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How did Great Basin hunters catch rabbits, antelope, and waterfowl?
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Indigenous peoples of the Great Basin
Kaylei Weed (left) of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe with her two sons and mother, Elaine Ethel Weed, at the Wind River Indian Reservation in 2015.
Indigenous peoples of the Great Basin employed various specialized techniques to hunt rabbits, antelope, and waterfowl as part of their traditional hunting and gathering economy.1
- Rabbits: Hunters typically organized communal rabbit drives, where the animals were driven into nets and then clubbed. Alternatively, rabbits were hunted individually using bows and arrows or rabbit sticks.1
- Antelope: These animals were captured by driving them into prepared corrals and traps.1
- Waterfowl: Hunters used several methods to secure birds, including netting, trapping, or shooting them with specialized arrows that featured rounded heads designed to stun the prey. Additionally, some groups crafted decoys using tule reeds covered with duck skins to attract the birds.1
These hunting practices were often integrated into the seasonal movements of Great Basin groups, with rabbit drives specifically serving as important social occasions for gathering, gambling, and dancing.12