{Lake Tahoe posted by laketahoeofficial} Da ow (Lake Tahoe) and the surrounding area falls within Dit eh hu’, the homeland of the Washoe (Wašiw) people. The Washoe had been in Dit eh hu’ since time immemorial and managed to avoid most Euro-American incursion until the California gold rush of 1849. Huge numbers of white settlers drastically disrupted the ecosystem and Washoe way of life, destroying the piñon forests and causing collapse in the Tahoe fish populations forcing the Washoe to adapt to the American economy.

Today the Washoe are members of the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, and the Susanville Rancheria. Despite Tahoe being derived from the Washo name Da ow, the Washoe still are still fighting to be included in decisions made about the land as well as reclaim stolen land in the area including a current push to have 375 acres of federal land in Incline Village transferred to the tribe instead of privatized or transferred to the state.