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Show AN INTRODUCTION TO UTAH'S INDIAN HISTORY W E S H A L L R E M A I N : U TA H I N D I A N C U R R I C U L U M G U I D E 34 Of the diverse tribes of Utah, the Goshutes are known and respected for their vast botanical knowledge. Within their homeland, the Goshutes knew and used nearly one hundred different species. The Goshutes used seeds from forty-seven different plants. They harvested twelve types of berries, eight different roots, and twelve different types of greens. The Gos-hutes knew where each valuable food plant could be found, the best time to harvest it, and what could be stored for the lean times. Though the Goshutes did have a shaman to handle serious problems, most tribal members had an understanding of the most useful medicinal plants. For example, some forms of mountain thistle were eaten, rubbed on the skin to ease pain, or mixed with dirt and made into a drink to induce vomiting. After whites settled in the Salt Lake Valley and be-gan to put pressure on the resources of the Goshute homeland, some Goshutes attempted settled agriculture, but farming was difficult in the arid en-vironmentof the Goshute homeland. Though the modern Goshute people no longer need a detailed knowledge of plants for sustenance, they continue to pass on that knowledge as part of their cultural heritage. Shoshone Beadwork Because the Northwestern Shoshones inhabited an area that was visited by early trappers and traders and had contact with various Plains Indian tribes, they were able to obtain the materials and inspira-tion for beautiful and intricate beadwork. Before the Shoshones had access to European beads, they deco-rated their buckskin dresses with elk teeth and of-ten adorned themselves with polished bones, animal claws, and porcupine quills. In the 1820s trappers and traders traveled through their homeland in what is today northeastern Utah and southeastern Idaho. The Shoshones traded furs and supplies for a variety of beads and then used these beads to adorn cloth-ing, particularly gloves and moccasins. The influence of Plains Indian design can be seen in Shoshone clothing and parfleche bags (a parfleche bag is a rectangular leather bag that many tribes used to carry valuables). This influence is evident in Shoshone beadwork as well. Geometric designs and linear patterns are common and perhaps influenced by Arapahoe artwork. Some floral designs, though originally inspired by the art of the Plains Indians, were popularized and perfected by the Shoshones. A beaded rose pattern, for example, usually connotes that the person wearing the beadwork is of Shoshone heritage, meaning that he or she could a member of the closely related Shoshone, Goshute, Ute, or Pai-ute tribes, or descend from a combination of these groups. Contemporary examples of Shoshone bead-work may use modern materials, but the methods used to create the intricate pieces of art, such as bead looming, have been passed down since the earliest days of the tribe. Ute Buckskin Tanning The introduction of the horse to the Ute way of life changed many of their cultural practices. The horse made travel and hunting much easier. With increased hunting success, the already-established tradition of making buckskin from the hides of deer, elk, and buffalo became even more important. The Utes could produce more buckskin and at a fine level of quality. Other tribes traded with the Utes for their buckskin, and it also became a highly valued trade item for non- Indians in the West. Traditionally, the women of the tribe tanned buck-skin. Though tanning is no longer only done by wom-en, and the hides can be soaked and stretched us-ing modern equipment, quality Ute buckskin is still valued. Deer hunting is still an important activity in the Ute culture, but the decimation of the wild bison herds has made the tanning of buffalo robes a less common activity. Goshute Botany |