Most Great Basin tribes ate a plant-heavy diet with seeds, roots, bulbs, nuts, berries, and grasses as staples. They also ate small game and other local animals like rabbits, ducks, fish, and sometimes larger game such as deer or antelope, depending on the area and season.

Quick Scoop

The main foods were usually:

  • Seeds and roots , which made up much of the diet.
  • Piñon nuts, acorns, and other nuts.
  • Berries and other gathered plants.
  • Small animals and fish , including rabbits, ducks, and trout or salmon in some places.

In plain language

If you’re looking for the simplest answer: most American Indians living in the Great Basin ate what they could gather from the land, especially plants, with meat and fish added when available. The Great Basin environment was dry, so diets were adapted to seasonal resources rather than heavy farming.

Short answer

Mostly seeds, roots, nuts, berries, and small game.