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Shoshoni Indian Tribe History
Shoshoni. The most northerly
division of the Shoshonean family. They formerly occupied west Wyoming,
meeting the Ute on the south, the entire central and southern parts of
Idaho, except the territory taken by the Bannock, north east Nevada, and a
small strip of Utah west of Great Salt lake. The Snake River country in
Idaho is, perhaps, to be considered their stronghold. The northern bands
were found by Lewis and Clark in 1805, on the headwaters of the Missouri
in west Montana, but they had ranged previously farther east on the
plains, whence they had been driven into the Rocky Mountains by the
hostile Atsina and Siksika, who already possessed firearms. Nowhere had
the Shoshoni established themselves on the Columbia, although they reached
that river on their raiding excursions.
The origin of the term Shoshoni appears to be unknown.
It apparently is not a Shoshoni word, and although the name is recognized
by the Shoshoni as applying to themselves, it probably originated among
some other tribe. The Cheyenne name for the Comanche, who speak the
Shoshoni language, is Shǐshǐnoats-hitäneo,
'snake people'; but they have a different name for the Shoshoni. The term
Snake seems to have no etymological connection with the designation
Shoshoni. It has been variously and frequently applied to the northern
bands of the Shoshoni, especially those of Oregon. By recent official
usage the term Snake has been restricted to the Yahuskin and Walpapi of
Oregon. Hoffman was of the opinion that the name Snake comes from a
misconception of the sign for Snake Indian, made by a serpentine motion of
the hand with the index finger extended. This he thought really has
reference to the weaving of the grass lodges of the Shoshoni, a reasonable
assumption, since they are known as "grass-house people," or by some
similar name, among numerous tribes.
The more northerly and easterly Shoshoni were horse and
buffalo Indians, and in character and in warlike prowess compared
favorably with most western tribes. To the west in western Idaho along
Snake River and to the south in Nevada the tribes represented a lower
type. Much of this country was barren in the extreme and comparatively
devoid of large game, and as the nature of the country differed, so did
the, inhabitants. They depended for food to a large extent on fish, which
was supplemented by rabbits, roots, nuts, and seeds. These were the
Indians most frequently called "Diggers." They were also called Shoshokos,
or "Walkers," which simply means that the Indians so called were too poor
to possess horses, though the term was by no means restricted to this
section, being applied to horseless Shoshoni everywhere.
None of these Shoshoni were agriculturists. In general
the style of habitations corresponded to the two types of Shoshoni. In the
north and east they lived in tipis, but in the sagebrush country to the
west they used brush shelters entirely, and Bonneville found the tribes of
Snake River wintering in such shelters without roofs, being merely half
circles of brush, behind which they obtained an imperfect protection from
wind and snow. There were many dialects among the Shoshoni, corresponding
to the greater or less degree of isolation of the several tribes. They
presented, however, no essential differences and were all mutually
intelligible.
In 1909 there were in Idaho 1,766 Shoshoni and Bannock
under the Ft Hall school (of whom 474 had recently been transferred from
the old Lemhi res.), and about 200 not under official supervision; in
Nevada there were 243 under the Western Shoshoni school, and about 750 not
under agency or school control; In Wyoming, under the Shoshoni school,
there were 816, formerly known as Washaki's band, from its chief.
Deducting about 500 Bannock from these figures, the total Shoshoni
population approximates 3,250. The Shoshoni divisions, so far as known,
were: Hohandika, Shobarboobeer, Shohoaigadika, Shonivikidika, Tazaaigadika,
Towahnahiooks, Tukuarika, Tussawehe, Washaki, Wihinasht, and Yahandika.
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Handbook
of American Indians, 1906
Index of Tribes or Nations
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