a member of the North American Indian people (related to the Aztecs) of the southwestern United States

the language spoken by the Shoshone people (belonging to the Uto-Aztecan family)

(sho SHO nee or sho SHONE) An Indian society located in the Great Basin/Plains area of the west. Sacagawea was a Shoshone, but she was kidnapped by Hidatsa raiders and taken to their villages when still a child. The Shoshone were invaluable to the expedition because it was from them (with the help of Sacagawea) that horses were obtained to cross the Rocky Mountains.

(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.