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Elizabeth Brady is a connecting link between the past and the future for the Shoshone people of Nevada.
Raised in a traditional Native American family in Battle Mountain and Beowawe, and speaking only Shoshone until she went to school, she absorbed stories, songs and skills in beadwork and willow basketry that she carries to this day. Brady is particularly known for her cradleboards, which are made with a bent dogwood frame, rows of fine willow sticks held together with more split willows, and a cover of brain-tanned buckskin.
Several of Brady's eight children and dozens of grandchildren and great-grandchildren have learned from her and carry on speaking and singing in Shoshone, and making traditional crafts and foods. Her "Liz's Indian Tacos" wagon is also a common sight at pow wows and county fairs, where she shares her cooking skills with the public.
Brady has served her tribe and her community generously for years by working with the Elko Band Council and helping to start the tribal health clinic. She has also taught language, culture, and craft classes at Shoshone gatherings throughout the Great Basin region. For exemplifying the life of a traditional Shoshone elder, Brady received a Governor's Arts Award for Excellence in Folk Arts in 2005.
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Andrea Graham Last Updated: 2007-04-20 15:08:01
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