Introduction
The Bannock Indian Tribe is a Great Basin American Indian Tribe that for centuries lived in what currently is the southeastern region of Oregon and Southern Idaho. They are one of several Shoshonean tribes; meaning they traditionally speak the Shoshoni language. Below is a list of interesting facts and information about these Native American people written for both kids and adults.Click here for a great selection of Bannock Indian books on AMAZON
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Interesting Bannock Indian Tribe Facts
- Although they are a Shoshonean tribe their physical appearance is more like the Nez Perce tribe rather than like other Shoshonean tribes.
- The Bannock Indian Tribe call themselves the Panati.
- The Bannock were fishers, gatherers, and hunters who would move their tribe with the seasons to where food was available.
- More than half of the enrolled members of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes live on the Fort Hall Reservation in southeast Idaho near the city of Pocatello. The reservation was founded in 1868.
- Named for the Bannock tribe the Bannock Trail was a route traveled by hunting parties of numerous Indian tribes across the Rocky Mountains. The trail was used for centuries to travel to bison hunting grounds.
- In 1805, near the Montana-Idaho border, the Lewis and Clark expedition came in contact with Indians from the Lemhi tribe; who like the Bannock Indians were Shoshonean (speak the Shoshoni language). The Lemhi Indians informed the members of the expedition that the Bannock were hostile; therefore the expedition avoided them by taking the Lemhi pass through the Beaverhead Mountains which is part of the Rocky Mountains.
- The Lewis and Clark expedition provided the first written documentation about the Shoshone peoples, including the Bannock people; however these tribes had been trading with Europeans for many years prior to the arrival of Lewis and Clark.
- In 1829 a frontiersman by the name of Jim Bridger began trading with the Bannock Indians he noted seeing approximately 1,200 lodges and estimated the tribe's population at about 8,000.
- In 1853 Isaac Stevens who was then the governor of the U.S. Washington Territory noted that Bannock Indians were living along the Salmon River in what is now the state of Idaho.
Bannock War of 1878
- The Bannock War took place from June 1878 to August 1878 between the U.S. military and Bannock and Paiute tribes.
- The Bannock War was the result of years of tension between the Indians and American settlers. The Indians had been moved to a reservation called Fort Hall where conditions were not good for the tribes due to scarce needed resources.
- Tensions between the Indians at Fort Hall and the American settlers erupted into violence culminating in an Indian murdering a worker at the fort followed by his capture and execution.
- In May of 1878 many Bannock warriors left the Fort Hall Reservation to set up a camp. The war started when violence broke out between the Indians and settlers and the U.S. military and state militias came to force the Indians back to the Fort Hall Reservation.
- Approximately 500 Indians fought the U.S. military.
- The Indian warriors were led by Chief Buffalo Horn who was killed in battle in June of 1878. He was replaced by Chief Egan who would also be killed in the war.
- After approximately 2 months and several skirmishes the remaining warriors returned to the Fort Hall Reservation.
- After the Bannock War the Bannock were controlled more closely by the U.S. government.