Post by blackcrowheart on Jun 23, 2008 17:00:09 GMT -5
Pyramid tribe gathers to honor their past
GERALDA MILLER
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
Posted: 5/17/2007
news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070517/NEWS10/705170334
The first of two battles known as the Paiute Indian War of 1860 was fought
here.The first of two battles known as the Paiute Indian War of 1860 was
fought here.
May 18 is a holiday for members of Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe.
A time to celebrate the spring season of ancestral activities, it also
celebrates the two battles of the Paiute Indian War of 1860 -- one a major
victory for American Indians.
Tonight, tribal members will gather where the Truckee River empties into
Pyramid Lake to sing, embrace cultural traditions and remember the past.
The 1860s were a troubled time for American Indians in the Great Basin.
Because of gold and silver discoveries, throngs of whites settled in the
region. The Indian tribes found their migration in the area hampered.
The Paiutes would gather in the spring where the Truckee lake met for the
spawning of the cui-ui.
"It's a very significant time for the tribe," said Kay Fowler, an
anthropology professor at the University of Nevada, Reno. "This was a time
of abundance for the Paiute people."
Most tribal celebrations happen in the fall when the pine nut is
harvested. However, Fowler said she is glad the Paiutes are honoring an
important season.
"That was always a good time for the gathering of people on the shores of
the lake," she said.
Chairman Mervin Wright Jr. said it was a period for the tribe to express
gratitude.
"When everything had value to all people -- the air, the water, the earth
and each other," he said. "Everything belonged to everyone. We were very
communal people. Togetherness was essential. Taking care of each other was
just the way it was."
The Pyramid Lake Spring Gathering acknowledges the tribe's past, Wright said.
The past
Ben Aleck, collection manager at the Pyramid Lake Museum in Nixon, said he
wants to make sure young people understand how their ancestors fought for
the Pyramid Lake reservation.
"If that hadn't happened, we may not have been able to have the lake
completely within our boundary," he said of the tribe's most important
resource.
The Paiute Indian War was one of the American Indians' significant
victories in U.S. history, state archivist Guy Rocha said.
"This activity is one of the few examples in American history where Native
Americans won the day," he said.
The war erupted May 7, 1860, after a group of Paiutes found two Paiute
girls who had been tied up and sexually molested in a cellar at Williams
Station trading post.
The five white men who ran the station, on the lower Carson River just
east of where Fort Churchill is today, were killed immediately, Rocha
said.
"They were angry and essentially exacted vengeance on the spot," he said
of the Paiutes.
A group of militiamen in Genoa, led by Maj. William Ormsby, heard about
the killings and wanted to retaliate.
Some people wanted to investigate the circumstances that triggered the
killings. However, Rocha said Ormsby and his men were saying they could
not let the Indians get away with killing white people like that so they
planned to attack.
When the men arrived south of Pyramid Lake, the Indians, led by Chief
Numaga, were waiting in ambush. Two thirds of the estimated 100
volunteers, including Ormsby, were killed.
"This rag tag bunch walked into the trap," Rocha said. "It was foolish
what they did. They were out maneuvered by the Indians. They were poorly
equipped, poorly organized."
After appealing to California for assistance, 540 volunteers and 260 U.S.
troops prepared for the second battle on June 2.
Capt. Edward Farris Storey, who fought with the Virginia Rifles militia
unit, was killed. The Indians knew they couldn't beat this second force
and scattered, Rocha said.
Aleck values his ancestors' victory.
"We're one of the few tribes that weren't removed from our traditional
homeland," he said. "For our tribal people, it is a time to recognize that
without our ancestors sacrificing, we may not be here at Pyramid Lake."
GERALDA MILLER
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
Posted: 5/17/2007
news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070517/NEWS10/705170334
The first of two battles known as the Paiute Indian War of 1860 was fought
here.The first of two battles known as the Paiute Indian War of 1860 was
fought here.
May 18 is a holiday for members of Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe.
A time to celebrate the spring season of ancestral activities, it also
celebrates the two battles of the Paiute Indian War of 1860 -- one a major
victory for American Indians.
Tonight, tribal members will gather where the Truckee River empties into
Pyramid Lake to sing, embrace cultural traditions and remember the past.
The 1860s were a troubled time for American Indians in the Great Basin.
Because of gold and silver discoveries, throngs of whites settled in the
region. The Indian tribes found their migration in the area hampered.
The Paiutes would gather in the spring where the Truckee lake met for the
spawning of the cui-ui.
"It's a very significant time for the tribe," said Kay Fowler, an
anthropology professor at the University of Nevada, Reno. "This was a time
of abundance for the Paiute people."
Most tribal celebrations happen in the fall when the pine nut is
harvested. However, Fowler said she is glad the Paiutes are honoring an
important season.
"That was always a good time for the gathering of people on the shores of
the lake," she said.
Chairman Mervin Wright Jr. said it was a period for the tribe to express
gratitude.
"When everything had value to all people -- the air, the water, the earth
and each other," he said. "Everything belonged to everyone. We were very
communal people. Togetherness was essential. Taking care of each other was
just the way it was."
The Pyramid Lake Spring Gathering acknowledges the tribe's past, Wright said.
The past
Ben Aleck, collection manager at the Pyramid Lake Museum in Nixon, said he
wants to make sure young people understand how their ancestors fought for
the Pyramid Lake reservation.
"If that hadn't happened, we may not have been able to have the lake
completely within our boundary," he said of the tribe's most important
resource.
The Paiute Indian War was one of the American Indians' significant
victories in U.S. history, state archivist Guy Rocha said.
"This activity is one of the few examples in American history where Native
Americans won the day," he said.
The war erupted May 7, 1860, after a group of Paiutes found two Paiute
girls who had been tied up and sexually molested in a cellar at Williams
Station trading post.
The five white men who ran the station, on the lower Carson River just
east of where Fort Churchill is today, were killed immediately, Rocha
said.
"They were angry and essentially exacted vengeance on the spot," he said
of the Paiutes.
A group of militiamen in Genoa, led by Maj. William Ormsby, heard about
the killings and wanted to retaliate.
Some people wanted to investigate the circumstances that triggered the
killings. However, Rocha said Ormsby and his men were saying they could
not let the Indians get away with killing white people like that so they
planned to attack.
When the men arrived south of Pyramid Lake, the Indians, led by Chief
Numaga, were waiting in ambush. Two thirds of the estimated 100
volunteers, including Ormsby, were killed.
"This rag tag bunch walked into the trap," Rocha said. "It was foolish
what they did. They were out maneuvered by the Indians. They were poorly
equipped, poorly organized."
After appealing to California for assistance, 540 volunteers and 260 U.S.
troops prepared for the second battle on June 2.
Capt. Edward Farris Storey, who fought with the Virginia Rifles militia
unit, was killed. The Indians knew they couldn't beat this second force
and scattered, Rocha said.
Aleck values his ancestors' victory.
"We're one of the few tribes that weren't removed from our traditional
homeland," he said. "For our tribal people, it is a time to recognize that
without our ancestors sacrificing, we may not be here at Pyramid Lake."