Opinion: Shoshone still forgotten in their aboriginal homelands

Monday, February 14, 2011  

"Small, unnoticed things sometimes tell a big story.

Every year or so, The Herald Journal’s weekend magazine editor takes all the books she’s received in the mail and puts them on a table in the break room for newspaper employees to sort through and take for themselves. The books are sent by publishers for promotional purposes, and most of them are snatched up pretty quickly.

Last year, all the books were claimed but one, and that last book sat there on the table for weeks with no takers. The subject matter apparently didn’t appeal to anyone, at least not in comparison to the flashy novels, self-help guides, colorful picture books and other titles in the pile.

So what was this unwanted book about?

It dealt with the Shoshone Indians of the Utah Territory and the Bear River region, offering a comprehensive look at official communiques about the Native American “problem” by U.S. Indian agents and superintendents assigned to the region, including Brigham Young.

The lack of interest in the book speaks volumes, I think, about our modern mindset here in Cache Valley. It seems few people care to know about the people who walked the very ground under our feet before white men arrived and settled in the mid-1800s. The world of our predecessors in this abundant valley is the farthest thing from the minds of most of us — myself included.

But I began to feel sorry for that book, if such a thing is possible, and finally decided one day to take it home and at least give it the dignity of a cursory look. Coincidentally, not long after I started reading the book, a significant date in local Native American history was observed — the 148th anniversary of the Bear River Massacre."

Get the Story:
Editor's corner by Charles McCollum: Shoshone largely forgotten in land they were run from (The Logan Herald Journal 2/13)