The traditional lifestyle of the People has all too often been presented in negative terms. The arriving Euro-American farmers and ranchers disparaged the foraging lifestyle as a way to justify taking over Native American land. Even anthropologists have suggested that hunters and gatherers live short and difficult lives. In reality, foraging, even in Nevada's dry desert country, offered a rich life. The People ate a varied, low-fat diet, had daily exercise, and were thus usually healthy and long-lived. The arriving Europeans incorrectly ascribed the advanced age of many indigenous elders to Nevada's climate.

The Euro-Americans envisioned the life of the People as one of drudgery and their cultures as "simple" and "primitive." In reality, the People had abundant free time to develop a complex spiritual and cultural life. Religious life included seasonal harvest ceremonies, medical rituals for the sick, and a rich array of sacred narratives, all of which gave deep meaning to life. There was also abundant time for entertainment: storytelling, dancing, sports events, and gambling matches. Life for the average Euro-American worker of the 19th century was far more difficult and austere.