Land With Other Shoshones In Their Region example essay topic

Noted in history for a direct linkage to Sacajawea, the Shoshone people are more than the family to one of the Native American's most famous women. Although Sacajawea was a vital element of the Lewis and Clark expedition, she would have been no help without the knowledge she possessed-this knowledge being inherent in any Shoshone. Eurocentric explorers, who provided many of the documentation about this culture, misunderstood the Shoshone people. Nonetheless, the Shoshone were a content people living in scattered communities that were not involved in aggressive trade, but obtained enough resources to allow for the survival of its population.

The population of the Shoshone people was spread across large spans of land in the West. Their community was divided into three sects: the Western Shoshones, the Eastern Shoshones and the Northern Shoshones. The Western Shoshones resided on land in northwestern Utah, Death Valley in California and Nevada. The Northern and Eastern settlements claimed land in smaller portions than the Western Shoshones. The Eastern Shoshones lived primarily in Western Wyoming.

The region chosen by the Northern Shoshones was Southern Idaho. The three categories sprawled across the Great Basin, living calmly beside other tribes like the Flatheads and Crows. The communities consisted of many small family units that occupied land with other Shoshones in their region. Because the Shoshone regions were not tightly packed, they were subjected to several successful invasions by enemies. The scattered positions of the Shoshones proved detrimental to their defense techniques. The possibility of attack left the Shoshone on guard, although the villages were basically defenseless.

Enemies invaded the villages and rode away with the Shoshone horses. Although the Shoshones were not always successful at defense, they were equipped with warriors. The warriors had knives and shields that were crafted by the Shoshones, using the scraps from their hunting trips. The warriors were skilled horseback riders who wore elaborate warrior outfits with feathered war bonnets.

The fashionable warriors were still no matches for their invaders. The positions of their communities were not the only disadvantage. A lack of ammunition crippled the defenses of the Shoshones, when paired with their scattered villages. The small reserve of ammunition made the Shoshones targets of the Blackfoot, Kalispell and Minature tribes.

The European settlers had given them small amounts of ammunition, because researchers believe that the Shoshones were not aggressive traders. Inactive trading activities, led to the inadequacy of weaponry and ammunition in the Shoshone villages. The Shoshones participated in a trading system that focused on Native Americans, thus they had little trade interactions with the Europeans. The Shoshones did, however, trade a plentiful resource-beaver. Regardless of the Shoshone's participation in European trade and their stresses with invasions, they managed to survive with hunting and gathering techniques. In the spring, the Shoshones practiced hunting and gathering.

They hunted buffalo and other game and saved summer for travels focused on fishing, mostly for salmon. They also gathered roots and plants, like choke cherries. This schedule may have seemed insufficient to European explorers of the time, but the techniques of the Shoshones were practical for their way of life. They believed in balance and would never grow or hunt in excess.

This fundamental belief, misunderstood by some narrow-minded explorers, may have led to the assumption that Shoshones were impoverished and struggling. The previous misconception is challenged by the contentment and peacefulness of the Shoshone people, who welcomed Lewis and Clark, sharing with them the small food supply that they collected. The misconceptions about the Shoshones are prevalent today, because of the documentation left by the Europeans who explored the Great Basins in the 1800's. The Shoshones, also noted as the Snake Indians for their affiliation with serpents, had no written language and therefore, could not record their own history. Thus, the documentation we rely on today was produced by second and third parties and long surviving oral stories that may have been altered and fabricated by any person. Overall, the documentation of the Shoshones is favorable.

They are characterized as being a pleasant and amicable people, troubled by surprised invasions while surviving on the bare minimum-sometimes relying on fish and cherries for months. The Treaty of Ruby Valley officially decided their conflicts over land in 1863. However, like most legislation in favor of the Native Americans, this treaty has been challenged by non-natives and the rights of the Shoshones have been repeatedly questioned. In the past decade, several suits and complaints have been filed over the violation of the Treaty of Ruby Valley. The lands that were given to the Shoshones are being inhabited by non-natives and the small reserves of land that they can occupy are monitored by government officials and are subjected to shifting regulations. Other gripes surrounding the remaining Shoshones concern their religious practices.

The Shoshones have great respect for their burial grounds and have extensive ceremonies. Non-natives are actively seeking to build on these sacred lands, in violation of the Treaty of Ruby Valley and a total disrespect of the Shoshone culture and belief systems. It seems as though the contributions that Native Americans have made to American history have been overlooked. It appears that modern day Americans believe that they, themselves, are native to this country.

It looks as if the Native Americans are being denied basic American rights. The Shoshones, however, are fighting judicially to ensure that they are not robbed of their liberties. The passiveness they showed in the 1800's has matured into slight aggressiveness; hopefully the Shoshones can unite and stop the invasions that they face today.