The People...

...Circa 1775

The Northern Paiute address themselves as Numa while the Southern Paiute address themselves as Nuwuvi, both names mean "the people." They live in the Great Basin of the lands of eastern California, western Nevada, and southeast Oregon. These two major tribes lodge in specific territory's near the lake wetlands where they hunt for fish and water fowl. Rabbits and pronghorn are taken from surrounding areas as they gather together in tribal communes. They name each commune after the food that each consumes in accordance with the areas each occupy; there are the ground-squirrel eaters, the Cui-ui eaters and the Toi Ticutta eaters. It is a peaceful scheme where even the women of marriageable age move between these tribal communes. Everywhere they dig for grass seeds and roots and in the fall they take to the mountains to forage for Pinyon nuts, an important body insulator for the coming winter months. Their manner of living in the harsh desert environment from generation to generation has made them well adapted to it.