Abstract
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. The collection contains no original documents.
Finding Aid PDF
Date
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Related People/Corporations
Scope and Contents Note
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. The collection also contains correspondence and Citizen's Committee for Community Improvement meeting minutes which include information about continued infrastructure needs, such as improved housing conditions, establishment of electrical, water, and waste lines; and transportation access around the area. The meeting minutes reflect both the Paiute tribal community desires and the responses of other Las Vegas, Nevada residents. Some material in the collection includes information about a number of American Indian boarding schools, known more recently as American Indian Residential Schools, that were located in both Utah and Nevada. Prominent schools referenced in the documents include the Kaibab Day School, Moapa River School, Goshute Day School, and Shivwits Day School. The collection contains no original documents. This collection contains items previously described as "Las Vegas Paiute Tribal Archives: 1911-1976" and was cataloged under E99.P2 L37x 1911.
Access Note
Collection is open for research. No release forms are on file for the oral interviews. The interviews are accessible onsite only, and researchers must seek permission from the interviewee or heirs for quotation, reproduction, or publication. Please contact special.collections@unlv.edu for further information.
Publication Rights
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.
Arrangement
Materials remain as they were received.
Biographical / Historical Note
The Tudinu (Desert People), the ancestors of the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe, occupied territory including part of the Colorado River, most of southeastern Nevada, and part of southern California and Utah. In the 1820s as traders settled further west, the land became part of the Old Spanish Trail, a trade route between New Mexico and California. With the railroad boom, the influx of settlers severely restricted the Paiute people's traditional way of life.
On December 30, 1911 Helen J. Stewart deeded ten acres of her ranch near downtown Las Vegas, Nevada to the United States, who acted on behalf of the Paiute, and established the Las Vegas Indian Colony. This land was the only communal land for the tribe until 1983, when the United States Congress returned nearly 4,000 acres of land to the east of Mount Charleston and the Spring Mountains in Nevada. The tribe was federally recognized under the Indian Reorganization Act (also known as the Wheeler-Howard Act or the "Indian New Deal") in 1934. On July 22, 1970, the tribe ratified their constitution and bylaws.
As of 2020, the Las Vegas Tribe of Paiute Indians still maintain the land deeded to them in 1911. The tribe operates smoke shops, a golf resort, a health and human service program, and the Las Vegas Paiute Police Department. A tribal council governs the tribe with headquarters located in Las Vegas.
Sources:
"History & Culture," Las Vegas Paiute Tribe. Accessed January 31, 2020. https://www.lvpaiutetribe.com/history
Preferred Citation
UNLV Libraries Collection on the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe, approximately 1974-1990. MS-00961. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
Materials were collected by the University Libraries Special Collections and Archives; accession number 2019-084.
Processing Note
In 2020, Sarah Jones compiled the materials from multiple sources that included previously cataloged material, rehoused the materials, and wrote the finding aid.