Washoe festival celebrates 'the people from here' at Lake Tahoe this weekend
Submitted by editor on Wed, 07/23/2014 - 1:39pm
The Wa She Shu It Deh Native American Arts Festival returns to Valhalla at the Tallac Historic site this weekend, July 26-27. The festival celebrates the Washoe's ancient lifeways and their Lake Tahoe homeland.
The festival features traditional American Indian dancers and drum performers, basket weaving displays, art, and great food. Sponsored by the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, this event is free to attend, and open to the public. The festival runs 10 a.m. am to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on Valhalla’s Grand Lawn.
The basket weaving competition features more than 14 different categories. The Washoe are highly regarded for their master craftsmanship of baskets and have had several well-known weavers throughout their history, including Dat So La Lee.
The Washoe are the original inhabitants of Da ow aga (Lake Tahoe) and all the lands surrounding it. Washoe ancestral territory consists of a nuclear area with Lake Tahoe at its heart, and a peripheral area that was frequently shared with neighboring tribes.
The Washoe language is unique and unrelated to those spoken by any neighboring tribes. Washoe tradition indicates their homeland has always included Lake Tahoe, without reference to migrations from other worlds, as is common in other cultures.
"Wa She Shu It Deh" means "The people from here" in the native Washoe language.
Lake Tahoe and approximately 10,000 square miles of land surrounding the lake were once home to and the responsibility of the Washoe Indians. Washoe existence at the lake centered around fishing camps and milling sites located in lush meadows within view of the lake and along permanent streams.
Summers were spent at the lake and all parts of the territory. Large cutthroat trout lived in all the lakes and streams along with freshwater clams and other fish once plentiful, sustained the people throughout the year. Large and small game was once plentiful. Plant gathering for food, utilitarian and medicinal use is still harvested in all parts of Washoe lands.
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