Washo Religion By James F. Downs University of California Publications Anthropological Records Vol. 16, No. 9, pp. 365-386 Editors (Berkeley): J. H. Rowe, R. F. Millon, D. M. Schneider Submitted by editors September 16, 1960 Issued June 16, 1961 Price, 75 cents University of California Press Berkeley and Los Angeles California Cambridge University Press London, England CONTENTS Preface Introduction Mythology Water Babies The Giants The Coyote And Other Figures Curing And Shamanism (2469-2541) Noncurative Use Of Power (2567-2593) Divining And Rainmaking (2553-2556, 2566) Objects Of Power Sorcery And Witchcraft (2562-2564) War Power Summary Of Shamanism Dreams And Dreamers (2566) Ritual Activities Conception And Contraception Birth (2178-2293) Puberty: Girls (2305-2352) Puberty: Boys (2379-2386, 369-374) Marriage (2018-2051) Death (2389-2453) Ritual In Subsistence Hunting Fishing (252a-296) Miscellaneous Concepts About Hunting And Fishing Gathering Miscellaneous Ritual Influence Of Christianity Bibliography Footnotes PREFACE This paper is the result of two and one-half months’ field work among the Washo Indians of California and Nevada supported by the Department of Anthropology of the University of California and the Woodrow Wilson Foundation. In it I have tried to describe the religious beliefs and ritual activities of the Washo as they can be examined today. Where possible I have attempted to reconstruct the aboriginal patterns and trace the course of change between these two points in time. A second purpose has been to supplement the culture element distribution lists prepared by Omer C. Stewart in 1936 (Stewart 1941). In a number of instances his findings were at variance with those of Smith, whose notes Stewart incorporated; I have been able to resolve some of the differences between Stewart and Smith. Where my own research has led me to disagree with the statements in the culture element distributions I have discussed the problem. In general my own work simply expands the rather sparse descriptions of the element lists (Stewart 1941, pp. 366-418). The culture element distribution list numbers which refer to traits dealt with in the various sections are indicated in parentheses following the headings. Where a trait or complex is dealt with in detail it is indicated by parentheses in the text. Statements not otherwise attributed are the result of my own field work.