Dennis F. Pete, Sr. was born at the Duck Valley Reservation (Owyhee, NV-ID) to Bessie and Alec Cleveland. He went to school in Owyhee also at the Swayne School where he would play basketball and football. Later in life he got married and moved to Pyramid Lake where he lived for 39 years. He currently lives in Owyhee. Dennis then addresses the hand games and how hand games are played, moreover he talks about some of the places he has traveled to attend hand games. He then plays a few circle dance songs for his audience.
Full Video Video pendingVirginia Jones is a Shoshone-Paiute from the Duck Valley reservation. She begins her oral history by describing the different types of drums that she currently own and how they are used in powwows, hand games, or circle dancing. She also tells us about how she got interested in drumming along with those individuals which taught her drumming through the years. This also included how to take care of your drum when traveling to different events, and moreover how different materials can create different sounds with the drum.
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]]>Virginia Mae Jones from Duck Valley reservation (Owyhee, NV) goes over the hand drum at Great Basin College on February 27, 2012. She sings a few traditional songs to the audience while playing her hand drum. She also speaks about individuals who inspired her to begin hand drumming herself, as well as those individuals who passed her songs of their own. She also speaks about the difference between traditional versus contemporary practices that have surfaced recently within powwows and other gatherings or doings.
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Katherine Blossom is a Western Shoshone from Elko, NV. She begins her presentation speaking about how Native Americans have adapted to the land, and that it was the Native Americans duty to pray for all things that exist within this universe. She also speaks about the hardships and horrors that the Western Shoshone people went through in boarding school which included losing their native language – usually by forceful means. As she continues she speaks about the importance of prayer. She also educated her audience about the type of natural plants, herbs, and other items that were used by the indigenous groups in and around the Great Basin region. Katherine also recalls some personal experiences that she has gone through which she shares with her audience.
Video pendingEdith and Adele Fisk are Western Shoshone from Battle Mountain, NV and are currently residing in Elko, NV. Edith and Adele speak about the history of Battle Mountain while they were growing up. They speak about their families and what it was like growing up in a segregated town. For instance, they spoke about how trivial it was speaking a different language at home versus at school. Although, they do speak about how their teacher watched over them like a parent. They also recall their parents’ and grandparents’ stories which referred to contact between the Western Shoshone, emigrants, and U.S. Calvary soldiers as well as the traditional Shoshone tales. They also speak about their genealogy as well as how contact has contributed to the degradation of the Western Shoshonean culture and how doing oral histories and recording stories will help younger generations keep up the Shoshonean culture.
Video pendingLois Whitney was born in Elko, Nevada along with her children and mother “Liz” Brady. Her family hails from all over the Western Shoshone territory. Her presentation goes over the different types of plants that are indigenous to the Great Basin area, and how they were used by the native people in the area. As Lois says, her presentation was to “talk a little about the physical, the emotional, and spiritual healing” characteristics of the plants as well as how they were used by the Native peoples. She also speaks a little about other items within her presentation as well.
Video PendingLyle Nutting and Eloy Thacker were both born and grew up in Duck Valley Reservation (Owyhee, NV-ID) and attended school there as well. In fact, Nutting’s dad was the first principal in Owyhee, at a time when there were five separate schools there. Lyle also speaks about how the school had evolved from being those five schools to Swayne Indian School and eventually Owyhee Combined School. Comparatively, Eloy Thacker speaks about his time in grammar school up until high school. He speaks about his time involved in different sports, which helped him to eventually attend Brigham Young University. Both presenters speak to the unique history of the Owyhee school system, and how it eventually became what is known as today.
Video pendingIllain Tybo Premo was born to Ada Cortez Johnson and Cortez Charlie who were from the Beowawe/Cortez area. Her ancestors came from Smoky Valley and the Austin area. During her childhood she speaks about moving all around Western Shoshone territory to places such as Elko, Battle Mountain, and South Fork. She speaks about living in both Battle Mountain and South Fork reservation. She also speaks about her grandmother Minnie, who was a medicine woman, who lived in Battle Mountain and taught Illain traditional lifeways of the Shoshone. She was taught traditions such as picking nuts and berries, hunting deer and rabbit, using traditional medicines, and getting up early and doing chores. She also speaks about attending Stewart Indian School after 8th grade. She also tells us a few Shoshone stories including the Toya Deanapa (Mountain boy), Tso’ovich (stone man), and ba’a wa’a (water-babies). She ends her narrative by cautioning the younger generations about using alcohol and drugs.
Video pendingLorrain and Alvin Sims are both members of the Duck Valley Sho-Pai tribe. Alvin speaks first about his parents Edna Charles and Jack Sims and where they came from before moving to the Duck Valley reservation. He also spoke about how his father worked for the Conservation Corps. Moreover he speaks about his relative Captain Sam and how Duck Valley became a reservation. Both Alvin and Lorrain talk about the usage of traditional medicines, and the medicine/spiritual leaders who were traditional doctors within the tribe. Lorrain also speaks about the traditions surrounding right-of-passage and pregnancy. They both recall the traditional way that sweat lodges were also used. They also tell us about how items such as sugar, clothes, and food were rationed when they were younger. They end by cautioning the youth to keep away from drugs and alcohol.
Video pendingVivian Cinnabar is a Western Shoshone who resided at Duck Valley Reservation (Owyhee, NV) the majority of her life. She starts her narrative by speaking about contact and conflict between the Western Shoshone and the emigrants who were coming into the area who started up ranches. She also tells about the formation of the Ruby Valley Treaty of 1863, the Duck Valley reservation and how it was originally set up to be completely Western Shoshone, and Carlin Farms. She also gives an account of her relative Captain Buck. The conversation then turns towards her time attending school. She first started at Owyhee and eventually ended up in Sherman Institute in Riverside, CA. She also describes how many of the people in Owyhee ended up attending Stewart Indian School. Vivian describes her time working as an engineer at the old hospital in Owyhee, and how she contract Tuberculosis (TB).
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