The Future of Numic Ethnohistory in the Great Basin II

Van Vlack, Kathleen
A Ground Truthing: George Wheeler in the Spring Mountains Cultural Landscape Study

George Wheeler traveled through the Southwest in the 1870s on a mission from the United States government to create a map of this area. While mapping Southern Nevada, he recorded residences of Southern Paiute peoples. Wheeler’s data served as a preliminary research tool in the data collection process for a current Southern Paiute Cultural Landscape study in the Spring Mountains, Nevada. This paper compares Wheeler’s findings with data gathered from interviews with Paiute elders to test the accuracy of Wheeler’s map and attempt to understand the Spring Mountains as a central place for Paiute culture and for cultural resource management.

Hittman, Michael
Ethnohistory and the Wovoka Centennial

Separated by one decade (1989 & 1999) were these initiatives proposed by an anthropologist (Michael Hittman) who conducted ethnohistorical work on a federal reservation in Nevada to its federally-recognized tribal council: "The Wovoka Centennial (1889-1989)" and "Construction of a Wovoka Museum & Designation of Pine Grove, California as a Sacred Site." In addition to a then-and-now discussion of the collaborative (and not) nature of these projects, reflexive questions based on classical models of applied anthropology will be raised

Arnold, Richard
Historic Memory and The Numic Spread: An Indian Perspective

Numic people maintain that they have occupied the Great Basin and western Colorado Plateau since their creation. Over time they learned about the land and became who they are today. Ethnnohistoric and ethnographic data, and the experience of growing up as a Southern Paiute are used to examine the Numic in situ development theory. Key issues include (1) the absence of a conquest story, (2) extensive land knowledge, and (3) the presence of agriculture. By taking Numic people’s perceptions of the land and ancestors as points of departure, it is possible to formulate alternative hypotheses that address Numic origins and development.

Zedeno, Nieves
The Collaborative Process of Writing an Indian History

Written histories of the Great Basin frequently exclude or marginalize Numic social memories thus contributing to the reification of non-representative versions of the past. Through a NTS/NAFB-sponsored project, ethnographers from the UofA developed a thematic Indian history whose research plan and development was guided by a committee of Numic elders. This discussion explores predominant themes selected by the American Indian subwriters’ committee including (a) a regional perspective, (b) historical events of importance throughout the region, and (c) Indian people who lived in the region and participated in key historical events. Next, methodological issues unique to collaborative ethnohistorical research are examined