Folk Traditions as Historical Fact: A Paiute Example

Abstract

proved in many cases to be consistent with archaeological evidence. This suggested that the Paiute had preserved some historical knowledge of the Puebloid people for about 800 years, during which period accurate information was transmitted in an oral tradition. In the summer of 1956, only seven specific statements relating to the prehistoric people, called Mukwitch by the Paiute, were collected. Five of these seven statements are to some extent verified from archaeological evidence, and we therefore made efforts to collect additional comments. In January of 1957, Pendergast was able to return to Utah, verify some of the original statements, and collect additional data. Four principal informants were used, all of them Southern Paiutes living in small settlements on the fringes of Cedar City and Richfield, and on the Shivwits reservation near St. George, Utah. Statements from the informants range from a single comment to thirteen specific items of information. The specific statements are summarized in The Table of Informants; analysis of the comments is given below. Migration and movements. Archaeological information strongly suggests that the Puebloid sites of southern Utah were settled by colonists from the regions to the south. This is indicated by a great degree of cultural similarity between sites like Paragonah and sites of the Anasazi region to the southeast. None of the informants stated specifically the region from which the Mukwitch were

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