Duckwater Shoshone

Duckwater Shoshone Tribe

Haymaking at Duckwater Reservation in the 1930s
Total population
(Approximately 288)
Regions with significant populations
United States ( Nevada)
Languages
English, Shoshone
Religion
traditional tribal religion
Related ethnic groups
other Western Shoshone tribes

The Duckwater Shoshone Tribe of the Duckwater Reservation is a federally recognized tribe of Western Shoshone, based in central Nevada in the high desert Railroad Valley, in northern Nye County. Their autonym is Tsaidüka in their Shoshoni language, meaning "Eaters of tule."

In October 2016, under the Nevada Native Nations Land Act, they were one of six federally recognized tribes in Nevada to have additional lands put into trust for their reservations. The Duckwater Shoshone Tribe is to receive approximately 31,269 acres (127 km²) of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land. Gaming is prohibited on the new lands.

The Duckwater Shoshone Tribe has a federal reservation, the Duckwater Reservation (38°55′49″N 115°42′37″W / 38.93028°N 115.71028°W / 38.93028; -115.71028), in Nye County, Nevada. The reservation was established in 1940, when the tribe purchased the 3,272-acre (13.24 km²) Florio Ranch and 21 families moved onto the land. Today, it is approximately 3,815 acres (15.44 km²). In 1990, 288 tribal members lived on the reservation.

In October 2016 the federal government put into trust for the tribe approximately 31,269 acres (127 km²) acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land in Nevada, in order to expand their reservation and give them a more sustainable base. Gaming is prohibited on these new lands. This was done under the Nevada Native Nations Land Act (PL No: 114-232).

Traditionally, this band of Shoshone, a Great Basin tribe, hunted near Railroad Valley in the summer and lived in conical-shaped houses in the mountains in the winter. They hunted ducks, sage grouse, prairie dogs, rabbits, ground squirrels, deer, and other big game. They cultivated chenopodium and Mentzelia.