Great Basin Native Americans

The Native Americans of Great Basin come from a large area that today includes all of Utah and Nevada, as well as parts of Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming and Colorado,Arizona, and California. The area of the great basin is mainly desert with very little rainfall. The area was lightly populated.

The Native Americans of the area spoke two different languages the Washoe who spoke Hokan language, and the remainder of the Indians Numic languages which had many dialects.

The Native Americans of the area were mostly hunter-gathers. The natives hunted for bison, deer, and mountain sheep, and gather roots, berries.While horses were not native to the area, interactions with the Spanish resulted in many of the Great Basin Indians using horses.

The tribes in the Great Basin were small, moving around to find food. The native Americans of the region shared many of the same general religious beliefs as those of other areas believing in a spirit world. Many of the natives thought that animals had special powers. Like other Indians, the Great Basins Indians used shamans to connect to the spirit world.

The major tribes include:
Bannock
Goshute
Paiute
Shoshone
Ute Tribe
Washoe Tribe