Between the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains, in the western United States, in an area of internal drainage (the channels flow into desert plains, not into the sea); the cultures of the Great Basin developed.It occupied most of the state of Nevada and areas of those of Utah, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming and California. The region was shared by more than 40 types of cultures.-Many were part of the Shoshonean language family. - The Utes were a powerful tribe. -They included the Paiute, Gosiute, and Koso people, The Shoshone and the Ute share a common genetic, cultural and linguistic heritage as part of the Numic branch of the Uto-Aztec linguistic family.