My own field work was devoted to an attempt to trace the patterns of
change among these people since the entrance of the white man into their
area. To this end I spent a great deal of time with older informants, but
my work was not exclusively “salvage ethnography.” Many aspects of Washo
culture have changed dramatically in the past century; this is
particularly true in the area of material culture and subsistence
activities. On the other hand, I was impressed by the tenacity of the less
material aspects of the culture. The always-difficult-to-define world view
or ethos of the Washo, which so clearly separates them from other
cultures, is very much an entity expressed in the attitudes and actions of
the Washo Indians, whether they are oldsters who can remember many aspects
of the “old days” or children who have not yet entered the newly
integrated schools of Nevada. This continuity seems most clearly expressed
in the area which we subsume under the title “Religion.” Almost all Washo,
even the youngsters, are familiar with, or at least aware of, Washo
mythology, attitudes about ghosts, spirits, medicine, and a number of
ritual actions and beliefs which are common elements in Washo life today.
This is not to imply that Washo religious activity has not been affected
by the tremendous changes which have taken place in western Nevada and
eastern California. I suggest that rather than disappearing under the
withering rationalism of civilization the religion of the Washo has simply
altered and expanded to serve the Washo in new situations.
In this work I take the broadest possible definition of religion,
conceiving it as any institutionalized activity or attitude which reflects
the Washo view of the cosmos. In so doing I have included a number of
categories which may not generally be considered suitable for inclusion
under the heading of religion. Stewart, for instance, includes shamanism,
curing, special powers of shamans, miscellaneous shamanistic information,
guardian spirits, destiny of the soul, ghosts or soul, and jimsonweed. My
own work includes some of these specifically, incorporates some under
other headings, and treats a number of subjects not included in the list
given above.
The reason for this approach is practical rather than theoretical or
philosophical. As anthropological definitions of religions are extremely
varied and the activities described as religious under various definitions
cover a greater or narrower range, it seems valuable to include as many
activities as possible in a purely descriptive work.
The goal of this paper is to make as much information as possible about
the religious and ritual activities of the Washo available to scholars who
may be interested in religion. The inclusion of as many fields of activity
as possible permits them to select information which they feel pertinent
to their interests.
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