Descendents of the Western Shoshone and the Northern Paiute occupy the Duck Valley Indian Reservation of Idaho and Nevada. Various bands of the two closely related tribes have jointly utilized the area from time immemorial.
In 1884, an effort to move the Western Shoshone to the Fort Hall Reservation in Idaho (and open up Duck Valley lands for non-Indian homesteads) was successfully resisted by the headmen of the bands. The Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of Duck Valley continue to exist within the original territories of their ancestors.
Official Tribal Name: Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation
Address: P.O. Box 21, Owyhee, Nevada
Phone: (702) 757-3161
Fax: (702) 757-2219
Email:
Official Website: http://shopaitribes.org
Recognition Status: Federally Recognized
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Region: Great Basin
State(s) Today: Idaho and Nevada
Traditional Territory:
The tri-state area which is now Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon.
Confederacy: Shoshone, Paiute
Treaties:
Reservation: Duck Valley Reservation
The Duck Valley Indian Reservation is situated in a beautiful,green valley on the Nevada/Idaho border. The site for this reservation was selected by a Shoshone leader named Captain Sam.
Established: 16 April 1877 – By Executive Order
04 May 1886 – By Executive Order, Acreage added
1 July 1910 – Acreage Added
Land Area:
289,819.3 acres of Tribal Land
144,274.3 acres in Elko County, Nevada
145,545.0 acres in Owyhee County, Idaho
There are 3,981.68 acres of Federally-owned land at Wildhorse Reservoir.
Location: Astride the Nevada-Idaho Border, ninety-six miles north of Elko County, Nevada, by State Route 225.
Tribal Headquarters:
Time Zone:
B.I.A. Office: Eastern Nevada Agency, Elko, Nevada 89801 Ph(702) 738-5165
Population at Contact:
Registered Population Today:
Tribal membership is over 2000 with approximately 1700 living on the reservation.
Tribal Enrollment Requirements:
Enrollment Office Phone (775) 757-2921
Genealogy Resources:
Government:
Charter: Organized under the Indian Reorganiation Act of 18 June 1934 (48 Stat. 984) as amended. Constitution and By-Laws of the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes approved 20 April 1936. Amended 20 May 1966.
Name of Governing Body: Business Council
Number of Council members: 5 plus executive officers
Dates of Constitutional amendments:
Number of Executive Officers:Chairman, Vice-Chairman
Elections:
Elections are held every three years.
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Origins:
Bands, Gens, and Clans
Related Tribes:
Pyramid Lake Paiute | Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe | Fort Independence Paiute | Ft. McDermitt Paiute-Shoshone Tribe | Goshute Confederated Tribes | Kaibab Band of Paiute | Las Vegas Paiute Tribe | Lovelock Paiute Tribe | Moapa River Reservation | Reno/Sparks Indian Colony | Summit Lake Paiute Tribe | Winnemucca Colony | Walker River Paiute Tribe | Yerington Paiute Tribe
Ely Shoshone Tribe | Duckwater Shoshone | Winnemucca Colony | Yomba Shoshone Tribe | Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians (comprised of the Battle Mountain Band, Elko Band, South Fork Band, and Wells Band)
Traditional Allies:
The Northern Paiute bands became allied with their kin, the Bannock in the Bannock War of 1878 and were subsequently sent to a prisoner of war camp in Yakima, Washington. Upon their release, the survivors were returned to their homelands and the Western Shoshone reservation was expanded for their use in 1886.
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In the early days of the Duck Valley Reservation, the people lived in earthen willow and sagebrush huts.
Subsistance:
Economy Today:
Farming and Ranching are still mainstays for Duck Valley and is reflected in the 12,000 acres of subjugated lands.
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Wedding Customs
Education and Media:
From 1884 through 1911 a boarding school operated on the reservation. Thereafter 3 day schools were operated in three separate locations on the reservation. In Owyhee, the Swayne School was built. In 1931 the day schools were closed and all students attended the Swayne School.
Students of the higher grades were sent off reservation to boarding schools until 1946 when high school classes were added. In 1956 the reservation school system was consolidated into the Elko County School District of Nevada and today is known as the Owyhee Combined Schools (K-12). Recently, a Community Education Center was placed in Owyhee for GED and higher education courses.
Radio:
Newspapers: Sho-Pai News, P.O. Box 219, Owyhee, Nevada 89832 Subscription is $20/year.
Shoshone Chiefs & Famous People:
Paiute Chiefs & Famous People:
Captain Sam
Catastrophic Events:
Tribe History:
In the News:
Duck Valley Indian Rez without water, running low on food after fire destroys village
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