Dave McKinney is a Western Shoshone and was born in Gold Creek, NV in 1907, and currently resides at the Duck Valley Reservation (Owyhee). His parents were Bill and Sadie McKinney. He was one of six children: 1 older sister and 4 younger brothers. He begins his oral presentation by describing how the Chinese emigrants living in Gold Creek use to pan mine gold. He also speaks about how he used to trap coyotes and sell their fur, stack hay for 2 dollars and fifty cents a day, and then how he worked for the Conservation Corps building roads. Dave also tells us about how he worked on many community projects around Duck Valley Reservation such as the Wild Horse Dam and the canal within the reservation as well as becoming a cattle rancher. He also speaks about the Fandango and the accompanying hand games and foot races – particularly about Race Harney.
Video link [opens in separate window]Elizabeth “Liz” Brady was born in Elko, NV between the Elko Smoke Shop and I-80 where the old Elko Senior Citizens Center was located. Her father’s name was Sontag Jackson whose grandparents were from the Austin area and were part of the Dubba Diccada. Her mother was Mary Horton who belonged to the Dosa Wihi near Battle Mountain, NV. Liz talks about how she grew up around ranches while her father ran mustangs. She speaks about her experience going to Battle Mountain for grammar school, and her experience at Stewart Indian School where she was punished for speaking her language. She also speaks about how her grandfather partook in contact with the emigrants and their wagons. She also speaks about growing up in tzsogogotti (Antelope Valley) and how her family was ran out of the area. She also tells the audience about the history of Elko including the start-up of a lot of the old businesses including who ran them. She also speaks about living on the outskirts of Battle Mountain and the diseases impacting the Shoshone there.
Video pendingInterviewed by Norm Cavanaugh
]]>Doris Millet Allison was born in Austin, NV and moved to Round Mountain, NV then eventually moved to Duckwater Reservation, NV when she was 8 years old. Her grandfather originated from Maahadaquada Ghana (Smoky Valley, NV) and her grandmother’s family was part of the Yomba dicca (Yomba reservation). She reminisces about her childhood and how the U.S. government used to come and take the Shoshone children including her sister which she never heard from again. She illuminates the history of her family and the events therein. She also speaks about her education from White Pine high school up to the judicial college in Reno, NV. Doris also speaks about how the Duckwater Reservation came into being with the 1942 Indian Reservation Act. She ends by saying, “We live in this society, a dominant society, but we should remember who we are (as Shoshone).”
Interviewed by Norm Cavanaugh
Johnny Bobb is a Western Shoshone from the Yomba reservation. He was born near Austin, Nevada and was raised by his grandma and grandpa. Johnny tells us of his up-bringing and how his grandparents were concerned with traditional practices being passed on. He explains how most of his relatives came from Smoky Valley, Monitor Valley, and Little Antelope Valley. Johnny describes how he learned to pick medicines for ceremonies and how they work together with prayer. He goes on to speak about Indian Health Services, the 1863 Ruby Valley Treaty, and the Nevada (Nuclear) Test Site down in Yucca, NV. Johnny also tells us about the pioneers coming through the Shoshone’s ancestral territories and how contact occurred. He goes on to speak about the importance of tradition, the water, the Shoshone language, and ceremonies and how they need to be carried on by younger generations.
Interviewed by Norm Cavanaugh
Delaine Stark Spilsbury is a Western Shoshone, or as she says a Great Basin Shoshone, from Ely, Nevada. She was born in Ely, Nevada during the depression, and attended school there as well as Las Vegas. Delaine speaks about her ancestors and how the hunted and gathered within the area as well as their family groups. She gives us an account of her family’s lineage and their vocations. She also speaks of how she hunted, fished, and mined with her father. She then goes on to tell of her hunting adventures, including some with Ted Nugent, and how she got into drafting. She finishes her oral history by leaving a message for the youth.
Interviewed by Norm Cavanaugh