Paiute

Introduction - (SLL-SpencerH)
Agai Dicatta Numu Yadam (Trout eater People). Paiute means the people. If you didn’t understand that, you probably can’t speak Numu Yeti, the Paiutes language.The Paiute are under the government of the Reorganization act of Tribal Organization that is an act when the U.S. government made Indian reservations. But before the reservations were made they lived in the states of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and Colorado. Nobody knows why they are called that, however. Wovoka is a Indian prophet who is known for creating the ghost dance. If you want to learn more about the ghost dance visit the Customs section.

HABITAT
The Paiutes lived from the Mojave Desert of California to the Colorado River in Arizona, and then north into central Utah where the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau meet ,they lived where their were no villages. The Paiutes moved according to the season and lived in a more dry desert environment, so they did not bring their wikiups with them because they would have more supplies at the new land. Plant life was limited in the desert and was more bountiful in the pinyon pine region of the Northern Plateau. The Paiutes used the different kinds of animals in their territory, like rabbits, deer, and mountain sheep for food and medicine.

HOMES
The Paiute people lived in a wikiups. A wikiup is a dome shaped home made of cane, arrowweed or grass, depending on what was at hand, and perhaps some mud along the base. The doorway faced east and the house had a central firepit. A bark mat covered the doorway and additional mats were on the floor. Paiute lived in very small groups, often extended families

Dress -(OSL-Sophia)
Paiute women wore clothing very similar to the picture. Girls after puberty wore a deerskin, plain, covering the shoulders, to the knees. Paiute men wore a deerskin around their waist, or went bare. The Paiute people very rarely wore decorated clothes, usually only for ceremonies.

In this environment, a group of men would spend days hunting down a deer, Jack rabbits …. these people were not a gathering culture they were a hunting cultre. The women did all the cooking in the householed, it was done in baskets filled with water unless they had fireproff pots avaliable.

Customs-(SLL-SpencerH)
Wovoka, the Indian prophet,was the leader most of the time. The Paiute had two religions. One night he had a dream with the perfect land for the tribe,all animals would be replenished such as elk deer and buffalo!, "Could this be real?" he thought.In his dream he had a conversation with God. Not a Greek or Roman god but GOD! God promised him the land. So they all became Christians! The men’s jobs were to hunt and chop wood. They didn’t fish because the Paiute tribe didn’t fish. The women’s jobs were to sew, cook, and do laundry….. Kind of like what they do now! Children played with hand-made wooden toys. So to get new toys they had to make them themselves! The ghost dance is a festival that was mostly for religion purposes. They praise God, the Holy GHOST! They have been performing it for a long time, so they didn't mess up.



Tools/Weapons-**(OSL-Sophia)**
The Paiute Indians used the fibers of the tule plant, willow, Indian hemp, and sagebrush bark, to make woven sandals, coiled and twined baskets, and rope. Indian hemp is the same as hempseed, but it is slightly smaller. They also made decoys for ducks and other small animals. Along with fish nets, they made traps for small game with these fibrous plants. The Paiute hunted bison, elk, deer, and other big game in the area. After the Europeans brought horses, Paiute used them for transportation.



Miscellaneous Facts - (all group members)

 * The Paiute had two religions. One night he had a dream with the perfect land for the tribe, "could this be real?" he thought.In his dream he had a conversation with God. Not a Greek or Roman god but GOD! God promised him the land. So they all became Christians!
 * Sometimes the Paiute called themselves the Numa.