Shoshone Indians

Set primarily in the legendary past when animals had the power of speech and established human custom through their adventures (and misadventures), these informative and entertaining myths add immeasurably to the unique record of Western Shoshone oral tradition.

Washakie was chief of the eastern band of the Shoshone Indians for almost sixty years, until his death in 1900. A strong leader of his own people, he saw the wisdom of befriending the whites. Grace Raymond Hebard offers an engaging view of Washakie's long life and the early history of Shoeshone-occupied land--embracing present day Wyoming and parts of Montana, Idaho, and Utah. Washakie is seen signing historic treaties, aiding overland emigrants in the 1850s, and finally assisting whites in fighting the Sioux.

This collection provides a variety of perspectives, constituting an integrated account of the events and influences that have shaped today's Utah. Included are 36 chapters written by the state's foremost historians, 23 color maps, 48 historical photographs, and several bibliographies.

Sacagawea is one of the most renowned figures of the American West. A member of the Shoshone tribe, she was captured by the Hidatsas as a child and eventually became one of the wives of a French fur trader, Toussaint Charbonneau. In 1805 Charbonneau joined Lewis and Clark as the expedition's interpreter. Sacagawea was the only woman to participate in this important mission, and some claim that she served as a guide when the expedition reached the upper Missouri River and the mountainous region. Although much has been written about the historical importance of Sacagawea in connection with the expedition, no one has explored why her story has endured so successfully in Euro American culture. In an examination of representative texts (including histories, works of fiction, plays, films, and the visual arts) from 1805 to the present. Kessler charts the evolution and transformation of the legend over two centuries and demonstrates that Sacagawea has persisted as a Euro-American legend because her story exemplified critical elements of America's foundation myths - especially the concept of manifest destiny. Kessler also shows how the Sacagawea legend was flexible within its mythic framework and was used to address cultural issues specific to different time periods, including suffrage for women, taboos against miscegenation, and modern feminism. In concluding, Kessler summarizes the history of Sacagawea narratives and provides useful connections to other Native American works. This study attests that the Sacagawea legend illustrated and reinforced Euro-American frontier myths while it simultaneously allowed a populace to test and comment on critical, timely concepts unfolding within a dynamicsociety.

In this history, Carlos A. Schwantes illustrates the extent to which Idahoans have always been divided by geography, transportation, patterns, religion, and history.

The best known and most dramatic of North American Indian ceremonies, the Sun Dance ceremony and religion is an important part of both Native American and American history. Performed by the Plains Indians, including the Sioux, Dakota, Cheyenne, and others, the dance involves fixed gazing at the sun while dancing, blowing of eagle bone whistles, fasting, and sometimes, self-torture. Although outlawed by the U.S. government in 1904, it is still practiced by some Plains Indians today. This bibliography provides the first comprehensive, organized listing of sources on the Sun Dance.

This is the spirited story of the author, an accomplished & inspiring educator in Indian boarding schools. Born in 1909, she grew up attending Haskell Indian Institute in Lawrence, Kansas, & often visited relatives on the Shoshone Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. Motivated by teachers like Ella Deloria & Ruth Muskrat Bronson, she devoted her life to teaching other Indian children. She began teaching at Wahpeton Indian School in Wahpeton, North Dakota, in 1930 & has remained active in education to the present day. Her experiences as student & teacher have enabled her to provide a detailed portrait of Indian boarding schools. We learn about daily life at Haskell & about the challenges & rewards of teaching for the Bureau of Indian Affairs at Wahpeton. Above all, her life illuminates the ongoing struggle by Native teachers & students to retain their cultural identities within a government educational system designed to assimilate them. The authors developed this life history in a truly collaborative manner. They carefully document both personal history & the creation of this work. What emerges is an engaging & informative narrative about education & identity.