(sha-sho'-ne) Great Basin Indians who share the Uto-Aztecan language group. There were three distinct groups of Shoshones: (1) Western Shoshones, in central and northeastern Nevada, southeastern California, and northwestern Utah; (2) Northern Shoshones, in southern Idaho; and (3) Eastern Shoshones, in western Wyoming.
The Shoshone, Shoshoni, or Snake are a Native American group consisting of several bands. They are closely related to the Paiutes, Comanches, and Utes and share very similar Shoshone languages. The Shoshone lived in a wide area around the Great Basin and Great Plains areas in a number of bands headed by chiefs with shifting membership.