Bishop Paiute
The Paiute were a number of nomadic groups that roamed through what is now Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and California. These groups were generally extended families led by the oldest, most capable male. From these bands, two larger groups evolved: the Northern and Southern Paiute.
Paiute housing usually consisted of caves, brush shelters, or conical pole houses. They subsisted by hunting and a little farming. Crops included corn and squash and wild plants which they irrigated. Pine nuts, yucca, dates, nuts, and berries added to their foodstores. The Paiute never obtained horses, so they were one of the groups that did not change over to the buffalo hunting lifestyle of many of their neighbors.
The ceremonial life of their people is very important to the Paiute. Wovoka, the man who envisioned the Ghost Dance, was a Paiute. The Ghost Dance came to him in a dream in the mid-1800's, and he believed that if Native Americans everywhere performed the dance, the White Man would leave the country and return to Europe. A religion developed from Wovoka's vision that was so far-reaching it even had followers east of the Mississippi River. Other important Paiute ceremonies include a Circle Dance and the celebration of the puberty of young women.
About the Flag:
In the background of the Bishop Paiute flag, two faces are superimposed on the mountains. Feathers are shown, along with five stars.
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