WASHO

American Indian people of the Great Basin region of North America, who made their home around Lake Tahoe just east of the Sierra Nevada. Their peak numerical strength before contact with whites may have been 1,500, whereas today perhaps fewer than 600 remain in the original Washo territory. Linguistically isolated from the other Great Basin peoples, they have been placed in the Hokan stock. The Washo were fishermen, hunters of small mammals, and gatherers of pine nuts, acorns, and various roots and berries. They depended on deer and antelope for some of their dress and for their cone-shaped dwellings. They were especially noted for their superb basketry. The basic socioeconomic unit was the family and relatives of a single winter household. During other seasons the availability of food determined the location of the family; and the able-bodied members migrated each summer into the eastern valleys in search of roots, berries, and small game. Goods and services were distributed in various ways: through familial sharing, gift and ceremonial exchange at feasts for motives of prestige and good relations, and in ritual gift-giving at important stages of the life cycle. Until very recently shamanism was an important part of Washo life. The shamans, or medicine men, were believed to be able to cause and cure disease. Complex rituals celebrating important stages of the life cycle were also reported.