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How did Great Basin peoples organize themselves into mobile kin-based bands?

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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.

The social organization of Great Basin peoples was defined by their adaptation to an arid environment, which necessitated a highly flexible, mobile lifestyle.12

Band Structure and Fluidity

Great Basin groups were typically organized into small, kin-based bands with very fluid membership. Because food resources were often scarce and scattered, these groups moved frequently throughout an annual round, exploiting resources within specific valleys and mountains. Because these supplies were rarely sufficient to support large numbers of people for extended periods, groups generally remained small, often consisting of extended families.123

Leadership and Aggregation

Political organization was informal and lacked rigid hierarchies. Leadership was situational; a leader was followed only as long as they were successful in guiding the band to food or in warfare. If a leader failed, members would simply form new bands or join others.1

While these groups were typically small, they would periodically aggregate into larger gatherings for specific events, such as spring rabbit drives, autumn piñon nut harvests, or fish spawning runs. These gatherings involved no sustained political cohesion and were temporary in nature.1