Washiw Tahn-Nu Ung-Gal

Washiw Zulshish Goom Tahn-Nu (Washoe Warrior Society) was formed in 2009 with a dream to bring the people together.

Washiw Zulshish Goom Tahn Nu is a grassroots organization of Washoe community members, mostly elders, who have endeavored to construct Wašiw Than Nu Ungal (the Washoe Peoples House) a cultural spiritual gathering place dedicated to ceremony, prayer, and the cultural teachings of Wašišiw (the people from here). This will be a place to gather; talk Wašiw, pray, conduct ceremonies, and remember the values that our ancestors held as the original stewards of the land.

Wàšiw [Washoe] are the original people of the Tahoe Basin. Da'aw [Lake Tahoe] is the center of the universe for Wàšiw; and the center of Wàšišiw 'Itde' [Washoe Lands] (Wa She Shu History Booklet).

Our people cared for the land; tending its natural abundance, and; thriving from what nature provides. There are names for every mountain, valley, forest, stream, lake and geographical structure on the land. Our language speaks of balance and harmony with all living things; it reminds us that we came from the stars; that we have always been a small tribe; but we are strong and "good looking".

Our traditional life ways were ended with the onset of colonization. Our lands and waterways have been polluted and our people suffer high rates of physical, mental and psychological dis-ease. Wà;šiw wehi'gi'get [Washoe Wisdom] teaches us that the land and the people are one; the health of the people, and the health of the land are interconnected, and interdependent.

Two such “round” ceremonial semi subterranean dance/doctoring houses were present in Wašiw homelands after the turn of the century, but both were destroyed. Today there are no Wašiw gathering places in the Tahoe basin specifically designated for Wašiw spirituality and cultural teachings that are not linked to monetary gain and tourism. Wašiw are in an urgent situation, with very few original language speakers left, limited access to our original homelands, our traditional foods, and medicines. To learn more about the history of the Washoe Tribe, see the Washoe Tribe webpage at, washoetribe.us.

The dream to build a cultural/spiritual gathering place [Washiw Tahn-Nu Ungal] started in 2009 when the group became officially recognized by the Washoe Tribes Governing Council in a Memorandum of Understanding. However after numerous attempts working with the tribal governing body, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and other government agencies to identify lands appropriate for the structure, it became apparent that “the time was not right; the politics were just not there for us, so we let it go for a while” said WZGT Chairman Frank Grayshield. In 2020 during the COVID pandemic, and after loss of WZGT elder board members, it was time to make the dream a reality. WZGT Vice Chair Melba Rakow had long awaited the construction of a cultural/spiritual gathering place because she carried the knowledge of a promise made between Washoe and Buryat to put up a yurt long before WZGT formed.

Many years ago an alliance of friendship was made between Wašiw and Buryat-Indigenous people from Lake Baikal in Siberia sierrasun.com. The alliance was hosted by the Tahoe-Baikal Institute (TBI), established in 1990 to help preserve Lake Tahoe and Lake Baikal in Siberia, as well as other significant and threatened lake ecosystems around the world. A cultural exchange was developed to allow people to make friendships and connections across political, cultural, and religious divides and allow participants to learn more about each other’s cultures.

Like the Buryats, Washoe are high mountain lake people, we are “Sister Lake Tribes” with similar concern for the loss of traditional homelands and culture. It was said that our lakes exist upon energetic ley lines: Ley lines are straight alignments that exist between various historic structures, prehistoric sites, and prominent landmarks. This does not surprise me, because Lake Tahoe has always had immense spiritual significance to Wašiw with De’ ek Wadapush-Cave Rock, as the most spiritual place on the lake. The ley line for Da’aw runs near De’ ek Wa dapush on one side and through what is known today as Carnelian Bay, the place where the lava stones collected on the North shore of Da’aw

Melba, a WZGT board member, recalled a question posed by an elder Shaman in her 2005 trip during a cultural exchange visit to Mongolia…..“has the yurt been put up yet?”

The elder Shaman proceeded to explain that an agreement was made with members of the Washoe tribe in previous years to enter into a bond of friendship and prayer, as high mountain “Sister Lake Tribes” with similar beliefs and concerns for our cultures and lands. The Shaman further explained that there were other Sister Lake Tribes around the world who had also agreed to enter into this alliance with the Buryat; to conduct fire ceremony in our sacred places calling in the ancestors for the healing of the land, the water and the people. But Washoe had no such “sacred” space, therefore it was agreed to put up a Gher [yurt] in Wašišiw Itdeh’ near our sacred da’aw to conduct fire ceremony along with the Buryat and other high mountain Sister Lake Tribes to call in healing for the land, the water, and the people. But we–Wašiw had not followed through.

An agreement was made and signed in 2003 between our Nations to maintain our connection as brothers and sisters by maintaining a Washoe/ Buryat Cultural Exchange Program as a part of our Washoe Cultural Center–a project started, but never completed, see the MOU here.

Washiw Zulshish Goom Tahn-Nu decided to honor the agreement to continue the relationship between our nations; to re-inspire the Washoe Culture Center project, and fulfill the promise to put up a yurt. We believe that in doing so, the path for obtaining land will be cleared; the work to build Washiw Tahn-Nu Ung-Gal will bring the people together; the Washoe Cultural Center will also be built, and healing for the land, the water, and the people will result.

Washiw Zulshish Goom Tahn-Nu met with a delegation of Buryat last summer 2023 and then re-established our relationship as high mountain sister lake people in Mongolia this Summer 2024. Additionaly, we purchased a traditional style Mongolian gher [yurt] and will finally put the yurt up this Fall, 2024. Furthermore, we have identified land in the Tahoe Basin to build Washiw Tahn-Nu Ung-Gal and, we have recently launched a fundraising campaign to purchase it.