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What goods did western Great Basin peoples trade with neighboring communities?
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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.
Traditionally, Indigenous peoples of the western Great Basin engaged in trade involving a variety of essential goods. These exchange networks typically included the following items:
- Shells: Marine shells were highly valued and frequently traded.1
- Foodstuffs: Various food products were exchanged, serving as a way to redistribute resources between groups.1
- Baskets: Fine basketry was a common item of exchange, reflecting the artistic and practical skills of these groups.1
- Tanned Hides: Prepared animal skins were also traded as part of their economic interactions.1
These goods were often exchanged to facilitate the movement of resources across different ecological zones. While some groups in the broader Great Basin region eventually became involved in the trade of horses and other items following the introduction of equestrianism, the western groups maintained these traditional exchange patterns as part of their established economic life.1