Definition

Noun: 1. A member of a Native American people: A Piute (also commonly spelled Paiute) is a member of either of two culturally related but distinct groups of Numic-speaking peoples: the Northern Paiute and the Southern Paiute, traditionally living in the Great Basin region of the southwestern United States.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The museum exhibit features traditional baskets woven by a Piute artisan.
  • Anthropologists studied the migration patterns of the Piute peoples.
  • She is a respected elder of the Piute tribe.

Advanced Usage

• The term "Piute" is an older, anglicized spelling that is still recognized but is increasingly being replaced by the more accurate spelling "Paiute" in modern anthropological and historical contexts. The distinction between the Northern and Southern Paiute is significant, as they have different histories, dialects, and traditional territories.

Variants and Related Words

• Paiute (n.): The modern and preferred spelling for Piute.
• Northern Paiute (n.): Refers specifically to the Numic-speaking people whose traditional territory covers parts of eastern California, western Nevada, and Oregon.
• Southern Paiute (n.): Refers specifically to the Numic-speaking people whose traditional territory covers parts of Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California.

Synonyms

• Native American (n.): A broad term for the indigenous peoples of the Americas.
• American Indian (n.): Another broad term for the indigenous peoples of the continental United States.

Note: "Piute/Paiute" is a specific ethnonym. While "Native American" or "American Indian" are broader synonyms, they lack the specific cultural and historical precision of "Piute/Paiute".

Noun

1. a member of either of two Shoshonean peoples (northern Paiute and southern Paiute) related to the Aztecs and living in the southwestern United States