What happened to Great Basin tribes after they were forced onto reservations after 1870?

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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.

After 1870, Great Basin tribes were forced onto reservations or into small groups on the edges of Euro-American settlements, resulting in a drastic reduction of their land base. This displacement forced the abandonment of traditional subsistence patterns in favor of agriculture, ranching, or wage labor as farm and ranch hands.1

Government policy during this period was designed to assimilate Indigenous peoples into Euro-American society by suppressing Native religions, removing children to boarding schools, and undermining indigenous economies. Despite these pressures, tribes successfully resisted religious assimilation through movements like the Ghost Dance, which served as a reservoir for traditional culture.1

In the 20th century, the Indian Reorganization Act (1934) established elected tribal councils that pursued economic enterprises and legal efforts to reclaim ancestral lands. However, many tribes later faced "termination" in the 1950s, losing federal recognition and support services. Some groups spent decades fighting to regain their status and land rights, continuing these efforts into the 21st century.1