Margaret M. Wheat

Great historical reference on desert dwelling Paiutes. The first section gives background information on the seasonal cycle of life and food gathering for these nomadic groups. More focus is on pinon gathering, fishing, and eggs as food sources, with only brief mention of other foods which are less accepted by whites. The information was shared by elders in the 1940-50's who had learned from their own grandparents and still retained the knowledge. While there are numerous photos in the section on skills, it would be difficult to duplicate the techniques for any particular craft, as the photographs are not necessarily clear enough for all steps, unless you had some prior experience e.g. skinning waterfowl, making cordage or basketry. Only a few plants were identified by latin name, which means identification of useful plants will need further cross-referencing or trial of several possibilities. The construction of shelters is covered in enough detail that someone could build a cattail-mat sided shelter, but the binding of the grass-sided shelter is described simply as "woven like hula skirts". I have to wonder that hulas skirt making was commonly known by white people in the 1950's!
The author was not an anthropologist or botanist, but gained the trust of elders through her work in mapping native place names for her geological work. Her respect and appreciation for her native informants shows in her writing.… (más)