In this episode we had the opportunity to sit down with Darren Parry, the former chairman/chief of the North Western Shoshone tribe.  He shared with us a story that was both tragic and hopeful at the same time. The story of Bear River Massacre, from the perspective of those who suffered that day.  Brigham Young and the Latter-Day Saint movement led many people to Western North America, where the Shoshones helped them with foraging and many other necessary survival skills. All was well until resources started becoming more scarce, which led to more and more discontent between the Indians and the settlers. 

Timestamps:

• What former chairman means [1:54]
• How large the tribe is today [6:34]
• Setting the groundwork for this story [11:06]
• Complaining about the Indians and arrest warrants for the chiefs, and the massacre [17:49]
• Darren’s grandparents and passing down the story [29:34]
• Our relationship with Mother Earth [40:05]
• Restoring the natural state of things [42:42]
• Telling the Shoshone story and the story of the land [47:08]
• Let’s not turn this into a “You owe me” type thing, but see the positives [57:24]
• Reach out to Darren [61:53]

Notable quotes:

• “What may have started as a battle, and when I think of a battle in my mind, I think of two equal groups, fighting it out, and what may have started equal after 10-15 minutes, quickly turned into indiscriminate killing of men, women, and children. My grandmother told me many times that our people were being slaughtered like wild rabbits. Men, women, and children were being butchered left and right.” [24:39] 

Relevant Links:

https://x.com/shoshonelder
boaogoi.org

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