Goshute facts for kids

Milton Hooper (left), an environmental specialist, looks at plans for the Goshute Indian Reservation
Quick facts for kids Total population
673
Regions with significant populations
United States ( Nevada and  Utah)
Languages
Gosiute dialect, English
Religion
Native American Church, Mormonism
Related ethnic groups
other Western Shoshone peoples

The Goshutes are a Native American tribe from the Western Shoshone group. Today, there are two Goshute tribes officially recognized by the United States government:

• Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation, found in Nevada and Utah.
• Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians of Utah, located in Utah.

Goshute Culture and Way of Life

The Goshute people call themselves Newe or Newenee, which means 'Person' or 'People'. Sometimes they also used the name Kutsipiuti, meaning "People of the dry earth" or "People of the Desert".

The Goshutes lived in what is now western Utah and eastern Nevada. Long ago, they found their food by hunting animals and gathering plants. Their social groups were usually small, mostly made up of families. These families would hunt and gather together. Sometimes, several families would join up for a few weeks, especially to gather pine nuts, hunt bigger animals, or stay together during the winter. During these larger gatherings, a village leader called a dagwani would guide them.

What Goshutes Hunted and Gathered

Goshute hunters caught small animals like lizards, snakes, birds, gophers, rabbits, rats, and skunks. If they were lucky, they also hunted larger animals such as pronghorn, bear, coyote, deer, elk, and bighorn sheep. Men usually hunted the larger animals and shared the meat with everyone in the village.

Women and children gathered nearly 100 different kinds of wild vegetables and seeds. The most important food they gathered was the pine nut. They also collected insects like red ants, crickets, and grasshoppers.

The Goshute people are also known for their traditional arts, including beadwork and basketry.

Traditional Homes and Medicine

Before settlers arrived, the Goshutes spent winters in the Deep Creek Valley. They lived in homes called wiki-ups, which were dug into the ground and built with willow poles and earth. In spring and summer, they gathered wild onions, carrots, and potatoes, and hunted small animals in the mountains.

The Goshute people also used plants for medicine. For example, they used the root of a plant called Carex to help them feel better.

Goshute Language

The Goshute people speak a language called Gosiute. This is a main dialect of the Shoshoni language, which is part of the larger Numic language family.

Goshute History

The Goshute are an ancient people of the Great Basin region. Their traditional lands stretched from the Great Salt Lake in Utah to the Steptoe Range in Nevada. They were often found in areas like Deep Creek Valley near Ibapah, Simpson Springs, and the Skull and Tooele Valleys.

In the 1700s and 1800s, some Navajo and Ute groups would raid the Goshute. Unlike many of their neighbors, the Goshutes did not get horses until the late 1800s. Their food came mostly from the grasslands, including small animals, insects, and plant roots.

The first written record of the Goshute people was in 1827 by explorer Jedediah Smith. For many years after that, contact between Europeans and the Goshutes was rare.

Goshute Bands and Groups

Historically, the Goshute people were divided into several groups or bands, often named after the areas where they lived. These included:

• The Pagayuats from Otter Creek.
• The Pierruiats who lived at Deep Creek.
• The Torountogoats from Egan Canyon.
• The Tuwurints who lived on Snake Creek.
• The Unkagarits from Skull Valley.

Other names for Goshute groups included the Cedar Valley Goshute, Rush Valley Goshute, Tooele Valley Goshute, and Trout Creek Goshute. These names show how different groups of Goshute people lived in specific parts of their large territory.

Arrival of Mormon Settlers

In 1847, pioneers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also called Mormons) began settling in the Salt Lake Valley. Soon, they started moving into Goshute lands. Tooele Valley became a popular place for Mormon cattle owners to graze their animals.

By 1849, the pioneers were building permanent homes in Goshute territory. This greatly changed the Goshute way of life. The Mormons took over many of the best camping spots near water, hunted in Goshute hunting grounds, and let their cattle eat too much grass. This made it hard for the Goshutes to find food for themselves and the animals they hunted. The pioneers believed that Utah was a special land given to them by God, and they did not recognize the Goshutes' claims to the land.

The Goshutes did not agree with the Mormons taking their land and resources. They began taking back cattle that wandered onto their property. This led to conflicts. In one event, a group of Mormons attacked a Goshute village, but the Goshutes were able to defend themselves. Later, after more cattle were taken, a Mormon army attacked a Goshute camp and killed nine Goshute people. As more Mormons moved in, the Goshutes were pushed out of their best lands.

The Goshute War

In the early 1860s, many travelers, including gold miners and wagon trains, passed through Goshute territory on their way to California. More contact happened when the military set up Camp Floyd, and the Pony Express and Butterfield Overland Mail set up stations. Telegraph lines were also built. Ranchers and farmers moved into the area, taking over important water sources and fertile lands that the Goshutes relied on.

After attacks on stage stations and coaches, the Union Army sent soldiers under Brigadier-General Patrick Edward Connor. They attacked the Goshutes, and many Goshute people were killed. The survivors were forced to sign a treaty on October 12, 1863.

This treaty meant the Goshutes agreed to stop fighting and allow travel routes, military posts, and new settlements on their land. They also allowed stage lines, telegraph lines, and railways to be built. Mines, mills, and ranches were permitted, and timber could be cut. In return, the U.S. government agreed to pay the Goshutes $1,000 each year for twenty years because their hunting grounds were being destroyed. President Abraham Lincoln announced this treaty in 1865.

The Goshute tribe officially approved their own constitution in 1940. In 1993, there were 413 registered members of the tribe.

Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians of Utah

The Skull Valley Indian Reservation is located in Tooele County, Utah. It is about halfway between the main Goshute Reservation and Salt Lake City, Utah. The Skull Valley Band has about 125 members, with 31 living on their 18,000-acre reservation.

The Skull Valley Band's office is located at 407 Skull Valley Road, Skull Valley, Utah. At the end of 2020, there were 148 tribal members.