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Often when speaking of this land’s original people, the past tense is used, as if the Washoe have slipped away to reside only on the pages of history books. Yet that is in error, as the tribe that has inhabited Lake Tahoe and its surrounding lands since time immemorial is still very much here. Several members are gathering in Truckee this October to discuss plans to build a traditional gathering place, with the hope to help heal themselves, this land, and the world at large.
The event is being hosted by the Washiw Zulshish Gum T’anu (WZGT), or Washoe Warrior Society, a group of Washoe Tribe elders and community members who formed to support the cultural remembering of the tribe.
“This organization started in 2009 because they wanted to build a roundhouse, a spiritual gathering place, they call Washiw Tahn-Nu Ung-Gal, or a People’s House. It will be dedicated to the cultural and spiritual values of our people; a place to heal and to remember who we are,” said Lisa Grayshield, executive director for WZGT and Washoe Tribe member, later adding, “The elders were concerned about all the problems that were happening, specifically with the youth. And they were concerned about the disconnect from our cultural ways and who we are as a people. They knew that reconnecting was what we needed to do in order to heal and to change things that we were losing — who we are, our language, our culture, our traditions.”
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