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Plateau and Great Basin Indian Genealogy Forum

Introduction and Instructions

This message board covers a geographic area extending roughly from southern British Columbia in the north to the southernmost tip of Nevada and from the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges in the west to the Rocky Mountains in the east. To see a map that shows this area, consult Paula Giese's work, North American Pre-Contact Native Culture Areas GIS map. Paula's map shows the area for our discussion as the Plateau and Great Basin culture areas.

This culture area includes three linguistic families:

Salishan Linguistic Family

Shapwaitula Linguistic Family

Uto-Aztecan Linguistic Family

Consideration of these tribes from the standpoint of language is very useful to the genealogist. It helps us understand how tribes were, later, grouped on reservations. It tells us what their pre-contact (with Europeans) migrations might have been. It gives insight to the reasons certain tribes formed certain alliances during the Colonial, Revolutionary and more recent historical periods. It also presents many mysteries concerning the dissemination or diaspora of the Indian Nations throughout history.

Go to the Plateau and Great Basin Indian Genealogy Forum and Post Your Query

To have your research question answered by an accredited American Indian genealogist for a fee of $20, please click here. See a sample paid query exchange.

Remember, please, that the tribe lists and geographic areas described are approximate and the delineations are soft. If your people are from an area nearby or are not listed but known to be in the area, please don't hesitate to post your message.

Search Amerindgen.com Website for Your Surnames

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Within the Salishan Linguistic Family of the Plateau and Great Basin culture areas are the following tribes:

British Columbia

Lillooet

Thompson

Shuswap

Okanagan

Senijextee or Lake

Kutenai

Washington, east of the Cascades

Methow

Okanagan

Sanpoil

Nespelem

Sinkiuse

Colville

Kalispel

Spokan

Chelan

Wenatchee

Columbia

Moses Band of Columbia

Western Montana

Flathead or Salish

Idaho

Coeur d'Alene

Within the Shapwaitula Linguistic Family of the Plateau and Great Basin culture areas are the following tribes:

Washington

Mical

Taidnapam

Waptailmin

Yakima

Klickitat

Palouse

Wanapum

Idaho

Nez Perce

Eastern Oregon

Chimnapum

Walla Walla

Umatilla

Tyigh

Tenino

Tukspush or John Day

Cayuse

Molala

Klamath

Modoc

Within the Uto-Aztecan Linguistic Family of the Plateau and Great Basin culture areas are the following tribes:

Oregon

Northern Paiute

Southern Idaho

Lemhi

Sheepeaters

Northern Shoshone

Bannock

Wyoming

Wind River Shoshone

Nevada

Northern Paiute

Western Shoshone

Eastern Mono or Owens Valley Paiute

Western Mono or Monachi

Koso or Panamint of the Western Shoshone

Chemehuevi

Southern Paiute

Utah

Weber Ute (Shoshone)

Gosiute

Pahvant

Ute

Yamparka

Yampa or White River

Wiminuche or Mountain Ute

Southern Paiurte

Colorado

Yamparka

Yampa or White River

Uncompaghre

Ute

Wiminuche or Mountain Ute

Southern Ute

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Reference Books which can be consulted for details on these tribes include:

Handbook of American Indians north of Mexico.New York, Greenwood Press [1969]2 v. illus. 27 cm.

The Gale encyclopedia of Native American tribes / edited by Sharon Malinowski ... [et al.].Detroit : Gale, c1998.4 v.

The Indian tribes of North America / John R. Swanton.Baltimore, MD : Genealogical Publishing Co., 2003.726 p. ; 23 cm

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Go to the Plateau and Great Basin Indian Genealogy Forum and Post Your Query

How to Write a Query

When using Message Boards and Mailing Lists online, it's important to understand what your readers need to know about your research problem or question (query). Following are instructions for writing queries. If you follow these instructions, you will have greater and more appropriate responses to your queries.

REMEMBER: You will be consulting people who are experts in their fields and very busy. An incomplete or improperly written query will probably garner a "sorry, no information" answer from most other experts. However, I am dedicated to teaching genealogy as well as answering questions in my area of interest, so, do, please, keep a copy of this instruction and consult it when you make your next request for information.

REMEMBER: In writing your query, answer the following questions, so far as you are able. If the information you have is uncertain, follow it with a question mark (?). If you have no information, place a blank area in the query ( _______ ). Abbreviate birth (b), marriage (m) and death (d). If you have to list more than one marriage write them (m1), (m2), etc.

YOUR QUERY SHOULD ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS:

1. Who is the person you want to find information about (if a female, give her maiden name, or, if none is known, explain)?

2. When and where was this person born (b), where and when did he die (d), where and when did he marry (m)?

3. Who did this person marry? Where did this person marry?

4. Who were the children that resulted from the marriage (b, d, m) and what were the names of their spouses (no further information needed for the children's spouses unless there is some pertinent reason to add more)?

5. Who were the parents (b,d,m) of the person on whom you are focusing (question #1)? Where and when did they live and die, etc?

6. Who were the siblings (brothers and sisters) (b,d,m) of the person on whom you are focusing (question #1)? Where and when did they live and die, etc?

7. With what tribe(s) do you think your focus person was associated?

8. Why do you think your focus person was Indian (physical characteristics, family story, Indian name, proximity to tribes, etc.)?

TO PREPARE AND USE YOUR QUERY:

Write your query in a word processor (answering ALL of the questions), select and copy it onto your clip board; then go out on the web and look for places to deposit it. As long as you don't use your copy command on anything else, it will remain in memory. All you need to do to insert it is to click on the place where you want it to go, and click on "paste". Simple, huh?

BE SURE TO PLACE YOUR SURNAME(S) AND PLACENAMES IN THE SUBJECT LINE OF THE QUERY SO READERS CAN SORT THEM OUT QUICKLY.

Go to the Plateau and Great Basin Indian Genealogy Forum and Post Your Query

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Thanks,

Kathie Donahue AG

"GENEALOGY WITHOUT PROOF IS MYTHOLOGY"

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