [[Indian school]]s and limiting the reservations, especially through the [[Dawes Act]] (1886). |
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Because their contact with European Americans occurred so late, Great Basin tribes managed to maintain their religion and culture and were leading proponents of a native renaissance. Two [[Paiute]] [[prophet]]s, [[Wodziwob]] and [[Wovoka]], introduced the [[Ghost Dance]] in a mystical ceremony designed to reestablish the pre-contact "Golden Era," while other, similar ceremonies such as the [[Ute Tribe|Ute]] [[Bear Dance]] and the [[Sun Dance]] first emerged in the Great Basin. Similarly, the [[Peyote]] Native religion first developed here in response to deteriorating conditions, extreme poverty, and the loss of native cultures and traditions. |
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Conditions for the Native American population of the Great Basin were erratic throughout the twentieth century. Signs of improvement first emerged as a result of President [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt|Franklin Roosevelt]]'s [[Indian New Deal]] in the 1940s, while activism and legal victories in the 1970s have improved conditions significantly. Nevertheless, the communities continue to struggle against chronic [[poverty]] and all of the resulting problems: [[unemployment]]; [[substance abuse]]; and high [[suicide]] rates. Furthermore, fierce debates between "traditionalist" and "progressive" factions have split communities and hindered the population from presenting a united front in determining its future. |
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==Great Basin Tribes== |
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* [[Bannock (tribe)|Bannock]] |
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* [[Goshute]] |
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* [[Northern Paiute]] |
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* [[Southern Paiute]] |
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* [[Western Shoshone]] |
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* [[Ute Tribe]] |
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* [[Washoe]] |
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* [[Chemehuevi]] |
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* [[Shoshone]] |
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==See also== |
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*[[Classification of indigenous peoples of the Americas]] |
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*[[Eastern Woodlands tribes]] |
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*[[Southeastern tribes]] |
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==References== |
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{{unreferenced|date=January 2007}} |
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==External links== |
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* [http://www.rranch.org/history/ Tubatulabal: Shoshoneans in California] |
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[[Category:Native American tribes in California]] |
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[[Category:Native American tribes in Idaho]] |
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[[Category:Native American tribes in Nevada]] |
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[[Category:Native American tribes in Oregon]] |
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[[Category:Native American tribes in Utah]] |
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[[Category:Native American tribes in Wyoming]] |
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[[Category:Great Basin]] |
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Revision as of 20:08, 27 August 2008
never existed.