| The Shoshone-Bannocks’ removal from their ancestral homelands to the Fort Hall Reservation marked a shift in lifestyle and culture. Their previous nomadic lifestyle and seasonal food practiceswere not compatible with reservation life as they were to adopt a conventional and sedentary existence meant to assimilate into American culture. With few options for employment, many Shoshone-Bannocks turned to cattle ranching. Cattle ranching afforded the Shoshone-Bannocks the ability to be outside riding horses and tending the land and animals. The Shoshone-Bannocks, now confined to a small parcel of land compared to their ancestral homelands, were able to maintain pieces of their culture through cattle ranching. Using oral histories from Shoshone-Bannock ranchers and other primary source accounts, I use cultural history as a lens to better understand the Shoshone-Bannock ranching experience from the beginning of reservation life in the late nineteenth century until now. Themes of family, tradition, and culture embody Shoshone-Bannock ranching success at Fort Hall. This work challenges Anglo-centric historical accounts and provides a fresh perspective on Native American history.Key Words:United States HistoryShoshone-BannockFort Hall ReservationCattle RanchingBeefThe Bottoms |