People of Snowy Mountain, People of the River: a Multi-Agency Ethnographic Overview and Compendium Relating to Tribes Associated with Clark County, Nevada
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Portland State University PDXScholar Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations Anthropology 2012 People of Snowy Mountain, People of the River: A Multi-Agency Ethnographic Overview and Compendium Relating to Tribes Associated with Clark County, Nevada Douglas Deur Portland State University, [email protected] Deborah Confer University of Washington Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/anth_fac Part of the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons, and the Sustainability Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Citation Details Deur, Douglas and Confer, Deborah, "People of Snowy Mountain, People of the River: A Multi-Agency Ethnographic Overview and Compendium Relating to Tribes Associated with Clark County, Nevada" (2012). Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations. 98. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/anth_fac/98 This Report is brought to you for free and open access. 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Pacific West Region: Social Science Series National Park Service Publication Number 2012-01 U.S. Department of the Interior PEOPLE OF SNOWY MOUNTAIN, PEOPLE OF THE RIVER: A MULTI-AGENCY ETHNOGRAPHIC OVERVIEW AND COMPENDIUM RELATING TO TRIBES ASSOCIATED WITH CLARK COUNTY, NEVADA 2012 Douglas Deur, Ph.D. and Deborah Confer LAKE MEAD AND BLACK CANYON Doc Searls Photo, Courtesy Wikimedia Commons PEOPLE OF SNOWY MOUNTAIN, PEOPLE OF THE RIVER: A MULTI-AGENCY ETHNOGRAPHIC OVERVIEW AND COMPENDIUM RELATING TO TRIBES ASSOCIATED WITH CLARK COUNTY, NEVADA 2012 Douglas Deur, Ph.D. and Deborah Confer School of Environmental and Forest Sciences University of Washington and PNW Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit National Park Service, Pacific West Region Seattle, Washington Research and report production done under a Cooperative Agreement between the Pacific West Region, National Park Serice and the School of Environment and Forest Sciences, University of Washington: Cooperative Agreement No. H8W07060001, and Task Agreement No. J8W07070004. Pacific West Region: Social Science Series Publication Number 2012-01 Frederick F. York, Ph.D., Regional Anthrolologist and Social Science Series Editor TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Study Background and Objectives 5 Methods 10 The Natural Environments of Clark County 16 The Archaeological Context of Clark County (Roberts and Ahlstrom) 25 The Tribes of the Clark County Region at Contact 42 Southern Paiute 44 Southern Paiute Bands 54 Moapa and Shivwits 58 Las Vegas and Pahrump 61 Chmehuevi 70 Mohave 76 Western Shoshone 83 Hualapai and Other Tribes with Colorado River Connections 93 Enduring Traditions: Creation and Salt Song Cycles 99 Nineteenth Century Transitions 105 The Emergence of States and Indian Superintendencies 109 Southern Paiutes of Clark County 113 Mormon Missions 114 Conflicts, Militarization, and the Call for Reservations 120 Reservations and Resistance: Moapa, Las Vegas and Pahrump 126 Southern Paiutes Beyond Clark County 144 The Bands of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah 147 Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians 152 Mohave Transitions 153 Chemehuevi Transitions 161 Western Shoshone Transitions 166 Twentieth Century Influences 179 The Indian Claims Commission 184 Western Shoshone Land Claims 195 The Growing Importance of Urban Indians 205 Deur and Confer - People of Snowy Mountain, People of the River i Contemporary Tribes: An Overview 209 Clark County Tribes 213 California Tribes 218 Arizona Tribes 233 Utah Tribes 244 New Mexico Tribes 247 Other Nevada Tribes 248 Federally Unrecognized Tribes and Tribal Organizations 255 Potential Traditional Cultural Properties 262 Spring Mountains/Charleston Peak 268 Salt Song Sites and Pathways 270 Colorado River Riparian Corridor 272 Mohave Creation Sites and Revisiting Spirit Mountain 274 Salt Caves and Spirit Caves 275 Red Rock Canyon 277 Resource Procurement Sites 278 Other Settlement Sites 280 Other Ritual Sites 281 Conclusions 283 Bibliography 289 Appendices 370 Appendix A: Legal Mechanisms related to the Establishment of Indian Reservations in Clark County 371 Appendix B: Treaties with Tribes proximate to Clark County 377 Appendix C: Selected Federal Law, Policy, and Other Legal Instruments related to Cultural Resources and Tribal Consultation 392 Appendix D: NAGPRA Notices of Inventory Completion in and around Clark County 398 Appendix E: Select National Register Listed Sites in Clark County 405 Appendix F: Current Contact Information for Tribal Historic Preservation Offices associated with Clark County, 2012 409 Appendix G: Introductory Sections of the Draft Consultation Template for Lake Mead NRA 412 Notes 423 Deur and Confer - People of Snowy Mountain, People of the River ii MAPS AND GRAPHS Map 1: Clark County Federal Lands 6 Map 2: Elevation and Terrain of Southern Nevada 17 Map 3: Ecological Regions of Southern Nevada 21 Map 4: Traditional Tribal Territories in Clark County, Nevada as depicted in the Handbook of North American Indians 45 Map 5: Southern Paiute Band Territories as shown in the Handbook of North American Indians and Recent Works by the University of Arizona Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology 48 Map 6: Southern Paiute Band Territories as shown in the works of William Palmer 67 Map 7: Alternative Depictions of Western Shoshone Territory 85 Map 8: Alternative Depictions of Western Shoshone Territory in Clark County 92 Map 9: Indian Land Cessions in Southern Nevada and Vicinity (from Royce) 132 Map 10: Indian Land Cessions in Clark County, Nevada (from Royce) 138 Map 11: Modern Western Shoshone Communities and Lands Claimed by Western Shoshone 177 Map 12: Judicially Established Indian Claims Commission Indian Lands 190 Map 13: Judicially Established ICC Indian Lands in Clark County, Nevada 194 Map 14: Alternative Depictions of Western Shoshone Territory by Tribal Organizations, 1986-Present 200 Graph 1: Las Vegas Metro Area American Indian & Alaska Native Population in U.S. Census Records, 1960-2010 206 Map 15: Selected Tribes in the Greater Southern Nevada Region 210 Map 16: Selected Tribes of Clark County, Nevada 214 TABLES Table 1: Federal Land Ownership in Clark County by Agency 5 Table 2: Chronological Sequence for Southern Nevada Archaeological Sites 27 Table 3: Non-Reservation American Indian & Alaska Native Population of Clark County and Metro Las Vegas, U.S. Census, 1960-2010 205 Table 4: Distribution of Non-Reservation American Indian & Alaska Native Population in Clark County, U.S. Census, 2010 207 Deur and Confer - People of Snowy Mountain, People of the River iii Introduction Clark County, Nevada, has always been a unique place, sitting at a crossroads of varied cultures and environments. Here, the sprawling Great Basin to the north meets the rugged Colorado River canyonlands along the county’s eastern margins. At this intersection, Great Basin peoples – Southern Paiutes especially, but also Western Shoshones – have long lived in close proximity to river peoples – Mohaves in particular – while the ethnic diversity of the region ensured that many other tribes – Hualapais and other Yuman speakers among them – also were present at various times on the land. Many tribes have viewed landmarks within the area, such as Spirit Mountain, as sacred but did not frequently venture into Clark County. Others resided almost entirely in what is today Clark County, or made frequent use of this area for countless generations. And if this did not suggest a sufficiently complex ethnic map of Clark County, one needs only to look into the archaeological record and the oral traditions of area tribes to realize that this map has been changing, with peoples passing through, and moving from place to place within this southern corner of Nevada for a very long time indeed. Today, Clark County encompasses roughly 5.12 million acres of land in the southern corner of Nevada, of which over 4.6 million acres (or 90 percent) are managed by the five federal agencies of the Southern Nevada Agency Partnership (SNAP). This partnership comprises the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS). These agencies are charged with managing the cultural resources on these lands, and to regularly consult with those tribes who are historically associated with the lands and resources in their care. A diverse range of federal laws, policies and regulations prescribe certain levels of consultation; compliance is critical to agency operations and to the upholding of federal obligations to American Indian tribes. This is not always an easy task. The agencies that manage lands in Clark County must sort through the complex history and territorial associations of numerous modern tribes – some living in Clark County and some living some distance away. This requires frequent review of the historical and ethnographic record, and direct communication with the tribes regarding places and resources that are of interest to them. The current document represents one component of this larger effort. Deur and Confer - People of Snowy Mountain, People of the River 1 The current document has been undertaken to assist agencies in meeting their obligations for federally mandated compliance and consultation with Indian tribes that have historical associations with Clark County. The document has been designed in part