Shoshone-Bannock Subsistence and Society

In Short

Commissioned as research for an Indian lands claims case, this academic study serves as a meticulously documented ethnohistory. It examines the Shoshone and Bannock tribes not as static entities, but as flexible, mobile populations whose survival depended on their ability to adapt to varying environments—from the buffalo-rich plains to the root-gathering regions of the Great Basin. By synthesizing historical journals, government records, and ethnographic data, the book provides a clear-eyed account of how these groups navigated internal social structures and external pressures, eventually facing the transformative period of reservation settlement.

The Story

The narrative begins with the geopolitical landscape of the eighteenth century, where the Shoshone, buoyed by the acquisition of the horse, initially extended their range into the northern plains. This era of expansion eventually met resistance from better-armed adversaries, particularly the Blackfoot, who, supplied with firearms by fur companies, pushed the Shoshone westward. The book traces this forced transition, detailing how the Shoshone shifted from being a powerful, horse-mounted force to a more fragmented population forced into the mountain streams and river valleys of the Rockies.

As the nineteenth century progresses, the account focuses on the stark ecological dichotomy of the Shoshone and Bannock populations. While some groups maintained a mobile, buffalo-hunting economy, others—derisively termed "Diggers" by contemporary observers—relied on seasonal fishing, roots, and berries. The authors argue that this was not a fundamental cultural split but rather a strategic adaptation to geography and seasonal availability. The narrative moves through the 1840s and 1850s, a period marked by constant volatility. The Shoshone, led by figures like Washakie, occupied a precarious position; they were frequently caught between the territorial ambitions of encroaching settlers and the hostility of rival tribes like the Sioux, Arapaho, and Cheyenne. The text documents numerous small-scale conflicts, such as the legendary battle of Crowheart Butte, illustrating the constant, high-stakes nature of maintaining hunting grounds against aggressive neighbors.

The arc of the story inevitably bends toward the solidification of federal control. The authors detail the increasing frequency of treaties and the role of government agents who attempted to consolidate these scattered bands into stable, reservation-based communities like Fort Hall. The struggle of the Bannock and Shoshone to maintain their independence in the face of these pressures is the book's final movement. The narrative concludes with the effective end of their traditional nomadic life, as the reservation system enforced a sedentary existence, permanently altering the traditional relationship between their seasonal subsistence cycles and the land they occupied. The authors emphasize that these tribes were not merely passive victims but active participants in their own history, constantly evaluating trade, defense, and migration to survive in an rapidly shrinking landscape.

How It Unfolds

The horse-nomad expansion The account describes the early eighteenth-century ascendancy of the Shoshone on the plains. This period of influence ends as regional power shifts due to the influx of firearms among neighboring tribes.

The ecological spectrum The text defines the stark, practical differences between buffalo-hunting bands and those focused on fishing and root gathering. It argues these were fluid adaptations rather than fixed social castes.

Chiefs and leadership The authors challenge the notion of hereditary monarchy, describing a system where authority was earned through consensus and prestige. They highlight figures like Washakie, whose leadership was defined by negotiation and adaptability.

The reservation transition The final section examines the late 1860s, documenting the series of treaties and government pressures that forcibly settled the tribes. This marks the end of their independent, seasonal mobility.

The People

The book focuses on leaders like Washakie, who emerges as the most influential figure among the Eastern Shoshone. Unlike the idealized, static chiefs of popular imagination, Washakie is presented as a pragmatist. He navigates the survival of his people by balancing military defense against the Blackfoot and Sioux with diplomatic maneuvering with American government agents. His authority is shown to be a fragile, consensus-based role that fluctuated based on his ability to secure resources and safety.

The authors also highlight Tygee (or Taggie), a key figure among the Bannock. He represents the persistent mobility of his people, as he attempts to lead his followers through the shifting landscape of the 1860s, often finding himself negotiating with agents while simultaneously attempting to maintain traditional hunting practices.

The "Diggers" or "Root-diggers" appear not as individuals, but as a class of people whose lives were shaped by harsh environmental limitations. While contemporary travelers often viewed them with contempt, the authors place them within the broader context of a society that valued survival and ingenuity, noting that these groups were often kin to the more powerful mounted hunters. The book emphasizes that these categories—hunter, fisherman, chief, and commoner—were often fluid, with families moving between roles depending on the season and the local availability of resources.

In Its Own Voice

"No nation is their friend."

This is a description of the Shoshone, or "Gens du Serpent," as recorded by the de la Verendrye explorers in the mid-eighteenth century.

"Thus by degrees the Snakes have become a scattered, broken-spirited, impoverished people, keeping about lonely rivers and mountain streams, and subsisting chiefly upon fish."

This quote from Washington Irving illustrates the profound impact of firearm-backed aggression on Shoshone territorial autonomy.

What It's Really About

The central argument is that Shoshone and Bannock society was defined by environmental adaptation rather than rigid, innate structure. The book challenges earlier anthropological claims by demonstrating that their social organization—what the authors call "discontinuous influence"—was a sophisticated response to a high-risk, nomadic lifestyle. The authors argue that the tribe was a flexible, shifting network rather than a stable, unified nation-state. By focusing on the "rhythm of their seasonal activity," the book provides a corrective to historical accounts that mischaracterized their lack of fixed, permanent architecture as a lack of social sophistication, instead revealing a complex, rational strategy for survival in a harsh, contested landscape.

Why Read It Today

This book is essential for readers interested in the intersection of anthropology, history, and land-use policy. Those who appreciate a dry, evidence-based approach will value the way it deconstructs myths surrounding Western tribes, replacing them with a more nuanced, albeit colder, analysis. Reading it feels like looking through an archivist’s lens; the prose is dense with citation, and the narrative frequently pauses to weigh the reliability of various explorers' journals and government reports.

The primary difficulty for the modern reader is the academic tone and the sheer volume of bureaucratic jargon, which reflects its origin as expert testimony for a legal case. The period attitudes—such as the casual use of derogatory terms by the nineteenth-century writers quoted—are presented without modern apology, requiring the reader to navigate these historical perspectives with critical distance. However, for those willing to parse the details, the book remains a powerful, grounded look at how a people’s relationship with the land is forcibly severed. What stays with you is the sheer, grueling effort required to survive the nineteenth-century frontier, and the realization that the "destitute" appearance of these tribes was, in fact, the result of a deliberate, long-term political and military process of displacement.