The Shoshone Indians moved into Wyoming from the Great Basin in the
sixteenth century and have lived here the longest of any current residents.
When they acquired the horse, they pioneered a nomadic, buffalo centered
culture that was soon adopted by all the Plains Indians. Their last
great chief, Washakie, led them in pioneering another course in history --
one of long term cooperation with the U.S. government.
Washakie's life (1798-1900) spanned the entire nineteenth century.
During most of that time, his people competed for territory against their
enemies the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho. He rose to prominence as a
fearless and daring leader in these conflicts, earning the name Washakie
(The Rattler) because of his use of a buffalo-hide rattle to scare Lakota
horses during raids. He became chief of the Shoshone in the 1840's and
led them through six decades during which Wyoming moved relentlessly into
the hands of the whites. The Shoshone are little mentioned in
Wyoming’s history because they held steadfastly to a path very different
from that chosen by the rest of the Plains Indians.
Washakie became close friends with Jim Bridger during the 1830's and gave
his daughter to Bridger in marriage. Perhaps this friendship
influenced Washakie's decision to ally himself with the whites in exchange
for their defense of his people against their Indian enemies. Although
Washakie never shifted from his position as a friend of the U.S. government,
he most certainly did not go meekly along with all the government did.
When he led a Shoshone protest in 1861 and 1862, the government, preoccupied
with the Civil War, promised him the entire southwest corner of Wyoming, but
never carried through. In the 1868 treaty, the Wind River Basin was
designated as Shoshone land. When the government did nothing to stop
whites from settling illegally or other Indian groups from attacking them,
Washakie moved his entire tribe to Fort Bridger, where he camped out and
refused to leave until the 1872 treaty was signed. The treaty
established Fort Brown for the protection of the Shoshone, but in exchange
they were forced to sell 600,000 fertile acres of Popo Agie River territory
for a mere $25,000.
Washakie's forces fought with General Crook against the Lakota and Cheyenne
in the Battle of the Rosebud during the summer of 1876. Although the
confrontation was a stand off, Washakie has received credit for influencing
Crook's decision not to pursue the allied Indian armies further. He
advised Crook to, "Leave them alone for a few days. They cannot subsist
their large numbers in the camp and will have to scatter out for meat and
pasturage. They will begin to fight among themselves and some will
sneak away to their agencies." When General Custer confronted the
massed Indian armies only one week later, he met with total defeat.
Washakie's strategy of divide and conquer finally won the war.
After the Shoshone helped the U.S. army defeat the Arapaho, the government
refused to create an Arapaho reservation. The tribes on existing
reservations would not allow the Arapaho to join them, leaving the Arapaho
homeless and landless for two years. Finally Washakie reluctantly
allowed the 900 remaining Arapaho to settle temporarily on the eastern half
of his land. He never intended for their presence to be permanent, but
though he tried mightily to force a better solution, the government
responded to his kindness by absolutely refusing to move the Arapaho
elsewhere.
Washakie continued to lead his people until his death at the age of 102.
When invited to meet with President Arthur at Fort Washakie in 1883, the
octogenarian chief invited the President to come to his tipi instead, which
the president did. In 1896, the chief sold the land immediately
surrounding the Big Springs of Thermopolis to the government. He
stipulated that some part of the springs' water must always remain free for
the use of all people, and that a campground be set aside for Indians who
would come to enjoy the springs. His canny demands resulted in the
establishment of Wyoming's first state park.
Washakie’s influence kept
Fort Washakie open
many years past the time the government would have closed it, and when he
died, he was buried there with full military honors -- something no other
Indian chief has ever received. Whether or not the Shoshone have in
the long run fared better than other Indian peoples is a difficult question,
but Washakie certainly deserves to be remembered for his clear vision and
strong leadership in an extremely difficult era. |
