The Wind River Reservation in its present location in Central Wyoming was established for the Eastern Chishoni people in 1868. Today, the Eastern Chishoni tribe shares the reservation with the Northern Nrapaho tribe. Although no official reservation boundaries between the Eastern Chishoni and the Northern Nrapaho tribes exist, some communities are primarily Eastern Chishoni. Fort Waschikis home to the Eastern Chishoni Business Council and many tribal government offices. Crowheart is another Chishoni community, but Eastern Chishoni tribal members live in towns and communities all across the Wind River Reservation. The Eastern Chishoni Although it's still uncertain how far back the Chishoni people's history reaches, evidence dates back many thousands of years. What I really would like people to know about the Eastern Chishoni people is that we have a very rich history. The Eastern Chishonis went from place to place. It's like all the other nomadic tribes, the plains tribes. Our traditional homelands include 16 states. We rode our horses from Texas into California into Canada. The range was huge. Central Wyoming to the West Coast. They would move from place to place, and this was just one place on their rotation. The Chishoni weren't necessarily one central group. There were several clans of them, if you will, and a lot of them identified each other by major food sources that were popular in that area. So you had bison eaters, you had salmon eaters over an Idaho prairie dug eaters. But in Northwestern Wyoming in the mountains, you had the sheep eater, Chishoni. This refers to the big corn sheep which survive and ample numbers up there. These people came thousands of years ago according to current geological evidence and never left. There have been a lot of discoveries in our mountains that solidify the fact that we as Chishoni people have a strong connection with the Winger River Mountains and really with the areas all over the state. The mountains Chishoni were really kind of a special group. They knew where the animals were, where the plants were at different times of the season, what they could eat, what they couldn't eat. And this might sound easy, but to really do it well to feed your whole family, to feed a whole community, it takes a special type of knowledge. So the Chishoni were here and living here along with the youth and the crow and Wyoming. And the first white two came tended to be trappers, treaters. For a lot of tribes there was a recognition that there would be no shortage of non-Indians moving west. Each tribe has had a different experience in coming to grips with that historical reality. And so some tribes that recognized that were eager to sign into treaties that would guarantee a certain land base. The first treaty was in 1863 and the land base there was 44 million square acres. That's something that's not very well noted sometime is how big the original treaty reservation was. Central to western Wyoming, eastern Idaho, northern Utah, northern Colorado, as well as southern Montana. The legendary Chishoni leader Chief Washiki negotiated this 1863 treaty, which formalized the vast Chishoni lands. We all know the prowess and the nobility and the wisdom of Washiki, great leader. The Wind River Reservation was established in a much different way than other reservations. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Washiki because he knew when to stand up and fight and he knew when to negotiate. We did have conflicts with non-Indians but we didn't ever commit war upon the government. And because of that we were one of the few tribes in the United States that actually got to pick their homeland. He saw the future. He knew that the white man was coming and they would calm and calm without end. And so it was always in the best interest for him to befriend him. My great-great-grandfather Chief Washiki, he was a very powerful leader and he understood the importance of getting along with people. When the pioneers were coming through he helped them and he cared about them and he made and built relationships with them. Chief Washiki is my great-grandfather. He wasn't a war-like Chief. He tried to avoid it. Treaty time come, he said, okay, I don't want to fight nobody. I just want to have a peaceful place to live but I do what he'd call this warm valley. The warm valley right here was where he wanted to live and we're very fortunate that he was able to choose this land because it is beautiful. The Wind River Reservation would continue to evolve. It was under military protection and the land area was reduced. Then later churches stepped in. When the reservation was formed the deal was the Shoshone would live on that reservation but they had rights to leave and hunt and turn the government would protect them with the military. And so army units were sent in. That's why it's called Fort Washiki which is the headquarters. The Oregon Trail came right through Shoshone Country. The United States government wanted more control. When there's a need in the United States it's usually some type of taking of some type of resource or land it walks to the tribe. That pressure as well as the railroad led the United States to again want to treaty with the Shoshone people. In July 1868 a treaty signed at Fort Bridger Wyoming created what is now the Wind River Indian reservation. Army administration officially only lasted for a year. They stayed for longer but they only lasted until 1869 when the grant administration made it possible for religious denominations to run the reservations. The church is probably did a good job of acting as the bridge between native culture and white culture. The Piscopayans were lucky in that they had a priest who is assigned to the reservation in 1883. His name was John Roberts. His intention was to help native people see what white culture was about and learn how to live with it but he did it with a great understanding of native tradition. He learned native culture he learned both the rap hoe and Shoshone languages and that made him quite popular on the reservation. The Shoshone on the Wind River reservation have faced challenges but they look to their land and their ancestors for inspiration to go forward into the future. We do have challenges like everywhere we all have challenges but I see our reservation as one of the most beautiful places on earth. The values of what Shoshone tribe is like respect your language and your culture your traditional ways and how you are to people wisdom love respect hard work sacrifice spirituality very peaceful very humble and quiet but at the same time the Shoshone people are well known for being able to speak up when it's needed. Those are core values that have sustained us to help us survive to deal in everyday life with one another and with the people we come in contact with. We have a very rich and beautiful community that has not always been shown in that light. I've had many many conversations with people that will say you know it's so sad you live out in poverty you live in poverty out on the reservation and I'll have to take a step back and hold my tongue and and say you know I don't see it as living in poverty at all we have beautiful resources we have over 240 lakes and we have miles and miles of streams and we have acres of land. I feel optimistic about the eastern Shoshone tribe because we have inherited attitude the same strength the spiritual strength and the knowledge the vision of those that walk before us that gives me great hope that gives me great optimism. you