AN FOLKLIFE STUDIES • NUMBER 6 E 99 P2F68 1990X NMAI Tule Technology Northern Paiute Uses of Marsh Resources in Western Nevada Catherine S. Fowler SERIES PUBLICATIONS OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION Emphasis upon publication as a means of "diffusing knowledge" was ex­ pressed by the first Secretary of the Smithsonian. In his formal plan for the Institution, Joseph Henry outlined a program that included the following statement: "It is proposed to publish a series of reports, giving an account of the new discoveries in science, and of the changes made from year to year in all branches of knowledge." This theme of basic research has been adhered to through the years by thousands of titles issued in series publications under the Smithsonian imprint, commencing with Smithsonian Contributions to Knowl­ edge in 1848 and continuing with the following active series: Smithsonian Contributions to Anthropology Smithsonian Contributions to Botany Smithsonian Contributions to the Earth Sciences Smithsonian Contributions to the Marine Sciences Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology Smithsonian Folklife Studies Smithsonian Studies in Air and Space Smithsonian Studies in History and Technology In these series, the Institution publishes small papers and full-scale mono­ graphs that report the research and collections of its various museums and bureaux or of professional colleagues in the world of science and scholarship. The publications are distributed by mailing lists to libraries, universities, and similar institutions throughout the world. Papers or monographs submitted for series publication are received by the Smithsonian Institution Press, subject to its own review for format and style, only through departments of the various Smithsonian museums or bureaux, where the manuscripts are given substantive review. Press require­ ments for manuscript and art preparation are outlined inside the back cover. Robert McC. Adams Secretary Smithsonian Institution f.: Frontispiece. Jimmy and Wuzzie George carrying bundles of freshly cut tules (Scirpus acutus), Stillwater Marsh, Nevada, ca. 1960. Photograph by M.M. Wheat. Courtesy of Special Collections Department, Getchell Library, Uni­ versity of Nevada Reno. Smithsonian Folklife Studies • Number 6 Tule Technology Northern Paiute Uses of Marsh Resources in Western Nevada Catherine S. Fowler Smithsonian Institution Press Washington, D.C. 1990 Abstract Fowler, Catherine S. Tule Technology: Northern Paiute Uses of Marsh Re­ sources in Western Nevada. Smithsonian Folklife Studies, number 6, 186 pages, frontispiece plus 78 figures, 1990.—The Northern Paiute of western Nevada, particularly the Cattail-eater subgroup, had a number of uses for locally occurring marsh plants, particularly for food and technology. Common items manufactured from cattails, tules, and rushes include bags, mats, sandals, clothing, houses, duck decoys, and boats. The rhizomes, shoots, seeds, and pollen of several species also provided nutritious foods. In the early 1950s, Margaret M. Wheat of Fallon, Nevada, began working with Cattail-eater people to document on audio tape, on film, and in print the many uses of these plants, as well as other aspects of their lifeways. In the late 1960s, she was joined in these efforts by Fowler; together they concentrated on the knowledge held by the George family of Stillwater, Nevada. Wuzzie and Jimmy George had been raised by grandparents who themselves had witnessed the settling of their region by non-Indians. They in turn were in the process of passing some of their knowledge to their children and grandchildren. The monograph focuses on the lives of Wuzzie and Jimmy George and the many uses they knew for marsh plants. It describes the making of simple bags of tules for collecting duck eggs in the marshes; tule duck decoys once covered with duck skins and used in hunting; cattail mat—covered houses, common shelters in the region; and tule balsa boats, watercraft well adapted to marshes. Comparative data from the archaeological record in western Nevada as well as from other Native American groups, principally in the Great Basin and California, are added to place the Cattail-eater data in context. The role of the Georges in transmitting their knowledge to future generations is also explored briefly. The monograph is designed to accompany a film by the same title made in 1981 by the Smithsonian Institution's Office of Folklife Programs. OFFICIAL PUBLICATION DATE is handstamped in a limited number of initial copies and is recorded in the Institution's annual report, Smithsonian Year. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Fowler, Catherine S. Tule technology : northern Paiute uses of marsh resources in western Nevada / Catherine S. Fowler. p. cm.—(Smithsonian folklife studies ; 6) Includes bibliographical references (p. 1. Paiute Indians—Ethnobotany. 2. Paiute Indians—Social life and cus­ toms. 3. Typha—Social aspects—Nevada. 4. Aquatic plants as foods- Nevada. I. Title. II. Series: Smithsonian folklife studies ; no. 6. E99.P2F68 1990 979.3'004974—dc20 90-9731 CIP © 1990 by Smithsonian Institution. All rights reserved. Contents Preface to the Series, by Thomas Vennum, Jr. 7 Acknowledgments 11 Introduction 13 Natural and Cultural Settings 19 The Environment 20 The Precontact Cultures 27 Euro-American Settlement 34 The George Family 42 The Early Years 42 Ranch Life 44 Living in Fallon 53 Jimmy George 55 The Fallon Reservation 56 Jimmy George, Native Doctor 58 Documenting the Ways of the Old People 60 The Marshes and Their Products 67 Marsh Systems 67 Marsh Plants as Food 69 Nonmarsh Plants and Their Uses 75 The Egg Bag 78 Constructing the Egg Bag 78 Other Domestic Uses for Tules 81 The Archaeological Record 87 Domestic Tule Technologies of Other Groups 90 The Tule Duck Decoy 93 Constructing the Duck Decoy 93 Great Basin Duck Decoys 96 California Decoys 108 Uses of Decoys 110 The Cattail House 112 O Building the House 112 o Other House Types 121 Cattail and Tule Houses Elsewhere in the Region 123 The Tule Balsa Boat 135 Constructing a Tule Balsa Boat 135 Tule Balsa Boats in Use 139 Boats in Other Areas 142 Conclusions 153 Appendixes A: Transcript of Film Narrative 159 B: Northern Paiute Pronunciation Key 169 C: Tables 170 Notes 172 Literature Cited 175 Preface to the Series In 1978, the Smithsonian Office of Folklife Programs established Smithsonian Folklife Studies to document folkways still practiced (or recreated through memory) in a variety of traditional cultures. This Office has accumulated more than a decade of research accruing from fieldwork conducted for its annual production of the Festival of American Folklife. Against the background of this rich and continually replenished resource, the Studies were conceived in a unique format: each consists of a monograph and a film that complement each other. The monographs present detailed histories and descriptions of folk technologies, customs, or events, and include information about the background and character of the participants and processes through photographs (historical and contemporary), illustrations, and bibliog­ raphies. The films add a living dimension to the monographs by showing events in progress and traditions being practiced, the narra­ tive being provided mostly by the tradition bearers themselves. Thus, while each monograph is planned to permit its use independent of the film (and vice versa), their combined study should enhance the edu­ cational and documentary value of each. The genesis of the Smithsonian Folklife Studies dates back to January 1967, when the Institution began plans to convene a group of cultural geographers, architectural historians, and European and American folklore scholars in July of that year. One recommendation of the conference stressed the need for new directions in documen­ tation to keep pace with the ever-broadening scope of the discipline, as it extends from the once limited area of pure folklore research to encompass all aspects of folklife. It was further proposed that the Smithsonian establish model folklife studies, although no specific forms were prescribed. The Festival was one form developed to meet this challenge and the publications program was another. Smithsonian Folklife Studies were designed to provide new perspectives on earlier research or to investigate areas of folklife previously unexplored. The topics proposed for the publications range widely from such traditional folklore interests as ballad singing to newer areas of con- 8 cern such as occupational folklore. Included are studies of "old ways" in music, crafts, and food preparation still practiced in ethnic com­ munities of the New World, centuries-old technologies still remem­ bered by American Indians, and "homemade" utilitarian items still preferred to their "store bought" counterparts. American folklife is the primary (but not exclusive) concentration of the Studies. Nearly all of these traditions have been transmitted orally or absorbed through repeated observation, involving several generations. Learning traditions this way, of course, extends beyond childhood. The degree to which oral, even non-verbal, tradition operates among blue collar workers is one focus of occupational folklore: imitation and personal instruction are the best vehicles for transmitting the technique and knowledge necessary to do the work. Because mere words cannot always communicate, apprentices must be shown the technique. Many of the activities documented in the Studies, however, are practiced