Shoshones

This morning three young Shoshone men arrived in the area where we were filming, eventually riding their horses into the scene in order to create an element of fear. The three, Jake, Tom, and Teton, rode back and forth across the prairie, no doubt keeping an eye on the area for rattlesnakes.

Later in the afternoon more members of their family including George Abeyta and his family and James Trosper and his family, arrived. As the sun dipped below the mountains, these Shoshones were completely dressed and ready to share some of their culture with our wagon train group.

Both James and George are great-grandsons of Chief Washakie. They spoke of their heritage and culture and traded some of their goods for items from the wagon train ranging from a gun to shoes, to bullets and powder. In exchange they received leather gauntlelts and other gifts.

After trading, the Eagle Spirit Dancers performeod followed by the Foxfire drum and singing group. The Shoshones demonstrated dancing (Jake did a good hoop dance), and then invited the students to participate with them. The night sky was studded with stars, the drums pounded, Shoshone voices clearly singing, as the dancers wove through camp dancing, stirring up dust, sweeping near the fire, and turning in and on itself.

It was truly great to have these tribal members visit us and share their stories. As I stood behind the cameras watching this scene unfold naturally and fluidly, I could not help but think of the journal entries that describe similar scenes, for certainly Shoshones--perhaps even Chief Washakie himself--came to the emigrant camps, where they traded, sang, danced, and told stories.


--Candy Moulton