The Bear River Massacre A Shoshone History by Darren Parry
I want you to read this book.
Darren Parry is Shoshone and The Bear River Massacre: A Shoshone History is as much a memoir of his grandmother, a work of family history as it is a history of his people. Though it does not read like something written by a trained historian (to my knowledge, Parry isn’t a trained historian, but an elder of his people), it is in some ways more relevant than a more refined and researched narrative. With him as its messenger, it conveys a tale of a people nearly lost in the rush to win the west, struggling to find or build a home near their ancestral lands, to make their way in a world that has changed dramatically.
Parry opens his story with a paean to his grandmother, who carried and passed so much of the Shoshone history from the past to the present. I know Darren only a little, but if even half of what I know is true he does her credit for the influence she has had on his life. In some measure, he tries to communicate that impact and share the importance she had on him and how that impact means so much for why he became who he is and works tirelessly for his people.
From there, the narrative shifts back to a point when the Shoshone modern history begins, the arrival of white settlers to the area, the Mormon pioneers, conflicts with the settles, and then the tragic events leading to the Bear River Massacre, one of the largest massacres of Indians in North America. Parry continues from there with a brief history of the remaining tribe members into the present, including their interactions with the Mormon prophets and conversion to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Shoshone history is tragic, but also triumphant. While there were moments when Parry expressed sadness at the failures that led to conflict with settlers, as well as the unfairness with which the people had been treated–repeatedly through the years–one can feel of his undiminished spirit and hope to overcome and find a place for his people in the land they call, and which once was, their home. I hope them all the best of luck as they seek it, and I hope they are able to create that reservation which will provide them the autonomy other tribes have obtained.
The Bear River Massacre: A Shoshone History
non-fiction
Common Consent Press
November 25, 2019
Paperback
172
Even though the Bear River Massacre was a defining event in the history of the Northwest Band of the Shoshone, in Parry’s retelling the massacre did not trap his people in death, but offered them rebirth. While never flinching from the realities of Latter-day Saint encroachment on Shoshone land and the racial ramifications of America’s spread westward, Parry offers messages of hope. As storyteller for his people, Parry brings the full weight of Shoshone wisdom to his tales—lessons of peace in the face of violence, of strength in the teeth of annihilation, of survival through change, and of the pliability necessary for cultural endurance. These are arresting stories told disarmingly well. What emerges from the margins of these stories is much more than a history of a massacre from the Shoshone perspective, it is a poignant meditation on the resilience of the soul of a people.
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