Then deadly smallpox epidemics in the 1780s, combined with attacks by their foes, forced Shoshones to retreat west of the Rocky Mountains to their Idaho and western Wyoming homelands. Moreover, they acquired guns-weapons that Shoshone did not have. By the 1760s, enemy Plains tribes also were mounted and fiercely resisted further Shoshone advances. The Shoshone expansion into Montana and Canada lasted only two generations. But at the same time, they still maintained strong ties to their homelands along the Green, Bear, Snake, and Salmon rivers. From 1700 to 1780, they were active buffalo hunters and feared warriors, traveling into Montana, parts of southern Alberta, and throughout Wyoming. Shoshone History, 1700-1780Įastern Shoshones coalesced from people who lived in the upper Snake River basin of Idaho, along the Green and Bear rivers in Wyoming and Utah, and in the Salmon River country of northern Idaho, all of whom owned horses. The Eastern Shoshones emerged from several of these groups with the acquisition of horses between 16. But these divisions were never definitive because Shoshones themselves often moved from one resource area to another. The best known of these group names are Salmon Eaters, Buffalo Eaters, and Sheepeaters. They also refer to themselves by other names, which often translate into English as food groups. Shoshone peoples inhabited Utah, Nevada, Idaho, and Wyoming and called themselves Nuwe, or the People. The experts–anthropologists, archaeologists, and linguists-argue about the history of the Numic spread, but Shoshones have lived in western Wyoming and the Wind River Mountains for at least 3500 years perhaps even 8,000 years ago. They speak a language (Numic) that is part of the Uto-Aztecan group. They originated in the southern Great Basin (now the southern part of Nevada) and spread northward in a fan-shaped pattern. Shoshones have been in what is now Wyoming for a very long time. This short article answers three commonly asked questions about the reservation: (1) Who are the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Indians? (2) If the reservation was set aside for the Shoshones, when did the Arapahos arrive and why are they there? (3) How does a reservation function? Shoshone Prehistory While the Arapahos have more members (over 9,000+ compared to the Shoshones’ 4000+ members), the reservation was created for the Eastern Shoshones (and Bannocks) in 1868. It is home for the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes. The Wind River Indian Reservation contains over 2.2 million acres located in the central part of the state. Like many western states, Wyoming has an Indian reservation within its borders.
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