Elder History Showing 2016
The 2016 event was held at the Great Basin College Theatre on Thursday, 18 August 2016, from 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
EVENT PROGRAM [pdf]
WATCH EVENING PROGRAM [streaming video]
On 16 August 2016, the GBIA featured oral histories from: Doris Allison, Floyd Collins, Delaine George, Ruby Sam, Theresa Sam, Lester Shaw, Jr., and Helen Walker.
In addition, the event featured the following special presentations:
- Danny Millet - Dugombush and Owl stories
- Antoinette Cavanaugh, "Educational Perspectives"
- Keith Honaker, "Shoshone Language Retention"
The celebration welcomed featured speaker Lee-Juan Tyler, the Sergeant-of-Arms for the Fort Hall Business Council of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. Tyler is active in the traditional and ceremonial ways of the Shoshone-Bannock people. He is also fluent in Shoshone and supports the revitalization of the Shoshone and Bannock Languages.
The seven Elders and two special presentations from the 2016 Elder Oral History Presentation are available below as streaming video files, and may be viewed in their entirety.
A number of the Elders have given their oral histories partially or totally in Shoshone.
Those histories with this marker have significant Shoshone passages, and may be of use to Shoshone teachers or others involved in the language revitalization project.
If a transcript has been completed, click View Transcript to view the transcript in a new window. Transcripts will be added as they become available.
If you would like to search the collection or need help, the "Using the GBIA Online Collections" video can guide you through the basic steps.
Featured Stories of the Great Basin
|
Doris Allison Doris Millet Allison of Duckwater, discusses her family’s move from Round Mountain to Duckwater. She recalls the history of her family. She also discusses the "cattle repay" programs to assist ranchers on the Duckwater reservation. Transcript pending |
|
|
Floyd Collins Floyd Collins of Duckwater discusses growing up in the Ely area, including describing hunting and the changes in animals hunted over time. He then talks about making items such as tobacco pipes, dancing bustles and outfits, and drums using local materials. Transcript pending |
|
|
Delaine George Delaine George of Duckwater shares her early life growing up on a ranch on the Duckwater Reservation. She recalls her experience at Stewart Indian School, her jobs and marriages. Other topics include attending Haskell Institute and life when she returned to Duckwater with her father and husbands. Transcript pending |
|
|
Interview in both Shoshoni and English. Ruby Sam of Duckwater discusses her family background, and then describes her experiences at the Stewart Indian School. Later in the interview she discusses living back east as part of a relocation program and as a military wife, and her husband learning the Shoshoni language. Transcript pending |
|
|
Interview in both Shoshoni and English. Theresa Sam of Duckwater discusses her experiences at the Stewart Indian School, including details on the work programs ran out of the school. She also discusses the migrations to Duckwater in the early 1940s. She also relates the efforts to protest the treatment of Shoshone children at the public schools in Ely. Transcript pending |
|
|
Lester Shaw, Jr. Lester Shaw, Jr. of Duck Valley discusses growing up on a ranch as a young man. He then describes his training at the Haskell Institute, his early work as a bricklayer, and his military experience in Vietnam, where he was severely wounded in combat. He also talks about his years playing in the Indian Basketball League over the years. Transcript pending |
|
|
Interview in both Shoshoni and English. Helen Walker of Duckwater discusses her family history, as well as the difficulties in getting younger generations of Shoshone who have moved away to speak the Shoshoni language regularly. Transcript pending |
Special Presentations
|
Antoinette Cavanaugh, "Education Perspectives" Antoinette Cavanaugh of Owyhee, discusses her early life growing up on the Duck Valley Reservation. Cavanaugh grew up on Dog Street in a shack with her mother and siblings. As a freshman in high school she returned to Duck Valley and raised her siblings. Cavanaugh discusses her professional career after graduating from the University of Nevada, Reno with her master’s degree. She shares her family’s transition moving off of the reservation and her achievements, including being the first Native superintendent in Nevada. Transcript pending |
|
|
Keith Honaker, "Shoshone Language Retention" Keith Honaker of Duckwater discusses his experiences as a native Shoshone speaker, including efforts to discourage use of the language in his youth and strategies for retaining the use of the language. He also discusses his family background and life growing up in Duckwater. Transcript pending |