Duckwater Shoshone Tribe of the Duckwater Reservation
Encyclopedia
The Duckwater Shoshone Tribe of the Duckwater Reservation is a federally recognized tribe of Western Shoshone
in central Nevada
. Their autonym is Tsaidüka, meaning "Eaters of tule
."
and White Pine County. The reservation was established in 1940, when the tribe purchased the 3272 acres (13.2 km²) Florio Ranch and 21 families moved onto the land. Today, it is approximately 3815 acres (15.4 km²). In 1990, 288 tribal members lived on the reservation.
in the summer and lived in conical-shaped houses in the mountains in the winter. They hunted ducks, sage grouse
, prairie dogs, rabbits, ground squirrel
s, deer, and other big game. They cultivated chenopodium
and Mentzelia
.
European-American settlers enter their lands in the late 19th century. The 1863 Treaty of Ruby Valley called for peace between the Western Shoshone and settlers, stipulated that no further white settlement would occur, and did not surrender any Western Shoshone land. Members of the tribe found employment as ranch hands.
The tribe formed a new government under the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act
.
. They are governed by a democratically elected, five-member tribal council. Their tribal chairman is Virginia Sanchez, who succeeded Jerry Millet. The tribe has an environmental health office, a health clinic, and senior center.
Duckwater-Shoshone Nursery, a tribal venture. The nurseries raise native plants in two greenhouses, and these are used in phytoremediation
projects by mining operations. The US Fish and Wildlife Service awarded the tribe three grants to restore Railroad Valley springfish
, a threatened species
.
Each June, the tribe celebrates its annual Duckwater Festival, with a powwow
, barbecue, handgame
s, and other events. This is a continuation of the traditional summer festivals held by the tribe, when the round dance was danced.
Western Shoshone
Western Shoshone comprises several Shoshone tribes that are indigenous to the Great Basin and have lands identified in the Treaty of Ruby Valley 1863. They resided in Idaho, Nevada, California, and Utah. The tribes are very closely related culturally to the Paiute, Goshute, Bannock, Ute, and...
in central Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. Their autonym is Tsaidüka, meaning "Eaters of tule
Tule
Schoenoplectus acutus , called tule , common tule, hardstem tule, tule rush, hardstem bulrush, or viscid bulrush, is a giant species of sedge in the plant family Cyperaceae, native to freshwater marshes all over North America...
."
Reservation
The Duckwater Shoshone Tribe has a federal reservation, the Duckwater Reservation, in Nye County, NevadaNye County, Nevada
-National protected areas:* Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge* Death Valley National Park * Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest * Spring Mountains National Recreation Area -Demographics:...
and White Pine County. The reservation was established in 1940, when the tribe purchased the 3272 acres (13.2 km²) Florio Ranch and 21 families moved onto the land. Today, it is approximately 3815 acres (15.4 km²). In 1990, 288 tribal members lived on the reservation.
History
Traditionally, this band of Shoshone, a Great Basin tribe, hunted near Railroad ValleyRailroad Valley
Railroad Valley is one of the Central Nevada Desert Basins in the Tonopah Basin and is ~80 miles long north-south and up to 20 miles wide, with some southern areas running southwest to northeast. The southern end of the valley begins near Gray Top Mountain and stretches north all the way to...
in the summer and lived in conical-shaped houses in the mountains in the winter. They hunted ducks, sage grouse
Sage Grouse
The Sage Grouse is the largest grouse in North America, where it is known as the Greater Sage-Grouse. Its range is sagebrush country in the western United States and southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada. A population of smaller birds, known in the U.S. as Gunnison Sage-Grouse, were recently...
, prairie dogs, rabbits, ground squirrel
Ground squirrel
The ground squirrels are members of the squirrel family of rodents which generally live on or in the ground, rather than trees. The term is most often used for the medium-sized ground squirrels, as the larger ones are more commonly known as marmots or prairie dogs, while the smaller and less...
s, deer, and other big game. They cultivated chenopodium
Chenopodium
Chenopodium is a genus of about 150 species of perennial or annual herbaceous flowering plants known as the goosefoots, which occur almost anywhere in the world. It is placed in the family Amaranthaceae in the APG II system; older classifications separate it and its relatives as Chenopodiaceae, but...
and Mentzelia
Mentzelia
Mentzelia is a genus of about 60-70 species of flowering plants in the family Loasaceae, native to the Americas. The genus comprises annual, biennial, and perennial herbaceous plants and a few shrubs....
.
European-American settlers enter their lands in the late 19th century. The 1863 Treaty of Ruby Valley called for peace between the Western Shoshone and settlers, stipulated that no further white settlement would occur, and did not surrender any Western Shoshone land. Members of the tribe found employment as ranch hands.
The tribe formed a new government under the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act
Indian Reorganization Act
The Indian Reorganization Act of June 18, 1934 the Indian New Deal, was U.S. federal legislation that secured certain rights to Native Americans, including Alaska Natives...
.
Today
The Duckwater Shoshone Tribe is headquartered in Duckwater, NevadaDuckwater, Nevada
Duckwater is located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Nevada, at about the same latitude as Sacramento, California. It is in Nye County, on the eastern edge of the Duckwater Indian Reservation, near the Red Mountain Wilderness. The city of Las Vegas is about 200 miles to the...
. They are governed by a democratically elected, five-member tribal council. Their tribal chairman is Virginia Sanchez, who succeeded Jerry Millet. The tribe has an environmental health office, a health clinic, and senior center.
Duckwater-Shoshone Nursery, a tribal venture. The nurseries raise native plants in two greenhouses, and these are used in phytoremediation
Phytoremediation
Phytoremediation Phytoremediation Phytoremediation (from the Ancient Greek , and Latin (restoring balance or remediation) describes the treatment of environmental problems (bioremediation) through the use of plants that mitigate the environmental problem without the need to excavate the...
projects by mining operations. The US Fish and Wildlife Service awarded the tribe three grants to restore Railroad Valley springfish
Railroad Valley springfish
The Railroad Valley springfish Crenichthys nevadae, is a rare goodeid fish of the Great Basin of western North America, occurring naturally in just seven thermal springs of Railroad Valley in Nye County, Nevada....
, a threatened species
Threatened species
Threatened species are any speciesg animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.The World Conservation Union is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single category, but as a group of three categories,...
.
Each June, the tribe celebrates its annual Duckwater Festival, with a powwow
PowWow
PowWow is a wireless sensor network mote developed by the Cairn team of IRISA/INRIA. The platform is currently based on IEEE 802.15.4 standard radio transceiver and on an MSP430 microprocessor...
, barbecue, handgame
Handgame
Handgame, also known as stickgame, is a Native American guessing game.-Rules:Stickgame is played with two pairs of 'bones', each pair consisting of one plain and one striped bone. Typically ten sticks are used as counters. The teams agree beforehand which bones they will be guessing - the plain...
s, and other events. This is a continuation of the traditional summer festivals held by the tribe, when the round dance was danced.