WASHOE LEADERS

OBJECTIVE: Students will appreciate and learn about some of the many exceptional Washoe people who have lived during the past 150 years.

TEACHER BACKGROUND: Despite all the hardships of the last 150 years, the Washoe have struggled to survive. Today, the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California is making great strides in improving the quality of life for Washoe people and retaining important parts of Washoe culture. Along the way, many Washoe made great contributions to the Washoe and to the larger society.

Captain Jim was one of the first leaders of the Washoe to become a liaison between the Washoe people and the federal government. He and another man who followed him, also known as Captain Jim to the white people but as Gumalanga to the Washoe, persistently fought to preserve and retain the Washoe's resources and land. When the land allotments in the Pine Nut Hills began to be distributed to the Washoe near the end of the nineteenth century, Gumalanga fought to keep the settlers off the lands which now belonged to the Washoe people. This second Captain Jim resolved many disputes, not just with the government, but also among the Washoe themselves and between the Washoe and the Paiutes. He frequently spoke on the Washoe people's behalf to the governor and other officials.

Through the years, many Washoe leaders put pressure on the government to allow the Washoe some land rights and water rights, but often to no avail Finally, in 1934, they were recognized as a tribe. Being federally recognized means that tribes can claim their rights to their reservation lands and other lands and resources they have lost, and to medical and educational services for Indians, such as Indian Health services. Without federal recognition, tribes are not acknowledged by the federal government when they make a claim or state their case. Only about twenty years ago, as the result of the efforts of many Washoe over the years, the Washoe Tribe received approximately five million dollars from the federal government for the loss of their lands. This money was a mere pittance in light of the lands and resources taken from the Washoe tribe, including such choice locations as Lake Tahoe and Virginia City.

Dat-So-La-Lee is one of the most famous Washoe of this period. She lived from 1835 to 1925. A very skilled basketmaker, she was one of the first Washoe women to begin to make baskets with fancy designs (deh-'gee-kup) which could be displayed or sold to supplement Washoe incomes. Abram Cohn, a white settler, recognized her talent and became her manager. Today her works are worth many thousands of dollars and are exhibited in several museums. There are many Washoe artists today who paint, dance, do beadwork, and make baskets, among other things.

KEY POINTS: Captain Jim, people who fought for federal recognition and compensation, Dat-So-La-Lee.

MATERIALS: See individual activities.

ACTIVITIES:

1. Tell the students about the Key Points, using the background information provided.

2. Have the students do research in the library on another accomplished Washoe of the past 150 years (including present-day tribal leaders) and write a short report on their findings. Encourage them to share these with the class. Suggestions for research: Richard Barrington, Ben Lancaster, John B. Kelliaa, John Henry Dressler, Captain Pete, Captain Jim, Sarah Mayo, some Of the other accomplished Washoe deh-'gee-kup basketweavers. Suggested sources: Wa She Shu: A Washo Tribal History by Jo Ann Nevers, Life stories of our Native People by the Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada, the celebrating Nevada Indians curriculum, The TWO Worlds of the Wash o by James F. Downs, "Washoe" article by warren d,Azevedo in the Great Basin volume (#11) of the Handbook of North American Indians, pp. 466-498.

3. Plan a field trip to the Gatekeeper's Museum at Tahoe, the Stewart Indian Museum, the Nevada State Museum, or the Genoa or the Markleeville museum to see Washoe displays and baskets.

OPTIONS: Some of the many possible projects the students could do once they research a Washoe person are as follows: make a poster about the person, make a diorama describing a scene from that person's life, make a map showing where that person traveled, write a fan letter to the person, write a newspaper article about that person's achievements, make a mobile about the person, make a time line of the person's life, read aloud a part of what is written about the person, have a friend who researched the same person try to stump you with questions about the person's life, keep a diary from that person's point of view, give a speech honoring the person for his or her achievements, draw a mural of the major events in the person's life, write an acrostic poem using the person's name and made up of adjectives describing that person, etc.

CLOSURE: Brainstorm as a class what makes a great leader. If you wish, have students consider how contemporary American leaders are chosen, and ask students whether they think it is through merit, money, charisma, etc. Have them compare their conclusions with the way they think the Washoe leaders they researched were chosen as leaders.

EVALUATION: Students' research on an accomplished Washoe person will show their appreciation for Washoe leaders.