Anthropological Records 8:3
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ANTHROPOLOGICAL RECORDS 8:3 CULTURE ELEMENT DISTRIBUTIONS: XXIII NORTHERN AND GOSIUTE SHOSHONI BY JULIAN H. STEWARD UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS BERKELEY AND LOS ANGELES 1943 CULTURE ELEMENT DISTRIBUTIONS: XXIII NORTHERN AND GOSIUTE SHOSHONI BY JULIAN H. STEWARD ANTHROPOLOGICAL RECORDS Vol. 8, No. 3 ANTHROPOLOGICAL RECORDS EDITORS: A. L. KROEBER, E. W GIFFORD, R. H. LowIE, R. L. OLSON Volume 8, No. 3, pp. 263-392 Submitted by Editors June 12, 194I Issued July 30, I943 Price, $1.25 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS LONDON, ENGLAND The University of California publications dealing with anthro- pological subjects are now issued in two series. The series in American Archaeology and Ethnology, which was established in 1903, continues unchanged in format, but is restricted to papers in which the interpretative element outweighs the factual or which otherwise are of general interest. The new series, known as Anthropological Records, is issued in photolithography in a larger size. It consists ofmonographs which are documentary, of record nature, or devoted to the presentation primarily of new data. MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA CONTENTS Page Introduction ...... .. .. .. .. .. 263 Tribes and informants ..... 263 Tribal abbreviations ..... 265 Ethnographic discussion ..... 266 Subsistence . 266 Hunting ...... .. .. .. .. .. 266 Plant foods .... 271 Food preparation ..... ..... 271 Dwellings ............... 272 Sweat houses . 273 Navigation ..... ............. .. .. .. 273 Weapons ...... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 273 Basketry . 273 Weaving ...... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 273 Pottery ...... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 273 Burdens ...... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 274 Dress and adornment ..... 274 Games ....... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 275 Money ...... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 278 Tobacco and smoking ..... 278 Musical instruments ..... 278 . Marriage and kinship relations ..... 278 Berdaches or transvestites ..... 279 Political organization.. .......... ....... 279 Property ...... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 280 Warfare ...... .. .. .. .... .. ... .. .. 280 Birth customs ...... .. .. .. 280 Girls' puberty rites. .. 0..2.8...... .. .. 280 Death customs ...... .. .. 281 Religion ...... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 281 Dances ...... .. * ......... .... ............ 287 Miscellaneous ...... .. .... 291 Calendar; astronomy. 2 . ... 291 Culture element distributions list . 292 Symbols used in the element list . 292 Subsistence, elements 1-660 (Hunting, 1-473; Gathering, 474-545; Agriculture, 546-552; Seed storage, 553-564; Food preparation, 565-660); Dwellings, 661-782; Sweat houses, 783-843; Navigation, 844-858; Fire making, 859-882; Miscellaneous implements, 883-995; Skin dressing, 996-1046a; Weapons, 1047-1167; Basketry, 1168-1258; Weaving, 1259-1304; Pottery, 1305-1325; Burdens, 1326-1347; Cradles, 1348-1369; Mutilations, 1370-1399; Dress and adornment, 1400-1686; Games, 1687-2006; Money, 2007; Tobacco and smoking, 2008-2055; Musical instruments, 2056-2120; Marriage, 2121-2161; Kinship relations, 2162-2172; Berdaches or transvestites, 2173-2179; Political organization, 2180-2207; Property, 2208-2211; Warfare, 2212-2256; Birth customs, 2257-2373; Girls' puberty rites, 2374-2427; Death customs, 2428-2490; Religion, 2491-2683; Dances, 2684-2859; Miscellane- ous, 2860-2936 (Calendar, 2860-2861; Astronomy, 2862-2879; Whirlwind, 2880-2882; Omens, 2883-2892; Various, 2893-2906; Sign language, 2907; Naming and terms of address, 2908- 2936) Elements denied by all informants .... 355 Ethnographic notes on the element list .... 359 Literature . cited ..................................... 391 . [iii] CULTURE ELEMENT DISTRIBUTIONS: XXIII NORTHERN AND GOSIUTE SHOSHONI BY JULIAN H. STEWARD INTRODUCTION The material in this paper was collected among Basin. This is understandable since they are Shoshoni and Gosiute Shoshoni of eastern Idaho near the geographical center of the Basin and and northern Utah in 1936 while the writer was thus farthest from neighboring culture areas making a special study of sociopolitical groups which had contributed many elements to different of these people.* parts of the Basin. They are, moreover, in one Although practically all items of culture, ex- of the least fertile parts of the area, lacking cept mythology, are included in the lists, they many natural resources upon which a large number should be regarded as the product of a recon- of elements depended. naissance rather than as complete ethnographies. Two other localities were also visited--South- Religion and shamanism especially require further ern Paiute and Ute. Because of the unreliability study. No attempt has been made to discuss the of the data procured, they have not been incor- significance of elements or their interrelation porated in the element list. Although the in- with one another and with the natural environ- formation is too unreliable to distinguish Ute ment except when a mere listing leaves them from Paiute, it does distinguish these two from largely unintelligible. In these instances, Shoshoni, and therefore mention of them will be notes and prefatory discussions of certain por- found in the "Ethnographic Discussion" and in the tions of the list treat them briefly. "Ethnographic Notes on the Element List." Sociopolitical institutions of these locali- Not more than twenty-four survivors of the ties and of Western Shoshoni of Nevada and Idaho once numerous Pahvant Ute inhabiting the region have been discussed at great length elsewhere of the lower Sevier River and Sevier Lake now re- (Steward, 1938), and are therefore only briefly side at Kanosh, Utah. The oldest person is little summarized here. more than forty. All members of this group dis- Two culture types occur in these localities: claimed knowledge of former customs and referred Northern Shoshoni and Western Shoshoni. (See me to JPi, Joe Pihavits, as an authority. Since also Steward, 1939a.) The former--S-Prom, S- JPi is a Kaibab Southern Paiute man from northern Lemhi, S-FtHl, and NP-Ban1--possessed horses and Arizona who had lived among his own people for numerous traits incidental to them. They had twenty years then married into the Pahvant colony some measure of band organization, traveled into where he has lived another twenty years, I pro- 'Wyoming and Montana to hunt buffalo, and had ac- cured lists for both groups from him simultane- quired many Plains elements, especially those ously. The substantial agreement of the two lists relating to hunting and to warfare. There is demonstrated his inability or unwillingness to evidence, however, that previous to acquiring distinguish differences and, after a day, the the horse their material and social culture was task was abandoned. very similar to that of the Western Shoshoni. The explanation of the difficulty seems to be The Western Shoshoni lacked horses, had no ac- that for many years white men in the region have cess to the buffalo, lived in an infertile en- regarded JPi as an authority on Ute lore, being vironment, and had an impoverished culture like unaware of his Southern Paiute origin. that of the Nevada and western Idaho Shoshoni previously described (Steward, 1940). Western Shoshoni localities included here are S-GrsCr, TRIBES AND INFORMANTS GS-SklV, and GS-DpCr. The small number of trait presences among (1) S-Lemhi. Shoshoni inhabited the mountains GS-DpCr shows them to have possessed the most of central Idaho south of the Salmon River, liv- impoverished culture so far recorded in the Great ing in several small, independent villages. These people were without horses and were probably very similar to the Western Shoshoni. They were called *Assistance in the preparation of these ma- Tuka (mountain sheep) dWka (eaters). In the same terials was furnished by the personnel of Work region, however, were Shoshoni on the Lemhi River. Projects Administration Official Project No. They possessed horses and were like the Northern 66-1-08-62, Unit A-15. Shoshoni. They were called Agai (salmon) dika IFor the meaning of tribal abbreviations (not to be confused with the Western Shoshoni Agai see p. 265. dika on the Snake River in western Idaho). 264 ANTHROPOLOGICAL RECORDS The informant, JPe, James Pegoga, a man of The informant was WH, White Horse, a Bannock about eighty-five years, was born in a Tuka diAka man of approximately eighty-four years. He was village west of the Lemhi River, but later lived assisted by his sister-in-law, a woman with more on the Lemhi River, the mountain people gradu- Bannock than Shoshoni ancestors, who was reared ally having amalgamated with the Lemhi band and among Bannock and married a Bannock. AP inter- acquired horses. The list, therefore, is a com- preted. Six days were spent on this list. posite of practices of both peoples. These (4) S-GrsCr. These were Shoshoni called Tuba people are now at Fort Hall. (pine nut) dUka (not to be confused with various Nine days were spent on this list, AP, a Nevada Shoshoni so designated) living on Grouse young S-FtHl man, interpreting. Creek and in the Goose Creek Mountains in north- In discussion and notes to S-Lemhi, I have eastern Utah. Their habitat is the extreme frequently referred to Lowie's study of them northern limit of the pine nut (Pinus monophylla) (1909) but have not undertaken to cite refer- and was, until the post-Caucasian period, the ences to all elements. northern limit of the black-tailed jack rabbit. It is interesting to note that although many Both species were very important in