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A History
of Shoshone-Bannock Indian Art: presented by Henry E. Stamm, IV, Ph.D. Historical Consultant Wind River History Center Dubois, WY
Sponsored by grants from the Wyoming Council for the Humanities, the Lucius Burch Center for Western Tradition, and the Idaho Humanities Council Like most Indian peoples, the Eastern Shoshones of the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming and the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of Fort Hall Reservation and the former Lemhi Reservation in Idaho have a long history of producing high quality art. This website explores various aspects in the development of this artistry from the beginnings of the reservation period (1868) to the present. Shoshone and Bannock beadwork is well known on the contemporary powwow circuit, but the talents of numerous Shoshone-Bannock artisans also includes basketry, games and toys, tools and weapons, hide paintings, and parfleche envelopes. As in all cultures, their art reflected their environment and the contacts they had with other cultures. Thus, art forms, materials, colors, patterns, etc., all changed and developed over time. This website explores these changes and also the continuities in art and material culture. One of the more unusual and important components of this website are three interviews with Shoshone and Bannock elders and beaders. Their comments on the images included in this site help to place them within a Shoshone-Bannock perspective.
All photographs © Henry E. Stamm, IV, unless otherwise credited. |
