Boris the buffalo and other items at Shoshone-Bannock Tribal Museum help preserve history and culture
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Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a series highlighting the stories behind local museum artifacts.
FORT HALL — The Shoshone-Bannock Casino and Hotel off exit 80 in Fort Hall is a noticeable landmark for drivers along Interstate 15. Directly across the street is a much smaller building that isn’t as noticeable, but still has historical significance.
The Shoshone-Bannock Tribal Museum has a series of exhibits that tell the story of the tribe’s unique culture and history. Rosemary Devinney, the museum’s manager and coordinator, tells EastIdahoNews.com at least 15 people visit the building daily during the peak of the summer tourist season. Many of them come from Australia and other parts of the world.
Though there are a number of exhibits highlighting the history of the tribes, Devinney says there aren’t any excavated tribal artifacts on display. Every item was donated by a member of the community.
“The people who went before us, they left their graves here and they left their property here,” says Devinney. “They utilized (those resources) and we need to respect that.”
The lack of excavated artifacts stems from a deeply held belief by tribal members. In their view, no one really owns anything because it is a gift from Mother Earth. They live in gratitude throughout their life as they utilize the resources that are available and then leave it behind for the next generation.
But there are two exhibits displaying non-tribal artifacts. One of them contains a chisel, military buckle, mule shoe, an S hook used for holding cooking pots and other items from the early days of Fort Hall.
“We allowed (a group) to do an excavation there because they wanted to replicate the old Fort Hall in Pocatello. They didn’t know if Nathaniel Wyeth’s measurements were accurate (in his journals) so they wanted to find the footings of the fort and get the measurements. They found out his measurements were accurate and (discovered these artifacts in the process),” Devinney explains.
Fort Hall’s contentious beginnings
Nathaniel Wyeth, a young businessman from Cambridge, Massachusetts, built Fort Hall in 1834, according to the exhibit. He had a contract with the Rocky Mountain Fur Company to deliver $3,000 worth of supplies and merchandise. When Wyeth arrived, Devinney says his goods were turned down because the recipients had bought supplies from someone else.
Wyeth later created his own trading post. Fort Hall — which is named after Henry Hall, one of its biggest financiers — became “the richest beaver district in the northwest.” It was on the south bank of the Snake River about nine miles north of its junction with the Portneuf River. Wyeth sold Fort Hall to the Hudson Bay Company three years later.
The Fort Hall townsite was created in 1918, fifty years after the federal government’s treaty with the Shoshone and Bannock tribes. When it was signed on July 3, 1868, Devinney says the Shoshone and Bannock were two separate tribes.
“The eastern Shoshones, who we refer to as Washakie’s people, were moved up to the Wind River (in northern Idaho) because that was the area they requested. Chief Tahgee’s people (the Bannock tribe) were brought here to Fort Hall because they wanted to created a reservation,” says Devinney.
The cavalry couldn’t distinguish between the Shoshone and Bannock tribes, so they brought them all to Fort Hall. The tribes soon realized there were more Shoshones in Fort Hall than Bannocks and that led them to incorporate as one tribe.
Once Fort Hall was established as a reservation, it became the tribes’ permanent home.
A booklet obtained from the museum about the tribes says Fort Hall occupies about 546,300 acres throughout Bingham, Power, Bannock and Caribou Counties. The townsite occupies 120 acres on U.S. 91 between Pocatello and Blackfoot. The site of the original Fort Hall is in city limits, but a special permit is required to see it.
The Fort Hall replica and museum at 3000 Avenue of the Chiefs in Pocatello was built in 1964, according to its website.
Boris the buffalo
One of the museum’s biggest attractions is Boris the buffalo, a once-living animal at Ross Park Zoo in Pocatello that was preserved by the city and given to the Tribes as a gift.
It sits behind glass and Devinney says little kids always try to kiss it. She’s cleaned lip stains off the glass many times.
In an article dated Feb. 4, 1976, the Idaho State Journal reported Boris had recently died and his “permanently preserved” body was being hauled to Fort Hall. The following day, it was reported that Boris was still alive and the preserved buffalo was taken from a tribal herd that had been butchered the previous year.
The tribes used Boris to buy 21 head of buffalo from Theodore Roosevelt National Park in 1966, according to the exhibit. Today, the Tribes own 350 head, which graze on 4,100 acres of land.
The buffalo has always been an important resource to the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. A museum display shows they historically used almost every part of the animal to make food, clothes, tools, weapons, soap, paint, headdresses, glue and more.
Today, buffalo meat is used in tribal ceremonies and the Camas Grill inside the hotel and event center serves buffalo burgers, jerky and other dishes.
Preserving a cultural tradition
Devinney’s favorite exhibit is the beadwork display. Her cousin, Edgar Jackson, does pictorial beadwork and one of his pieces is in the museum.
Beadwork is a cultural tradition for many tribes. The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes were introduced to it in the 1700s and Devinney says there are many reasons why they do it.
“In 1805, Lewis and Clark observed blue and white beads already in use by the Shoshone people. Indians valued beads because they could adorn themselves with bright colors. Before the colorful beads, they had neutral colors found in nature,” the exhibit says.
Today, Devinney says beadwork is important in maintaining their culture. Many people use it to express themselves, identify property, perpetuate designs for their families or make burial clothing for relatives who pass away.
For some, it’s a way to make a living or showcase their work to the public. Beaded earrings, barrettes, key rings, coin purses, wallets, cell phone cases, belt buckles, bolo ties and moccasins are often sold in stores.
Though culture and history is a top priority for the tribes, Devinney says most of it isn’t written because it’s told orally and passed down. The museum is part of the Tribes’ Language & Culture Preservation Department, whose goal is to “promote (their) identity for future generations.”
An expansion effort is currently underway at the Shoshone-Bannock Tribal Museum. Devinney hopes it will spark a renewed interest in tribal history for the rising generation.
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