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Videos of the Week

Shoshone-Bannock History in Idaho
PART I OF II: 2008's historic Idaho Democratic Convention, held in Boise, ID, June 12-14, invited Idaho Native American Tribal members from the Shoshone-Bannock/Fort Hall, Shoshone-Paiute/Duck Valley, Nez Perce, and Coeur D'Alene tribal communities to take an active part in the convention activities. On June 12th, the Idaho AFL-CIO hosted a Democratic picnic for convention goers. Mr. Ted Howard, Cultural Resource Director, Duck Valley, spoke to picnic participants about the Shoshone-Paiute-Bannock history in the Boise Valley area. 9:49 minutes.

Part II-Grand Entry, Flag Ceremony and Recessional
All convention tribal members participated in the grand entry at the beginning of the June 13th Idaho Democratic Convention gathering followed by a flag ceremony and presentation by Mr. Lee Juan Tyler, Council Member, Shoshone-Bannock/Fort Hall community. Fort Hall and Duck Valley singers and drummers played songs for the grand entry, flag ceremony and recessional.
9:59 minutes

Native American Prophecy
Narrated by the late Floyd RedCrow Westerman 6:36 minutes

7 Generations
Elder Orin Lyons talks about preparing for the next 7 generations. 8:43 minutes

TNB->Maidu Indians: Enterprise Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California

Posted on Friday, July 20 @ 20:59:24 CDT

Enterprise Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California .. KEYWORDS: enterprise rancheria maidu indians california indians california indian tribes rancheria indians

The Enterprise Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California originally lived in northeastern California’s mountain meadows and valleys.

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Here they collected great quantities of acorns that they dried and made into flour. During the salmon spawning season they netted or speared, dried and stored enough of the fish to last them most of the year. While the men hunted deer, elk, bear, geese, ducks and quail during the year, the women collected seeds, nuts, berries and wild plants. Maidu men also collected wild tobacco to smoke during special ceremonies.

Shelter for the Maidu depended upon where they lived. Those living in the foothills built earth-covered houses; while those who lived in the mountains built cone-shaped dwellings covered with bark. While away from their villages on hunting trips, the Maidu constructed temporary shelters covered with grass and twigs. Small settlements were built close together to form villages. A network of foot trails connected the villages. A ceremonial lodge was constructed in the largest and most central of the villages.

Maidu clothing reflected the temperate climate of this region. Men wore buckskin breechcloths, and occasionally no clothing at all. Maidu women wore double-sided buckskin aprons or aprons made of woven plant materials, and basket-like caps. Women also wore leggings and grass-insulated moccasins in the winter. Robes of bearskin, deerskin or mountain lion skin were also worn in winter. As an added display of beauty, Maidu women pierced their ears, while the men pierced their noses.

In 1844, most of the land to which the Maidu were native was given in a grant to a white settler who was a cattle rancher. The cattle destroyed the Maidu’s food sources, and many died of hunger. More Maidu people perished during smallpox epidemics brought to the area by white gold miners. Survivors of the epidemics resorted to eating livestock in order to prevent starvation. White settlers hunted down members of this group and killed them.

In a treaty signed by the Maidu and federal officials, ancestral Maidu lands were signed over in exchange for the safety of a reservation. The government failed to honor this treaty and ordered soldiers to remove the Maidu from reservation lands. One hundred and sixty-one Maidu were forcibly marched from their reservation to Round Valley in northern California. During this march thirty-two people died.

Today the Maidu’s descendants live on small reservations in California or in communities near these reservations. One of these is the Enterprise Rancheria.