The Fort Bridger Treaty of 1868 was among the most important agreements created between the U.S. government and the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. Along with affirming the establishment of the Fort Hall Reservation, it reserved the inherent rights of the Shoshone and Bannock people to self-government and self-preservation, including the right to use any unoccupied federal public lands in the country for hunting, fishing, and gathering, a provision that remains in force. Responsible stewardship of federal public lands is vital to the cultural preservation and life ways of the Shoshone-Bannock people. The Fort Bridger Treaty of 1868 and the Soda Springs Treaty of 1863 were negotiated among chiefs of many bands of Shoshone and Bannocks who occupied a broad geographic area that today includes California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming, and parts of Canada and Mexico, and the chiefs who signed were identified as Wash-a-Kie, Toop-se-po-wot, Taboonshe-ya, Pan-to-she-ga, Wau-ny-pitz, Nark-kok, Bazeel, Ninny-Bitse, Taggee, We-rat-ze-won-a-gen, Pan-sook-a-motse, Tay-to-ba, Coo-sha-gan, and A-wite-etse.