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
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Evelyn Temoke-Roche is a member of the Te-Moak tribe of Western Shoshone. She begins by discussing the land of her ancestors around Harrison Pass and Ruby Valley, and how they were known as the Wadda dikka clan (rice-eaters). She goes on to speak about the Union Soldiers and the atrocities brought to the Western Shoshone which occurred before, during, and after the Ruby Valley Treaty. She then goes on to tell about the Shoshone living near Cherry Creek, NV, and the types of food that were hunted and gathered by the Shoshone as well as the type of creatures living there. She also speaks of the ranching and homestead conflict her father went through in Ruby Valley. The oral history ends with Clifton Gardner relating what he knows of Medicine Springs, and of the traditions of the Native people in Ruby Valley.
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Evelyn Temoke-Roche begins by telling us the history of the Temoak people of the Wattadicca (Rice-eaters). She speaks of the 1863 Ruby Valley Treaty and the implications and events surrounding it including the land claims. Evelyn also describes the traditional Shoshone territory, the traditional medicinal plants, and the beginning of the Reservation period. She speaks of her grandfather Muchach Temoke, who became chief of the Western Shoshone. Evelyn also reflects upon her up-bringing including her travels, including her involvement in the American Indian Movement (AIM). She also recants on Shoshone medicine people.
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