Washoe lived by the seasons

Taking their cue from nature, the Washoe harvested with the seasons, collecting wild onions and flower bulbs in the spring. Berries were gathered in summer, then seeds. The pine nut harvest began in August and was completed in September, said Keith Wyatt, a teacher with the Washoe Language Program.

A burly 21-year-old with a soft voice, Wyatt has black hair and eyes to match. He sat in the lobby of the Minden Inn Tuesday morning, next to his display of Washoe wares.

"Our culture needs to be passed on, to let people know we're still here," he said.

The Washoe inhabited lands along the eastern slope of the Sierra from Honey to Mono lakes and each family had a specific area, or mash (pronounced mosh) where they gathered pine nuts. This annual event started with the collection of the green cones, Wyatt said.

"They would end up with 6-foot tall mounds of pine nuts extending 100 yards or so," he said.

Pine nuts were a staple for the Washoe and when the harvest was bad, they would trade for acorns with the Miwok and Maidus, two tribes who lived on the west slope of the Sierra, Wyatt said.

"Usually we were the traders," he said.

The baskets, which provided everything from cooking pots to baby cradles, were made of split willows. One variety, the winnowing trays, were used to roast the harvested nuts.

"They would put charcoal in the basket and as long as they kept tossing the charcoal and pine nuts in the air, it wouldn't burn the basket," Wyatt said.

Deer and rabbits were harvested following the pine nut gathering and fish were caught in both the spring and fall, during their regular runs.

The meat was sliced thin and dried over a smoky fire to keep the flies away. The process took a couple of days in good weather and more if it was wet, Wyatt said.

"The hides were cured for clothing," he said. "The rabbit skins were used for blankets."

In addition to teaching Washoe language classes in both Reno and Carson City, Wyatt gives talks and presentations concerning the Washoe and their culture.

Classes are offered intermittently. For more information, call Lynda Shoshone in Dresslerville, 265-7274.

Susie Vasquez can be reached at svasquez@recordcourier.com or 782-5121, ext. 211.