Shoshone

Sho·shone

noun \shə-ˈshōn, -ˈshō-nē; ˈshō-ˌshōn\

plural Shoshones or Shoshoni also Shoshone or Shoshonis

Definition of SHOSHONE

1

: a member of a group of American Indian peoples originally ranging through California, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming

2

: the Uto-Aztecan language of the Shoshones

Variants of SHOSHONE

Sho·shone or Sho·sho·ni \shə-ˈshō-nē\

Origin of SHOSHONE

origin unknown

First Known Use: 1805

Sho·sho·ne

geographical name \shə-ˈshō-nē, shə-ˈshōn\

Definition of SHOSHONE

river 120 miles (193 kilometers) NW Wyoming flowing NE into Bighorn River

Shoshone

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Group of closely related North American Indian peoples living in the Great Basin region of the U.S. Their language belongs to the Numic group of the Uto-Aztecan family. The Shoshone are usually divided into four groups: Western (unmounted) Shoshone, centred in eastern Nevada; Northern (mounted) Shoshone of northwestern Utah and southern Idaho; Wind River Shoshone in western Wyoming; and the Comanche, a relatively recent division related to the Wind River peoples, in western Texas. The Western Shoshone traditionally subsisted through hunting and gathering. The Northern Shoshone and Wind River Shoshone probably acquired horses by 1680 and adopted much of Plains Indian culture; they hunted buffalo, used tepees and skin clothing, and warred with other tribes. The Shoshone are closely related to the Ute, Paiute, Gosiute, and Bannock. Early 21st-century population estimates indicated some 19,000 individuals of Comanche descent and an additional 22,000 individuals of Western, Northern, or Wind River Shoshone descent.