LibGuides: We Need To Talk : American Indian Lands

We Need to Talk About American Indian Lands

UNLV acknowledges and honors the Indigenous communities of this region, and recognizes that the university is situated on the traditional homelands of the Nuwuvi, Southern Paiute People. Historically, Southern Paiutes were hunter-gatherers and lived in small family units. Prior to colonial influence, their territory spanned across what is today Southeastern California, Southern Nevada, Northern Arizona, and Southern Utah. Within this territory, many of the Paiutes would roam the land moving from place to place. Often there was never really a significant homebase. The Las Vegas Paiute Tribe (LVPT) mentions that, “Outsiders who came to the Paiutes' territory often described the land as harsh, arid and barren; however, the Paiutes developed a culture suited to the diverse land and its resources.”(synopsis via UNLV's website)

Though many paths and peoples have traversed the Southwest, and the wider Las Vegas area more specifically, the history of the Indigenous peoples in this region is one that many may be wholly unfamiliar with. We hope you were able to join us for a discussion focused on issues related to land ownership, housing, cultural celebrations, politics, education, and healthcare within tribal communities.

For further inquiries about the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe's Tribal Council, Departments, or Business Entities please visit https://www.lvpaiutetribe.com/

Podcasts w/ Nevada Indigenous Representation

Coffee with an Indian
Have you ever wondered what it’s like living on a modern Indian Reservation? Have you ever had to make something out of nothing? Are you ready for a unique and complex story, filled with struggle and spirit? We’ll you’re in luck because here it is.
Native Nevada
The podcast Native Nevada has been recorded and hosted on KNPR as an eight-episode podcast presenting a different aspect of Indigenous peoples in the Silver State. It is hosted by Richard Boland, who is Timbisha Shoshone with contributors Jarrette Werk (A’aniiih and Nakoda) and Avory Wyatt (Waiw and Numu).
Seeing Color w/ Zhiwan Cheung
This highlighted episode, # 77 : We Don’t Dance For Money, features Fawn Douglas, an Indigenous American artist and enrolled member of the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe. Fawn is dedicated to the intersections of art, activism, education, identity, place, and sovereignty. Within her art-making and activism, she tells stories in order to remember the past and also to ensure that the stories of Indigenous peoples are heard in the present. (synopsis credit: Zhiwan Cheung)

#AllVotesMatter: Voter Suppression in Native Communities

Native American Rights Fund Policy Brief
The policy brief ,"Obstacles at every turn:
Barriers to political participation faced by Native American voters", outlines the historical, systemic, and geographical factors that have made voter suppression more of the rule than the exception to many Indigenous Communities and how Native peoples are taking their power back.

UNLV's Land Acknowledgement

What is the purpose of a Land Acknowledgement?
A land acknowledgement recognizes and respects the relationship that exists between Indigenous Peoples and their ancestral and contemporary territories. Additionally, land acknowledgements provide us with the opportunity to explore the impacts of colonization and systems of oppression on Indigenous Peoples. Land acknowledgements do not exist in a historical context or past tense. It is vital to understand the long-standing history that brought us to reside on the land, and to seek to understand our place within that history. Colonialism is a current, ongoing process, and we need to build our mindfulness and understanding of our present participation. (Synopsis credit: UNLV's website)

Please note, that since the recording of this video, the URL to learn more has changed to https://www.unlv.edu/about/statements-compliance/land-acknowledgement/nuwuvi

Find additional information about the history of the Nuwuvi/Nuwu/Southern Paiute peoples on UNLV's website.

Local News You Can Use

Native Issues Getting More Attention In Nevada Legislature, But Leaders Say Representation Still Lacking
Native American issues are getting more attention in the Nevada Legislature than ever before. That’s partially due to the number of bills representing tribal interests, which is higher than in the past. They’re also receiving more attention from legislators, thanks in part to a rise in Native political organizing.
Native tribes want sacred land in Southern Nevada designated national monument
Several conservation groups and native tribes are trying to get thousands of acres of sacred land in Southern Nevada designated as the state's fourth national monument. It holds significance for 10 different tribal groups and spans an from California to Arizona.
Nevada's governor apologizes for the state's past role in Indigenous schools
The Stewart School in Carson City is among more than 350 residential schools that the U.S. Interior Department plans to examine as part of the Federal Boarding School Initiative Review, which includes an investigation into student deaths and known and possible burial sites.
Nevada Indian Country celebrates wins at the Legislature, including greater access to higher education for students
In June 2021, Gov. Steve Sisolak signed three bills affecting Nevada tribes — AB262, AB88 and AB270 — into law. This trio of bills that cleared the lawmaking session include measures that waive fees at Nevada colleges and universities for Native students; prohibit racially discriminatory language or imagery in schools; and providing environmental protection for sacred sites, among others.

Selections from the Stacks

UNLV Libraries collection on the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe.
The UNLV Libraries Collection on the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe (approximately 1974-1990) contain oral history transcripts of Paiute community members from approximately 1974 to 1977 and reproductions of Bureau of Indian Affairs correspondence, legal documents, annual reports, and census information regarding the area formerly known as the Las Vegas Indian Colony located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The documents contain information about the original transfer of property ownership from Helen J. Stewart to the United States, who acted on behalf of the Paiute people in 1911, the establishment of the original site location, and annual reports which include a narrative about the community, census information, and health reports of the population living in the area.
Urban Indigenous Youth Reframing Two-Spirit by Marie Laing
Call Number: HQ76.3.C217 L35 2021
ISBN: 9780367556938
Publication Date: 2021-03-01
"This book offers insights from young trans, queer and two-spirit Indigenous people who examine the breadth and depth of meanings that two-spirit holds. Tracing the refusals and desires of these youth and their communities, Urban Indigenous Youth Reframing Two-Spirit expands critical conversations on queerness, Indigeneity, and community and simultaneously troubles the idea that articulating a definition of two-spirit is a worthwhile undertaking.
Unlikely Alliances Native Nations and White Communities Join to Defend Rural Lands by Zoltán Grossman
Call Number: E-Book
ISBN: 0295741538
Often when Native nations assert their treaty rights and sovereignty, they are confronted with a backlash from their neighbors, who are fearful of losing control of the natural resources. Yet, when both groups are faced with an outside threat to their common environment-such as mines, dams, or an oil pipeline-these communities have unexpectedly joined together to protect the resources. Some regions of the United States with the most intense conflicts were transformed into areas with the deepest cooperation between tribes and local farmers, ranchers, and fishers to defend sacred land and water.

Explore Tribes, Bands, Languages, and Treaties Digitally

Native Land Digital
Land is something sacred to all of us, whether we consciously appreciate it or not — it is the space upon which we play, live, eat, find love, and experience life. Native Land Digital strives to create and foster conversations about the history of colonialism, Indigenous ways of knowing, and settler-Indigenous relations through its digital map and other resources.

Indigenous Ways Call for Community

Indigenous Associations and Groups

The Las Vegas Indian Center
Our mission here at the Las Vegas Indian Center is to promote the rich culture of Native Americans, and to provide services that improve the social & economic self-sufficient of the diverse populations living in the greater Las Vegas area.
UNLV American Indian Alliance
The UNLV American Indian Alliance includes employees who are academic and administrative faculty members as well as those who are in classified positions.
UNLV Native American Student Association
NASA serves as a social organization dedicated to the preservation of Native culture and provides members with a social network of fellow Native students, involvement opportunities, resources, and experience necessary for success in collegiate life and beyond.
Nevada Indian Commission
The NEVADA INDIAN COMMISSION (NIC) is a State agency created by statute in 1965 to “study matters affecting the social and economic welfare and well-being of American Indians residing in Nevada."
Nuwu Art + Activism Studios
The Nuwu Art + Activism Complex is a POC-owned and operated space in Las Vegas, Nevada, that works to uplift all communities through strengthening cultural knowledge and identity through the arts, activism, and education. We advocate for the equity of our respective and collective communities through an ongoing process of decolonization and celebration of our rich cultural heritages. #decolonize

Recognition Cognition: Terminology Explained

Nevada’s Great Basin Tribes: Helpful Definitions and Terms
Have you ever wondered what to be "federally recognized" means? Do your ears perk up at the mention of "tribal sovereignty"? Is it Native American, Indigenous, or American Indian? Allow this fact sheet from Nevada's Indian Commission to lend some clarity.

We Need To Talk : American Indian Lands

Our Panelists