Nevada Indigenous Peoples

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Nevada

Indigenous Peoples of Nevada

Learn about the indigenous peoples of Nevada, tribes and bands, agencies, records and reservations.

Tribes and Bands of Nevada

The following list of Native Americans who have lived in Nevada has been compiled from Hodge's Handbook of American Indians... and from Swanton's The Indian Tribes of North America. Some may simply be variant spellings for the same tribe.

Native Americans of California and Nevada FS Library book 970.1 F744n

Tribes

• Gosiute
• Koso (also known as Panamint)
• Paiute (Northern and Southern)
• Panamint (listed separate from Koso in Santon's- jeh)
• Pueblo
• Shoshonie
• Ute
• Washoe

Bands

• Moapa Band of Paiute
• South Fork Band of Shoshone
• Te-Moak Band of Western Shoshone
• Yerington Paiute

Agencies of the Bureau of Indian Affairs

Agencies and subagencies were created as administrative offices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and its predecessors. Their purpose was (and is) to manage Indian affairs with the tribes, to enforce policies, and to assist in maintaining the peace. The names and location of these agencies may have changed, but their purpose remained basically the same. Many of the records of genealogical value were created by these offices.

The following list of agencies that have operated or now exist in Nevada has been compiled from Hill's Office of Indian Affairs..., Hill's Guide to Records in the National Archives Relating to American Indians, and others.

• Carson Valley Agency
• Duck Valley Agency
• Eastern Nevada Agency, P.O. Box 28, Elko, Nevada 98801
• Fallon Subagency
• Fort Hall Agency
• Moapa River Agency
• Nevada Agency
• Pyramid Lake Agency
• Reno Agency
• South East Nevada Agency or Piute Agency
• Southern Piaute F.S., Box 986, Cedar City, Utah 84720
• Special Agency of Nevada
• Walker River Agency
• Western Nevada Agency, 1300 South Curry Street, Carson City, Nevada 89701
• Western Shoshoni Agency

Records

The majority of records of individuals were those created by the agencies. Some records may be available to tribal members through the tribal headquarters. They were (and are) the local office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and were charged with maintaining records of the activities of those under their responsibility. Among these records are:

• Allotment records
• Annuity rolls
• Census records
• Correspondence
• Health records
• Reports
• School census and records
• Vital records

Allotment Records

Allotted Tribes of Nevada

•Fort Mc Dermitt, Moapa River, Paiute (Fallon, Summit Lake, Walker River, Washoe Reservation)

Indian Schools

The Office of Indian Affairs (now the Bureau of Indian Affairs) established a network of schools throughout the United States, beginning with Carlisle Indian School, established in 1879. Some of these schools were day schools, usually focusing on Indian children of a single tribe or reservation. Some were boarding schools which served Indian children from a number of tribes and reservations.

In addition, other groups such as various church denominations established schools specifically focusing on American Indian children. (read more...)

The following list of Indian Schools in Nevada has been compiled from Hill's Office of Indian Affairs..., Hill's Guide to Records in the National Archives Relating to American Indians, and others.

• Carson / Stewart Indian School
• Fallon School
• Fort McDermitt School
• Lovelocks School
• Moapa River School
• Nevada School

FamilySearch Library

Tribal census rolls, probate records, school records, tribal court records, a few vital records, and other records for Nevada are available. The FamilySearch Library has a few of these records and microfilmed copies may be found on the FamilySearch Catalog:

• Nevada Superintendency of Indian Affairs Records 1869-1870 M 837. FS Library film 1637276 - images.
• Indian census rolls, 1885-1940. FS Library films 573864 - 573867 - index and images.
• Tribal roll for the Pyramid Lake Paiute tribe. FS Library film 1036740, item 5 - images.

See also in the FamilySearch Catalog Nevada Native Races

Indian Health Facilities

• Pyramid Lake Sanatorium

Maps

• Map of Indian Lands: Region 9 -- Reservations, Rancherias, Colonies... EPA map, Feb. 2000

Online Resources

• Nevada Indian Commission
• University of Nevada, Reno catalog listing for subject "Nevada Indians"

Reservations / Colonies

From the mid-1800s, the official policy of the United States government toward the American Indian was to confine each tribe to a specific parcel of land called a reservation. Agencies were established on or near each reservation. A government representative, usually called an agent (or superintendent) was assigned to each agency. Their duties included maintaining the peace, making payments to the Native Americans based on the stipulations of the treaties with each tribe, and providing a means of communication between the native population and the federal government.

Sometimes, a single agency had jurisdiction over more than one reservation. And sometimes, if the tribal population and land area required it, an agency may have included sub-agencies.

The boundaries of reservations, over time, have changed. Usually, that means the reservations have been reduced in size. Sometimes, especially during the later policy of "termination," the official status of reservations was ended altogether.

For a current reservation map, see Map of Indian Lands in the United States, U.S. Department of the Interior.

BIA Western Region Reservation Map- Nevada, Utah and Arizona

The following list of reservations has been compiled from the National Atlas of the United States of America, the Omni Gazetteer of the United States of America, and other sources. Those reservations named in bold are current federally-recognized reservations, with their associated agency and tribe(s). Others have historically been associated with the state or are not currently recognized by the federal government.

• Battle Mountain Colony: Federal, under jurisdiction of Eastern Nevada Agency, Tribe: Shoshone
• Carson Colony: Federal, under jurisdiction of Western Nevada Agency, Tribe: Washoe
• Dresslerville Colony: Federal, under jurisdiction of Western Nevada Agency., Tribe: Washoe
• Duck Valley Reservation: Federal, under jurisdiction of Eastern Nevada Agency, Tribes: Shoshone and Paiute
• Duckwater Reservation: Federal, under jurisdiction of Eastern Nevada Agency, Tribe: Shoshone
• Elko Colony: Federal, under jurisdiction of Eastern Nevada Agency, Tribe: Shoshone
• Ely Colony: Federal,, under jurisdiction of Eastern Nevada Agency, Tribe: Shoshone
• Fallon Colony and Reservation (sometimes called Stillwater Reservation): Federal, under jurisdiction of Western Nevada Agency, Tribe: Paiute-Shoshone
• Fort McDermitt Reservation: Federal, under jurisdiction of Western Nevada Agency, Tribes: Paiute and Shoshone
• Goshute Reservation:
• Las Vegas Colony: Federal, under jurisdiction of Southern Paiute F.S., Tribe: Paiute
• Lovelock Colony: Federal, under jurisdiction of Western Nevada Agency, Tribe: Paiute
• Moapa Reservation: Federal, under jurisdiction of Southern Paiute F.S., Tribe: Paiute
• Owyhee Reservation -- see Duck Valley Reservation
• Pyramid Lake Reservation: Federal, under jurisdiction of Western Nevada Agency, Tribe: Paiute -- located in Washoe,Storey and Lyon Counties, Nevada. Records of interest to genealogists and family historians are located at the National Archives, the National Archives at San Francisco, at the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City, and at other archives and libraries.
• Ruby Valley Reservation:
• Reno Sparks Colony: Federal, under jurisdiction of Western Nevada Agency, Tribe: Washoe-Paiute
• Shoshoni Reservation:
• South Fork Reservation: Federal, under jurisdiction of Eastern Nevada Agency, Tribe: Shoshone
• Stewart Colony
• Stillwater Reservation -- see Fallon Colony and Reservation
• Summit Lake Reservation: ......., under jurisdiction of Western Nevada Agency, Tribe: Paiute
• Te-Moak Reservation: State, under jurisdiction of Eastern Nevada Agency, Tribe: Te-Moak
• Walker River Reservation: Federal, under jurisdiction of Western Nevada Agency, Tribe: Paiute -- located primarily in Mineral County, Nevada, with portions in Lyon and Churchill Counties. Records of interest to genealogists and family historians are located at the National Archives, the National Archives at San Francisco, at the FamilySearch Library (see catalog), and at other archives and libraries.
• Washoe Tribes: State, under jurisdiction of Western Nevada Agency, Tribe: Washoe
• Wells Colony: State, under jurisdiction of Eastern Nevada Agency, Tribe: .....
• Western Shoshone Reservation:
• Winnemucca Colony: Federal, under jurisdiction of Western Nevada Agency, Tribe: Paiute
• Woodfords Colony
• Yerington Reservation: Federal, under jurisdiction of Western Nevada Agency, Tribe: Paiute
• Yomba Reservation: Federal, under jurisdiction of Western Nevada Agency, Tribe: Shoshone

National Archives

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is responsible for the preservation of the records of historical importance created by federal offices in the United States of America, including those of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and its predecessor, the Office of Indian Affairs. (Read more...)

Regional Archives of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)

Many of the Regional Archives have collected records of the federal offices in their region, including those of the field jurisdictions of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Some of the field jurisdictions are the superintendencies, agencies, schools, factories and area offices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Many Nevada records are at the National Archives—Pacific Sierra Region (San Bruno).

National Archives at San Francisco

National Archives at San Francisco
1000 Commodore Drive
San Bruno, CA 94066-2350
Telephone: 650-876-9001
Fax: (650) 876-9233
E-mail: sanbruno.archives@nara.gov
Web site: http://www.archives.gov/facilities/ca/san_francisco.html

Other Repositories

• Inter Tribal Council of Nevada, 806 Holman Way, Sparks, NV 89431

See Also

Nevada History for a calendar of events

Nevada Military Records for a list of forts

Bibliography

• "Accompanying Pamphlet for Microcopy 1011", National Archives Microfilm Publications, Appendix.
• American Indians: A Select Catalog of National Archives Microfilm Publications. Washington DC: National Archives Trust Fund Board, National Archives and Records Administration, 1998.
• Hill, Edward E. (comp.). Guide to Records in the National Archives of the United States Relating to American Indians. Washington DC: National Archives and Records Service, General Services Administration, 1981.
• Hill, Edward E. The Office of Indian Affairs, 1824-1880: Historical Sketches. New York, New York: Clearwater Publishing Company, Inc., 1974.
• Historical Sketches for Jurisdictional and Subject Headings Used for the Letters Received by the Office of Indian Affairs, 1824-1880. National Archives Microcopy T1105.
• Hodge, Frederick Webb. Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico. Washington D.C.:Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin #30 1907. Available online.
• Isaacs. Katherine M., editor. Omni Gazetteer of the United States of America. U.S. Data Sourcebook, Volume 11 Appendices, Bureau of Indian Affairs List of American Indian Reservations, Appendix E, Indian Reservations. Omnigraphics, Inc., 1991.
• National Atlas of the United States, 1970, Federal Lands and Indian Reservations.
• Preliminary Inventory No. 163: Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Washington DC: National Archives and Records Services. Available online
• Swanton John R. The Indian Tribes of North America. Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin #145. Available online.

National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C.