The Paiute Language

Pasea Kwena’a – Bald Eagle
Pakodapa – Blackbird
Weho – Buzzard
Wasa – Crane
Ada – Crow
Ehobe – Dove
Puhu – Duck
Kwena’a – Eagle
Atsabana – Flicker
Naguta – Goose
Hootse – Grouse or Sage Hen
Sibatso’o – Harrier
Songoe’e – Hummingbird
Tengeoo’oo – Killdeer
Kwedagagi’e – Magpie
Kooda – Mallard
Patzedono – Meadowlark
Saya – Mudhen
Tokasooga – Oriole
Moohoo’o – Owl
Panosa – Pelican
Angaa – Pinion Jay
Sukege’e – Quail
Kene’e – Red-tailed Hawk
Hunoope – Roadrunner
Soogoo –Robin
Sawa Hootzeba – Sage Sparrow
Kona’etu – Seagull
Ududu’u – Sparrow Hawk
Sogopena – Swallow
Wohetu –Swan

Big Sagebrush - Baba Sawabe
Sagebrush is a quintessential part of Nevada, but it also has an integral role in the Paiute culture. The bark of the sagebrush was once used as a net to catch prong horned antelope as well as being used for incense (ceremonial), firewood, making shoes, smudging (ceremonial), making twine and rope, and medicinal tea.
Cattail - Toebu
The Tribe had a variety of uses like being woven into floormats, medicine for wounds and external inflammations in addition to using the roots as a food source.
Cedar - Pawape
Cedar was used as firewood and kindling, burned as an insect repellent, used as the support structure for teepees or wickiup poles and cedar poles were believed to ward off lightning.
Cottonwood - Sungabe
The bark of the cottonwood was not only used as medicinal equivalent of aspirin, but could also be used to thicken soups, reduce muscle inflammation from overuse and the leaves can be eaten to prevent scurvey.
Elderberry - Hooboo
While the stems and leaves of the elderberry plant are poisonous if eaten, the fruit was used as a food source by both the Native Americans and animals native to the region.
Grass - Wahabu
The short sporadic grasses that can be found surrounding Pyramid Lake were used as animal feed, kindling and eaten as a salad-type food with meals.
Greasewood - Tonobe
Greasewood was used as a weapon either by being attached to an arrow as a weight or as a point, but it was also used as a digging tool and as firewood.
Wild Onion - Padu’zu
Wild onion was used in cooking to add flavor to meals.
Juniper - Waape
Juniper was used as firewood and to smoke buckskin, making bows and fence posts while the bark was used to make sandals, cord and woven bags. Alternatively, the berries were used as medicine.
Mountain Mahogany - Toope
The mountain mahogany’s wood was used to make tools while the trunk and branches were used to make weapons.
Pine Tree - Wogope
Pine nut - Tuba
Pine nuts were, and still are, an important part of the Native American way of life. They are still harvested today for both food and trading. They can be eaten roasted, raw, ground and with other foods.
Pinyon Pine - Tubape
The pinion pine provided an integral food source for the Native Americans: the pine nut, which provides over 3,000 calories per pound. When heated the pine nut would be released from its shell.
Quaking Aspen - Padagwetseadu
Though the trunk of the tree was used as firewood, the tree’s inner bark could be used for its medicinal properties similar to those of modern aspirin.
Rabbit Brush - Segoope
When woven with willow bark and other grasses, rabbit brush was used to create the large backings for cradleboards.
Rice Grass - Wea
Seeds of rice grass were collected in woven trays by shaking and sometimes burning the grass. Once collected they were then mixed with other seeds and nuts, and eaten as food. Part of the grass could also be used as a medical tool to scrape cataracts off the eye.
Sagebrush - Sawabe
Sagebrush is a quintessential part of Nevada, but it also has an integral role in the Paiute culture. The bark of the sagebrush was once used as a net to catch prong horned antelope as well as being used for incense (ceremonial), firewood, making shoes, smudging (ceremonial), making twine and rope, and medicinal tea.
Saltgrass - Tusebu
When gathered into small bundles, the grass was used to clean off grinding stones.
Sedges - Oodu Wogonadu
This plant was woven to make various types of clothing, floor mats and as part of shelters.
Shrubs - Sukwe Nadu
The shrubs common around the Lake and northern Nevada landscape were used by hunters as camouflage in addition to being used as parts of shelter and kindling.
Sugarcane - Wokwokwobu
Not only was sugarcane used to sweeten foods, but it was also used to make arrow shafts due to its durable, tough nature.
Sunflower - Aku
The long, prickly stem of the sunflower was used to catch gophers by sticking it into the gopher hole and twisting until a gopher became stuck and was pulled out of its domain.
Tule Grass - Sibu
The long durable grass was used for almost everything. It was woven into mats, baskets and shoes, made into boats, duck decoys, houses and clothing. The roots and seeds were also used as a food source.
Tumbleweed - Mogoope
Wild Carrot - Yapa
The plant was woven together with other grasses to make the large backings needed for cradleboards.
Wild Garlic - Utze
Much like its conventional cousin, wild garlic was used to flavor and spice meals.
Wild Onion - Padu’zu
Wild onion was also used in cooking to add flavor to meals.
Wild Peach - Tsanabe
When woven with other grasses, wild peach was used to make the large backings for cradleboards.
Wild Rye - Pooekwahanne
The seeds of wild rye were used for food. They were gathered either by shaking or burning the plant into a woven tray.
Willow - Suube
Willow had a variety of uses for the Paiute Tribe. When woven with other grasses, its bark was used to make the backings for cradleboards. It was also used to make baskets and water jugs, and the colorful twine that decorated those baskets. When the leaves and bark were ground into a powder, the plant could also be used as a medicine to treat scrapes, cuts and both lower and upper intestinal tract infections.
Willow Tree - Sagape

Largemouth Bass - Sekedoo Pakwe
Though considered a non-native species, the largemouth bass can be found in lakes and reservoirs all over Nevada. They can be identified by their silvery bellies and dark green back and sides. When they reach adulthood, their jaws extend to at least the rear edge of the eye.
Carp Fish - Tutse Pakwe
The carp was imported from China and Russia to help control and reduce the growth of invasive weeds since their diet consists entirely of aquatic vegetation.
Catfish - Moosooe Pakwe
Non-native to Pyramid Lake, the catfish can be identified by its deeply forked tail with pointed lobes, pale bluish-olive top half and white belly. It also has barbells that extend from its chin to upper jaw and has strong, sharp spines adorning its dorsal and pectoral fins. The catfish can be found in warm water streams and reservoirs in southern and northwest Nevada.
Small Fish - Sogo Pakwe
Small fish like the speckled dace and Tui-chub are an important food source for the larger fish and birds that inhabit the Lake.
Goldfish - Oha Pakwe
Native to China, the goldfish was introduced near Soldier Meadows. They can be identified by their color which is usually olive, but can vary to gold, orange or creamy white. They grow up to 16 inches and can be up to 3.5 pounds.
Sucker - Awagoo
The bottom dwellers are abundant in the Humboldt River system and its tributaries. It can be identified by its army green body, and males have a red stripe on their abdomen that becomes more prominent during mating season. Their mouths are directed downward and don’t have any teeth in their mouth, instead having comb-like teeth located on sickle shaped bones in their throat.
Lahontan Cutthroat Trout - Agi
Not only does this threatened species have the unique ability to live in the alkaline and saline water of the remnant Great Lakes, they are also the largest freshwater trout in North America. Native to Pyramid Lake, the Lahontan Cutthroat Trout can weigh anywhere from 40 to 60 pounds. They spend most of their lives in Lakes, but spawn in rivers. Their body color is highly variable, but their back is usually steel grey to olive green with yellow-brown sides and red or pink along their belly. They also have scattered spots that gather closely around the tail and yellow, crimson-red or orange slash marks across their jaw. It’s these slash marks that gave them the name “cutthroat.”

Antelope - Tunna
The antelope is a medium-sized, deer-like mammal with long legs. Their large, protruding eyes have a wide arc of vision and can detect movement up to four miles away. The antelope is the fastest animal in the western hemisphere and among the fastest in the world (it has been clocked at 70 mph). Their fur was once used as clothing for warmth and camouflage. Antelope do not like to jump, so Sawabe, or tule nets were used to surround and capture them.
Badger - Hoona
Bat - Pegahana’a
Bear - Padooa’a
Beaver - Kohe’e
Big horned sheep - Koepa
The big horned sheep is a large mammal weighing up to 150 pounds. Bighorn sheep have large, brown horns that continue to grow all of their life. These horns are permanent fixtures, consisting of bone in the center that is encased by a keratin sheath (the same stuff your fingernail is made of). These sheep are true vegetarians and primarily consume grasses, forbs and shrubs. Their fur was once used as clothing for warmth and camouflage, their horns were used as eye medicine, and their hooves as rattles.
Bobcat - Toohoo’o
This cat is twice the size of a domesticated house cat, weighing in at 26 pounds. The deep low growl of a bobcat can easily be confused for that of a mountain lion. They usually live in rocky areas near the mouths of canyons and fissures about 30 meters above the desert floor. Its diet consists of rabbits, rodents, squirrels, gophers, shrews, moles, and birds. Its fur was once used as clothing for warmth and camouflage.
Chipmunk - Wuda’a
The chipmunk is an important food source for larger birds and animals.
Cottontail - Taboo’o
The length of a desert cottontail is 13 to 17 inches, females are larger than males. The most active time of the day for this rabbit is in the early morning, afternoon and night. Their diet consists of a wide variety of plants, including grasses, forbs, shrubs and even cacti. When alarmed, a cottontail may freeze and try to blend into its surroundings. It can also run up to 20 miles per hour in a zigzag pattern to escape predators.
Cow - Kootsoo
Coyote - Etza’a
Gopher - Yungatseba
Groundhog - Kedu
Horses - Pookoo
Horses are believed to be the first people and therefore set the rules of nature that we follow. Virtually identical to its ancestor, the domestic horse, it is considered domesticated, not wild.
Jack Rabbit - Kammu
The jack rabbit can be easily identified by its very long, brownish ears with black tips and large hind feet. The jack rabbit inhabits barren areas, prairies, meadows and cultivated fields. Its diet consists of many kinds of plants, favoring grasses and forbs in the summer and woody and dried vegetation in the winter. This rabbit rarely walks, but it can hop 5 to 10 feet (1.5–3 m) at a time, up to 20 feet (6 m) when panicked, and can reach speeds of 30 to 35 mph (50–55 km/h) over short distances. Its fur was once used as clothing and blankets
Kit Fox - Wange’e
Mink - Payona’a
Mole - Toozeekwusabu
Mountain Lion - Kakwe Toohoo’o
Also known as puma or cougar, the mountain lion is North America’s second largest cat. This cat is a large game animal with an average weight of 137 pounds. The majority of their diet consists of mice, ground squirrel, rabbit, skunk, and porcupines. However, when present, mule deer, elk, bighorn sheep, and horses are their desired prey. The mountain lion also feeds on grasses to rid its system of parasites. Its fur was once used as clothing for warmth and camouflage.
Mule Deer - Tuhudya
Male mule deer have an antler spread up to 4 feet. They live in mountains, foothills, and the edges of forests. Their summer diet consists of herbaceous plants and shrubs and they depend on twigs of aspen, willow, bitterbrush, juniper and sage in the winter. The mule deer’s ribs are used to remove hair from skin, their brains are used to tan hides, and their horns are used to make arrowheads.
Muskrat - Pamoose
Otter - Patsoogoo
Porcupine - Tsagwudu
The common porcupine has about 30,000 quills on its body; these are modified hairs, solid at the tip and base, hollow for most of the shaft, and loosely attached to a sheet of voluntary muscles beneath the skin. Their quills were once used for needles.
Prairie Dog - Kupa
Pygmy Rabbit - Tutse’yoo
The pygmy rabbit’s habitat falls in the intermountain west, primarily the Great Basin. They can be found in sagebrush communities associated with deep, well drained soils. They live in burrows that they excavate under large shrubs, or old burrows of yellow bellied marmots and badgers. They are herbivores that forage for plants that include sagebrush and grass.
Raccoon - Padaki’e
Rat - Kawa
Skunk – Pongeta
Skunks can be found in the desert, woodlands, or grassy plains and suburbs. They prey on small mammals, the eggs of ground nesting birds, amphibians, beetles and their larvae, grasshoppers and crickets, earthworms, butterfly and moth larvae, spiders, snails, ants, bees and wasps, and crayfish. When in season, they also eat fruit, such as wild cherries, ground cherries, blackberries, blueberries, and many others. Their fur was used as clothing for warmth and camouflage.
Squirrel - Tzepesa
Weasel – Pabetse
Weasels live in open, forested, brushy areas including ranchlands and preferably near water. They prey on mice, voles, rabbits, chipmunks, shrews, rats, birds and poultry. Their hide was used as a bag for small items like needles.
Wolf - Esa
Woodrat - Kawa
Also called packrats and trading rats, there are 22 different species of woodrats in the world; seven of these live in North American deserts. Woodrats are primarily nocturnal. They live in nests built of plant parts collected within 50 yards of their home, using the same nesting area year after year; some nests are up to 4 feet wide. The fossilized nests of woodrats are excavated from caves by paleo botanists to determine past climates.