Shoshones

or Snakes . A tribe of North American Indians inhabiting the country between the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains, and from Idaho southward into Utah. They have generally been peaceable; but they collided with the whites on several occasions, which resulted disastrously for them, several of their bands being almost annihilated. Treaties were formed with them on several occasions between 1863 and 1868, and attempts have been made to place them upon reservations. All the property of a dead Shoshone is buried with him, and formerly his favorite wife and horse were killed over the corpse. In 1870 they numbered about 4000 souls.