U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management NEVADA NORTHERN PAIUTE AND WESTERN SHOSHONE LAND USE IN NORTHERN NEVADA: A CLASS I ETHNOGRAPHIC/ETHNOHISTORIC OVERVIEW Ginny Bengston CULTURAL RESOURCE SERIES NO. 12 2003 SWCA ENVIROHMENTAL CON..·S:.. .U LTt;NTS . iitew.a,e.El t:ti.r B'i!lt e.a:b ~f l-amd :Nf'arat:1.iern'.~nt N~:¥G~GI Sl$i~-'®'ffl'c~. P,rceP,GJ r.ei l l§y. SWGA.,,En:v,ir.e.m"me'Y-tfol I €on's.wlf.arats NORTHERN PAIUTE AND WESTERN SHOSHONE LAND USE IN NORTHERN NEVADA: A CLASS I ETHNOGRAPHIC/ETHNOHISTORIC OVERVIEW Submitted to BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT Nevada State Office 1340 Financial Boulevard Reno, Nevada 89520-0008 Submitted by SWCA, INC. Environmental Consultants 5370 Kietzke Lane, Suite 205 Reno, Nevada 89511 (775) 826-1700 Prepared by Ginny Bengston SWCA Cultural Resources Report No. 02-551 December 16, 2002 TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures ................................................................v List of Tables .................................................................v List of Appendixes ............................................................ vi CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................1 CHAPTER 2. ETHNOGRAPHIC OVERVIEW .....................................4 Northern Paiute ............................................................4 Habitation Patterns .......................................................8 Subsistence .............................................................9 Burial Practices ........................................................11 Religion and Ceremonies .................................................11 Oral Traditions .........................................................11 Additional Resources ....................................................11 Western Shoshone .........................................................12 Habitation Patterns ......................................................12 Subsistence ............................................................25 Burial Practices ........................................................27 Religion and Ceremonies .................................................27 Oral Traditions .........................................................28 Additional Resources ....................................................28 CHAPTER 3. ETHNOHISTORIC OVERVIEW ....................................29 Pre-contact Period (before A.D. 1826) ..........................................29 Euroamerican Exploration and Early Settlement Period (A.D. 1826 to 1864) ............29 Nevada Statehood Era (1864 to present) ........................................36 CHAPTER 4. PREVIOUS ETHNOGRAPHIC/ETHNOHISTORIC INVESTIGATIONS ....44 General Literature .........................................................44 Cultural Resources Overviews ................................................49 Project Specific Studies .....................................................51 Alturas Intertie Project ...................................................52 Cortez Gold Project .....................................................52 Cortez Joint Venture ....................................................52 Falcon to Gonder 325 kV Transmission Line .................................53 Goldbanks Mining Project ................................................54 Hampton Creek “Danielle Garnett” Mine ....................................54 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS, continued Hungry Valley Lateral ...................................................54 Lone Tree Mine Expansion Project .........................................55 Marigold Mine .........................................................55 Mule Canyon ..........................................................56 MX/Native American Cultural and Socio-economic Studies .....................56 Newmont’s South Operations Area Project ...................................62 Northwest Pipeline Expansion Project .......................................62 Patty Exploration Project .................................................63 Phoenix Project ........................................................63 Round Mountain Gold Project .............................................64 Ruby Hill Project .......................................................64 Silver State East Fiber Optic Project ........................................64 SR376/Ralston Quarry Project .............................................65 Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan ............65 Tonkin Springs Joint Venture Project .......................................68 Tosawihi Quarry .......................................................68 Trenton Canyon Gold Mining Project .......................................69 Tuscarora Pipeline Project ................................................69 Twin Creeks Mine ......................................................69 Williams I-80 Fiber Optic Project ..........................................70 Winnemucca Geothermal Project ..........................................70 CHAPTER 5. PROPERTY TYPES ..............................................72 Categories of Places ........................................................72 Traditional Origin and Historic Places .......................................72 Ceremonial Locations ...................................................73 Historical Locations .....................................................74 Ethnohistoric Habitation Sites .............................................74 Trails ................................................................74 Burial Sites ............................................................75 Resource Collection Areas ................................................75 Evaluation of Places or Properties .............................................76 Traditional Origin and Historic Places .......................................79 Ceremonial Locations ...................................................80 Historical Locations .....................................................80 Ethnohistoric Habitation Sites .............................................80 Trails ................................................................81 Burial Sites ............................................................81 Resource Collection Areas ................................................82 iii TABLE OF CONTENTS, continued CHAPTER 6. CULTURALLY SIGNIFICANT AREAS ..............................83 Traditional Origin and Historic Places ..........................................83 Northern Paiute ........................................................83 Origin Stories .......................................................83 Water Babies and Other Mythical Beings .................................89 Western Shoshone ......................................................92 Origin Stories .......................................................92 Water Babies and Other Mythical Beings .................................94 Historical Locations ........................................................95 Northern Paiute ........................................................95 Legendary Battles with Other People .....................................95 Important Persons ...................................................98 Other Historical Locations .............................................99 Western Shoshone .....................................................101 Legendary Battles with Other People ....................................101 Important Persons ..................................................102 Ceremonial Locations .....................................................103 Northern Paiute .......................................................103 Buttes, Hills, and Mountains ..........................................103 Caves ............................................................104 Dance/Festival Sites .................................................106 Doctor Rocks ......................................................106 Springs ...........................................................108 Other Ceremonial Locations ..........................................110 Western Shoshone .....................................................111 Buttes, Hills, and Mountains ..........................................111 Caves ............................................................111 Dance/Festival Sites .................................................111 Doctor Rocks ......................................................113 Springs ...........................................................114 Other Ceremonial Locations ..........................................115 Ethnohistoric Habitations ...................................................116 Northern Paiute .......................................................116 Western Shoshone .....................................................116 Resource Collection Areas ..................................................116 Northern Paiute .......................................................117 Western Shoshone .....................................................117 Trails ..................................................................117 Northern Paiute .......................................................117 Western Shoshone .....................................................122 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS, continued Burials .................................................................130 Northern Paiute .......................................................130 Western Shoshone