UNLV University Libraries recognizes that UNLV sits on the unceded land of the Southern Paiutes, descendants of the Tudinu, or Desert People, who have lived along the Colorado River since 1100 A.D. and extended north and west into the areas known today as Southern Nevada, Utah, and California. UNLV also acknowledges that the University and members of the UNLV community has, and continues to, benefit from the use of Southern Paiute land. As one of the most diverse universities in the United States, UNLV University Libraries believes it is important to recognize the use of Southern Paiute land as part of its mission to be a welcoming and inclusive place for learning.
If you want to know more about the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe visit their website. If you want to know more about the history of the Southern Nevada Paiutes and the continuation of their sovereign nation as well as the three other major tribes in Nevada read this short newspaper article.
If you want to know more about land acknowledgments watch the video below and check out the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture website, Honor Native Land: A Guide and Call to Acknowledgment.
Photograph: Native American woman at a demonstration near the Nevada Test Site, 1989 from the Sister Klaryta Antoszewska Collection. Sister Klaryta Antoszewska Collection, 1950s-1980s. PH-00352. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
In honor of November being Native American Heritage Month, UNLV Libraries is highlighting some of our research databases, books, e-books, streaming videos, archival collections, and TDRL materials focusing on Native American-related issues.
Native American Heritage Month was established to celebrate and recognize the accomplishments of the peoples who originally inhabited, explored, and settled the land that would later be known as the United States and their continuing contributions to society and culture. National American Indian Heritage Month was established in 1986 when Congress authorized and requested for the President of the United States to proclaim November 23-30 "American Indian Week." In November 1986, President Ronald Reagan issued Presidential Proclamation 5577 creating the first American Indian Week. From 1987 to 1990, Congress passed legislation declaring various weeks in September, November, and December as American Indian Week. In 1990, Congress passed legislation which requested the President to issue a proclamation designating the month of November 1990 National American Indian Heritage Month. Since 1995, Presidents have issued annual proclamations designating November as National American Indian Heritage Month. In 2009 the name was changed to National Native American Indian Heritage Month. Learn more about the history of National American Indian Heritage Month on the Library of Congress's website.
UNLV is ranked on of the most diverse universities in the United States and serves a variety of students. There are many organizations on campus focused on connecting Native American students to resources and communities on campus. Click on the links below to explore the different organizations.
The Native American Student Association serves as a social organization dedicated to the preservation of Native culture and the educational attainment of Native American students at UNLV.
Student Diversity and Social Justice offers resources for Native American students and puts on events and programing specifically for the Native American community on campus.
The American Indian Alliance is an organization comprised academic and administrative faculty members whose goal is to speak and act as a unified body for UNLV's Native American population. Students can visit the American Indian Alliance members page to find a member who can help the student learn how to navigate the university system.
The American Indian Research and Education Center (AIREC) conducts community-based research and promotes educational and research opportunities for American Indian/Alaska Native Students. AIREC also provides training and technical assistance and serves as an informational resource for the campus community, tribal populations, and the general pubic.