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Snake Indian Tribe

Snake Indians was a general term used to refer to the Shoshone, Bannock, and Northern Paiute people of the Great Basin area. It was particularly used during the first half of the 19th century, and is not in common usage today. Although there are several folk stories about the origin of the name Snake Indians, the truth is probably that it was a translation from Siouan languages such as Mandan and Lakota, where Uto-Aztecan tribes like the Shoshone and Paiute are identified as the Snake People (in Lakota, for example, their name is zuzeca wicasa, which means "snake men.")

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Here are links to our webpages about the Snake tribes and languages:

Shoshone
Bannock
Northern Paiute
Uto-Aztecan languages
Great Basin Native Americans
Native American snake mythology

Here are links to more Internet resources about the Snake Indians:
Shoshone-Bannock Tribal Homepage
Shoshone-Paiute Tribal Homepage
Eastern Shoshone Tribe
Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah
Wikipedia: Snake Tribe

Here are a few good books about the Snake tribe:
Deadliest Indian War in the West: The Snake Conflict
The Shoshone-Bannocks
The Bannock of Idaho
The Rocks Are Ringing: Bannock-Paiute Indian War

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