Yerington Monday: Paiute Survival Arts & Crafts

Yerington Monday:  Paiute Survival Arts & Crafts

This is the last day of Native American Heritage Month and the end of my five part Yerington Monday coverage of the Northwestern Paiutes of Nevada.  I have learned so much from this series and hope you have too.

Northern Paiute Moccasins 1920 -- Fort Bidwell, California -- The Smithsonian's National Museum Of The American Indian

A Paiute beaded hide cradle board with reed sun visor

Three Stone Paiute Turquoise Bracelet

Northern Paiute burden basket ca. 1910

Washoe Paiute basket-maker, Dat-So-La-Lee, poses with her husband, Charley Keyser, two young women, and her finely-woven decorative baskets.

Washoe or Northern Paiute basket ca. 1940s

Western Nevada,  Willow, glass beads

Paiute Deadfall Trap

With Archaeology and Historic Preservation month in full swing, we thought it might be interesting to explore one of the ways the early residents of Iron County caught food: the Paiute deadfall trap. This type of trap is named after the native Paiute peoples – nomadic hunters and gatherers who depended on wild plants and animals.  But these simple types of traps have been used for thousands of years by people across the world.

Animal trapping, or simply trapping, is the use of a device to remotely catch an animal. Animals may be trapped for a variety of purposes, including food and pest control. Trapping also facilitates the capture of animals for their furs which may be sold or bartered for other useful items, or which may be used for making clothing and other articles.

A deadfall is a heavy rock or log that is tilted on an angle and held up with sections of branches (sticks), with one of them that serves as a trigger. When the animal moves the trigger that has bait on or near it, the rock or log falls, crushing the animal. The Paiute deadfall is a popular and simple trap constructed from materials found in nature (three sticks with notches cut into them, cordage, plus a heavy rock or other heavy object). Next time you visit Frontier Homestead, test your skills and see how long it takes for you to set this trap.

Debris Hut:  For warmth and ease of construction, this shelter is one of the best.

Paiute Wickiups | Photo of a Wickiup made of bent sticks covered in mats of reeds

Tule Duck Decoy

Envision a hunter crouched low amidst the tule marsh of centuries ago. The survival of his band depends on his skills as a hunter. In the early morning sky, flocks of ducks and geese fly by. His arrows cannot fly high enough into the sky to reach the flocks passing by, so he sets his best creative weapon on the water, the tule duck decoy. This is an ancient hunting tool used by his people from time immemorial. The floating tule duck brings the flock within reach, and his people survive another day.

The art of making this clever hunting tool is a tradition that has been passed down from hunter to hunter throughout the centuries. Duck skins from earlier kills were stretched over the decoys, making them very lifelike. In even earlier times, the water fowl’s feathers were woven onto the decoy and tied on with hemp strings. The heads and necks of some were painted to match the colors of the duck species. In doing this, the hunter made the duck decoy appear very real, and the waterfowl would then fly into the zone within reach of his bow and arrow.

The tule duck decoy is still being made and used today by Native hunters, especially at the Stillwater Marsh in western Nevada.

—Lois George-Kane (Fallon Paiute–Shoshone Tribe of Stillwater) and Vicki Kane (Reno–Sparks Indian Colony), traditional knowledge keepers

Pine Nut Gathering "Understand that the pine nut was to the people of the Great Basin what the buffalo was to the plains people." The nut is protein packed with all 20 amino acid and very high in concentration in 8 of the 9 amino acids necessary for growth. The nut was a staple in the diet of all the peoples of this region. It was a life-link food with gatherings celebrations, creation stories and teachings all accompanying the yearly harvest. For in excess of 10,000 years - that is neither a mistake or an exaggeration- native american people harvested the pinon. The Washo, the Shoshone, Paiutes, Hopi and their ancestors ate pinon nuts as a major, storable , multi -faceted food. The pine nut is large and an excellent food source. It is, however, relatively difficult to harvest and requires a substantial group effort to do so. The pine nut harvest began in the late summer and lasted into the fall. It was essentially the last big food-gathering opportunity of the year Before retirement into winter lowland quarters. It occurred at intermediate elevations in arid upland hills where junipers and pinions tend to grow. It was a significant social occasion, and most Great Basin people held these regions to be sacred ground. https://youtu.be/7UC3t7oVn6

Arrowheads

There are those who consider arrowheads to be like works of art. No matter what age, what country or geographical region, for the most part all arrowheads seem to have their own elegance. They reveal the soul or the spirit of the maker just as any modern sculptor does in today’s world. Take a look at arrowheads and they will spark the imagination, to say nothing of being of a possible educational value.

The Native Americans were people of war and Indian weapons were commonplace. Weapons such as bows and arrows, which, of course had arrowheads, tomahawks and spears were all part of their early war weapons. As master warriors, many of the earliest forms of Indian weapons, including arrows and arrowheads were adopted by the early colonists and settlers. These Native American weapons were an important part of each tribe’s fighting style. Native American tribes often fought against each other and then when the when the early colonists came, many of the wars became focused on driving the white man out of the land. Arrows and arrowheads were an important weapon in all these wars.

Arrowheads were the point of arrows and were used by the early Naïve Americans as well as by other people. Not only were arrowheads used for war, but also for hunting animals as well. Arrowheads are now considered artifacts and are typically displayed in museums. However, many historical enthusiasts are delighted when arrowheads are still discovered in modern times. Collectors often purchase arrowheads and build up extensive collections.

Tomahawks are probably the most well known of the Native American weapons. Tomahawks were not only used as weapons, they were also used as early tools. Like an axe or a hatchet, the tomahawk was made with metal blades, It was such a powerful tool and weapon that the United States began to fashion them. In fact, the tomahawk was used during the Vietnam war.

The Native Americans relied heavily upon their weapons and mastering the art of their fighting style. Tribes were prepared to defend their land, their women and their children, and they were well trained for the task.910