Location: The Paiute people first settled throughout the Great Basin, but moved to various states of the country. The Paiute people that made reservations in California, Nevada, Utah, Oregon, and Arizona are called the Northern Paiute. The Paiute people that moved to the plateaus of Colorado around 1100-1200 A.D. are called the Southern Paiute.
History: The history of the Northern Paiute starts at Warm Springs. Thirty-eight Paiutes moved to the Warm Springs reservation in 1879. These people and other Paiutes were forced to move to the Yakima reservation at Fort Vancouver, after the Bannock had waged war on the U.S. army in 1874. Many Paiutes had joined the Bannocks in their fight. During the next five years, other Paiutes who were living at Yakima came to the reservation.
Language: The language of the Northern Paiutes is a Shoshonean dialect. The Southern Paiute spoke a dialect of the Numic language. Other tribes, whose speach comes from Numic language, include the Shoshone, Ute, and the Paviotso.
Daily Life: The Northern Paiutes did not fish. Instead, they migrated frequently and widely. They did this because they relied on game and certain plants. The Southern Paiute did a lot of hunting too, yet not migrating as much one. They did a lot of hunting the whole calendar year. They hunted large game such as the deer. The Paiute men hunted the deer in large groups. The Paiute men also hunted smaller game such as the rabbit. The S. Paiute would eat the meat of their game as well as the crushed bones of the animal. They did not waste anything. In addition to meat, the Paiute ate plant life. The women of the S. Paiute would cultivate a number of crops using water sources that were available. The women would plant corn, squash, pumpkins, muskmelons, beans and sunflowers. They also grew wheat during the late 18th century. Gathering various seeds and leafy greens to supplement their diet was very important as well. The Paiute women did a lot of basket weaving with help from their children.
Written by: Sarah Dirkse