Troy Charlesworth

Religious Concepts amongst the NW Shoshone

Religion was as important to the Shoshone as to other human groups.. It is believed they incorporated some of the  religious expressions of the plains Indians. Those expression varied depending on the demands of the climate, natural resources, and the needs and subsistence of the group. Thus, the religion was a result of a mixture of ecological and traditional elements. Shoshone religion did not have a formal priesthood, but people could become empowered as healers, or shamans by having "visionary and dream experiences." (Christensen 1999:7) The lack of elaborate ceremonies or highly specialized religious practitioners is in line with the nomadic and changing nature of the Shoshone society as well as its egalitarianism.

The basis of Shoshone religion is the belief in the power of dreams and visions, and their use in acquiring the help of guardian and guiding spirits. The spirits usually guided the individual in the gathering and preparing of "medicines." The spirits also imposed certain taboos and other requirements upon their devotees as a condition for granting them the power. Some of the benefits believed to be obtained from the spirits were; they cured illness, protected the individual from arrows, and could even be used to cause harm to others. Dreams sometimes could give the dreamer supernatural powers without the visit of a spirit, among these powers were longevity, gambling luck, running and hunting powers. Most of the Shoshone ceremonialism took the form of dances rather than ceremonies with sermons.

Shamans treated ailments and acted to ensure the success of  hunts. There were three categories of shamans: Specialists known for curing specific ailments or perform other specific duty, those who had general curing abilities, and those who used their power for personal benefit only.

The Shoshone expressed a belief in a creator, Appi ‘Father’, but the principal figures in Shoshone myth are the Wolf and Coyote. Mythology and religious concepts deserve to be treated as part of a larger complex that may be called "supernaturalism" (Lowie 1924: xvi-xvii). However religious concepts and mythology are relatively independent ( Hultkrantz 1986:631). The supernatural powers usually assumed the shapes of the birds and animals in the area. The two prominent creatures in mythology are Wolf, " the powerful one", who is serious and benevolent and Coyote, "comic fellow", who is mischievous and a trickster.

In 1863 the U.S. Army, under the command of Patrick Edward Connor killed several hundred Shoshone men, women, and children at a bend in the Bear River near present-day Franklin, Idaho. A few years later George Washington Hill, a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, baptized the survivors at a bend in the Bear River near Corinne.

"I think they were the two defining events in our tribal history," said Bruce Parry, executive director of the tribe. "In the early 1870s, every member of the tribe — except one — was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And the only reason he wasn't baptized was he was afraid of water. Somewhere between 200 and 300 Shoshones joined the church then."

One reason for the mass conversion was Sagwich. The chief is said to have had a vision of a red-haired stranger bringing the word of the Creator to his people and helping them find their way into the modern world. George W. Hill and his bright red hair eventually arrived on the scene.

Mormonism is not the only religion of the Shoshone, of course. Like most tribes, their heritage is actually one of spiritual quest and renewal. Many still practiced both Mormonism and Shamanism to some extent. Exact membership figures are often difficult to come by, because American Indians tend to flow freely between groups. Chief Washakie himself, for example, was baptized into the LDS faith, then later baptized Episcopalian.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Christensen, Scott R. Sagwitch Shoshone Chieftain, Mormon Elder 1822-1887. Logan: Utah State University Press, 1999

Hultkrantz, Ake. "Mythology and Religion Concepts," in  Handbook of North American Indians, Vol. 11 Great Basin, edited by Warren L. D’Azevedo. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 1986.

Johnson, Jerry. "Shoshones: Mass Conversion, Massacre Vital in Tribal History," Deseret News, 28 February 2002. http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,375012613,00.html (Accessed 29 November 2004).

Lowie, Robert H. "Shoshonean Tales." Journal of American Folk-Lore. 37 (1924): 143-144.