The Shoshone People

Native American · Western tribes · Indigenous peoples

Four distinct groups. The Shoshone people have four large cultural and linguistic divisions: the Eastern Shoshone in Wyoming, the Northern Shoshone in Southern Idaho, the Western Shoshone in California, Nevada, and Northern Utah, and the Goshute in western Utah and eastern Nevada.

Mountain and desert homeland. The Shoshone territories span the Great Basin and Rocky Mountain regions of the American West, where they lived in diverse environments from high mountains to desert valleys.

Shoshone language family. The Shoshone speak related languages that belong to the Numic branch of Native American languages, and they call themselves 'Newe,' which means 'the people' in their own language.

Adapted to varied lands. Each Shoshone group developed unique ways of living suited to their specific landscape, from hunting in mountain valleys to gathering in desert regions.