Deck 7: Native Peoples of the Great Basin

Question 1

The Great Basin is located in

A)the western United States.
B)the southeastern United States.
C)northeastern Canadian.
D)western Canadian.West.

Answer 1

the western United States.

Question 2

The Ghost Dance was

A)a classic example of a "revitalization" movement.
B)encouraged by the federal government because it calmed the Indians.
C)never militarized.
D)never popular on the Plains or in the Great Basin.

Answer 2

a classic example of a "revitalization" movement.

Question 3

Modern Great Basin Indians have

A)overcome problems with drugs and alcohol.
B)issues with land, hunting, water, and grazing rights.
C)no casinos.
D)successfully had their cultural views incorporated into law.

Answer 3

issues with land, hunting, water, and grazing rights.

Question 4

Each of the following is true of the Owens Valley Paiute EXCEPT that they

A)were organized into seven bands that controlled specific areas.
B)were peaceful and traded with California Indians.
C)wore elaborate clothing most of the time.
D)The answer is wore elaborate clothing most of the time.

Question 5

Today Owens Valley Paiute

A)still have no reservations.
B)refuse to open casinos.
C)are trying to maintain their language and culture.
D)have asked the U.S.Forest Service to spray for insects to prevent tree infestation.

Question 6

The material culture and ritual life of the Chemehuevi were heavily influenced by

A)the Mohave.
B)the Shoshones.
C)the Europeans.
D)other Southern Paiute groups.

Question 7

Today the Chemehuevi

A)have a population of about 50,000.
B)maintain a court, an attorney, and a tribal administrator.
C)await acknowledgment as a federally recognized tribe.
D)have abandoned agriculture as an economic activity.

Question 8

Explain how the Indians of the Great Basin exploited their environment.

Question 9

Describe the ways the Owens Valley Paiute interacted with neighboring groups.How did the level of warfare relate to the volume of trade?

Question 10

Discuss the Ghost Dance and its impact on Great Basin people.Why did the federal government fear it?

Question 11

Discuss the concept of the Desert Archaic.How does it differ from the earlier perception of the Desert Culture?

Question 12

Housing in the Great Basin

A)never varied from brush and adobe.
B)included wickiups, caves, and semisubterranean houses.
C)consisted of permanent villages.
D)mainly featured communal longhouses.

Question 13

Great Basin people ate all of the following EXCEPT

A)waterfowl, rabbits, and hares.
B)insects such as ants, crickets, and grasshoppers.
C)locally cultivated sugarcane.
D)trout and salmon.

Question 14

The most popular large mammals hunted in the Great Basin were

A)bear and elk.
B)bison and caribou.
C)deer, mountain sheep, and pronghorn antelope.
D)caribou and brown bears.

Question 15

The Great Basin is characterized by

A)interconnected stationary families organized into chiefdoms.
B)mobile hunter-gatherers with small populations.
C)sedentary farm people living in permanent villages.
D)large agricultural clans with complex political organizations.

Question 16

The nuclear family in the Great Basin

A)was part of a large band that always hunted together.
B)was mainly matrilineal.
C)was the basic social unit.
D)did not like to produce children, as the environment was so harsh.

Question 17

The Great Basin culture area incorporated the territory inhabited by people speaking one of which family of languages?

A)Penutian
B)Numic
C)Hokan
D)Chumashan

Question 18

Great Basin religion

A)included the Bear Dance and the Round Dance.
B)revolved around a dual deity.
C)was focused on women.
D)was remarkably resistant to European influences and has not changed in 300 years.

Question 19

As the climate became warmer and drier at the end of the Pleistocene Period, the people responded by

A)traveling north into what is now southern Canada.
B)migrating to the area now known as western Utah.
C)adapting to the changing conditions.
D)perishing in large numbers due to the reduction of lake water.

Question 20

Early groups practicing agriculture in the eastern and southern Basin are generally known as

A)Basin growers.
B)rustic Archaics.
C)the Bannock.
D)the Fremont.

Question 21

Major characteristics of the Great Basin include

A)no agriculture and general poverty.
B)use of the pinyon nut as a critical food item.
C)a lack of enduring traditional cultures.
D)almost no hunting due to desert conditions.

Question 22

The alteration of the Great Basin environment resulting from European contact included all of the following EXCEPT the

A)loss of valleys and their resources.
B)interference of game movements due to fencing.
C)emition of pollutants from weaponry.
D)demolition of forests.

Question 23

Sarah Winnemucca, a Northern Paiute,

A)was known as the "Indian Moses."
B)was an interpreter for the army during the Bannock War.
C)was instrumental in encouraging her people to declare was on the United States.
D)did not believe in Indian self-determination in education.

Question 24

The Derby Dam, built in 1905, across the Truckee River,

A)devastated the economic base of the Northern Paiute.
B)brought much needed water to the Northern Paiute.
C)formed Lake Winnemucca.
D)had no impact on the reservation at Pyramid Lake.

Question 25

Explain the condition of the Chemehuevi people today.In what ways have they sought to expand their economic base?

Question 26

The Great Basin is located __________.

A)in the United States West
B)in the United States Southeast
C)in the Canadian Northeast
D)in the Canadian West

Question 27

The nuclear family in the Great Basin __________.

A)was part of a large band that always hunted together
B)was mainly matrilineal
C)was an important economic unit
D)did not like to produce children, as the environment was so harsh

Question 28

Great Basin religion __________.

A)included the Bear Dance and the Round Dance
B)revolved around a single deity
C)was focused on women
D)was remarkably resistant to European influences and hasn't changed in 300 years

Question 29

Major characteristics of the Great Basin include __________.

A)no agriculture and general poverty
B)use of the pinyon nut as a critical food item
C)a lack of enduring traditional cultures
D)almost no hunting due to desert conditions

Question 30

European and Euroamerican contact in the Great Basin __________.

A)occurred early but did not have as much impact as in other culture areas
B)occurred later and resulted in Natives' land loss and death by disease
C)resulted in no formal treaties with the U.S.
D)resulted in bitter, prolonged fighting

Question 31

Sarah Winnemucca, a Northern Paiute, __________.

A)was known as the "Indian Moses"
B)performed in a show on Paiute life on stage in the 1860s
C)was instrumental in encouraging her people to declare war on the U.S.
D)did not believe in American education for her people

Question 32

The Derby Dam, built in 1905, across the Truckee River, __________.

A)devastated the economic base of the Northern Paiute
B)brought much needed water to the Northern Paiute
C)formed Lake Winnemucca
D)had no impact on the reservation at Pyramid Lake

Question 33

In general, Great Basin bands__________.

A)were named for their headmen
B)had headmen elected by consensus
C)were connected to larger, formal clans
D)never went to war

Question 34

The basic social unit in Great Basin society was the __________.

A)lineage
B)band
C)nuclear family
D)clan

Question 35

Women in Great Basin society __________.

A)could not hunt or be shamans
B)often stayed single to avoid starvation
C)had generally low status
D)gathered and processed most of the plant food

Question 36

Pinyon nuts, eaten by many Great Basin populations, __________.

A)were obtained from Californian populations via trade
B)can be gathered by brown coning or green coning
C)could not be stored for long periods of time
D)were a fall-back food in times of famine

Question 37

The most popular large mammals hunted in the Great Basin were __________.

A)bear and elk
B)bison and caribou
C)deer, mountain and pronghorn sheep
D)all of the above

Question 38

Great Basin people ate __________.

A)waterfowl, rabbits, and hares
B)insects such as ants, crickets, and grasshoppers
C)trout and salmon
D)all of the above
E)none of the above

Question 39

Housing in the Great Basin __________.

A)never varied from brush and adobe
B)included wickiups, caves, and large, semisubterranean houses
C)consisted of permanent villages
D)did not include sweathouses

Question 40

Great Basin religion __________.

A)involved many complex group ceremonies
B)used dreams and vision quests to gain spirit helpers
C)included the Round Dance, a world renewal ceremony
D)a and b
E)b and c

Question 41

Shamans in the Great Basin __________.

A)were never female
B)treated sick people and helped in hunting
C)were not considered to have supernatural powers
D)did not try to control the weather or animals

Question 42

The Ghost Dance __________.

A)is a classic example of a "revitalization" movement
B)was encouraged by the federal government because it calmed the Indians
C)was never militarized
D)was never very popular on the Plains or in the Great Basin

Question 43

Modern Great Basin Indians__________.

A)have overcome problems with drugs and alcohol
B)have issues with land, hunting, water, and grazing rights
C)have no casinos
D)all of the above

Question 44

The Owens Valley Paiute __________.

A)were organized into seven bands that controlled specific areas
B)were peaceful and traded with California Indians
C)divided labor by age and sex
D)used flood irrigation, a form of "incipient agriculture"
E)all of the above

Question 45

Today Owens Valley Paiute __________.

A)still have no reservations
B)refuse to open casinos
C)are trying to maintain their language and culture
D)have asked the U.S.Forest Service to spray for moths to prevent tree infestation

Question 46

Houses in the Great Basin varied from lean-tos to sturdy, semi-subterranean homes in permanent villages.

Question 47

The sexual division of labor in the Great Basin meant women had low status.

Question 48

The Great Basin is characterized by mobile, band-level hunters and gatherers and by linguistic uniformity.

Question 49

Sister exchange, where the sister of the groom married the brother of the bride in a double ceremony, was the ideal marriage arrangement for Owens Valley Paiute.

Question 50

The Owens Valley Paiute had three kinds of shaman: herb, spirit, and ceremonial.

Question 51

How did the Indians of the Great Basin exploit their environment?

Question 52

Describe the impact of Europeans on Great Basin Indians.Include water use.How have the Indians maintained their identity today?

Question 53

Explain why the author calls the family an important economic unit.Include the sexual division of labor.

Question 54

Discuss the lack of importance of warfare and the emphasis on trade.How are these related?

Question 55

Describe the political organization of the Owens Valley Paiute, both traditionally and today.

Question 56

Discuss the Ghost Dance and its impact on Great Basin people.Why did the federal government fear it?

Question 57

Describe the religious beliefs of the Great Basin.

Question 58

Why did the Great Basin people have so many kinds of housing?