Episode Eight: Unceded Land
“I can’t tell you how the US claims that it owns Southwestern Idaho. They might claim it was completely empty of Indian people - its the Great Basin, mostly desert - they would claim what’s called “terra nullius” - the land was empty.”
— Robert J. Miller
The arrival of substianal numbers of European American settlers in Southwest Idaho in the mid-1800s led to conflict over land ownership with the Shoshone and Paiute tribes. Although attempts were made to settle these conflicts via treaty-making, the treaties that cover the Snake River Canyon region were never ratified by the US Senate. This, according to current leaders of the Shoshone and Paiute tribes, means that these tribal nations still have a legal ownership claim over all of the land of Southwest Idaho.
Episode Credits:
Produced by: The Wild Lens Collective and Radio Boise
With Support from: The Bureau of Land Management, The Birds of Prey NCA Partnership, The Peregrine Fund’s Archives of Falconry, a grant from Patagonia
Producers: Matthew Podolsky, Wayne Birt, Steve Alsup
Production Support provided by: Jessica Evett, Leah Dunn, Ragged Coyote, Jennifer Jerrett
Thanks to our guests: Robert J. Miller, Ted Howard, Dr. Mark Plew, Steven Simms
Music by: Like A Rocket, Ragged Coyote, Judy Trejo with Delgadina Gonzalez and Christina Gonzalez - from the album “Circle Dance Songs of the Paiute and Shoshone” - used courtesy of Canyon Records, Delray Strawbuck and Claude Siwash - from the album “Shoshone-Paiute Peyote Songs” - used courtesy of Indian Records.