Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah

Last updated
Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah
Flag of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah.png
Total population
928
Regions with significant populations
Flag of the United States.svg United States ( Flag of Utah.svg Utah)
Languages
English, Southern Paiute
Religion
Christianity, Native American Church, traditional tribal religion, previously Ghost Dance
Related ethnic groups
other Southern Paiute tribes, Chemehuevi, and Ute

The Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah is a federally recognized tribe of Southern Paiute and Ute Indians in southwestern Utah. [1]

Contents

Reservation

The Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah (PITU) has a reservation composed of ten separate parcels of land, located in four counties in southwestern Utah. [2]

History

Two Ute bands were absorbed into the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah. The Pahvant band originally lived in the deserts near Sevier Lake, west of the Wasatch Mountains of western Utah. Many Pahvants were removed by the US government to the Uintah Reservation, but some joined the Kanosh, Koosharem, and other settlements in Utah. The second band was the Moanunts, who traditionally lived near Sevier River and Otter Creek, south of Salina, Utah. [3]

Termination and restoration

During the period from the 1940s to 1960s, in which the Indian termination policy was enforced, The Paiute Indian Tribe was targeted for termination. On 1 September 1954 the US Congress passed Termination of Federal Supervision over the Paiute Indians of Utah U.S. Code, Title 25, Sections 741–60. The legislation at §742 specified that the included bands were the Shivwits, Kanosh, Koosharem, and Indian Peaks Bands of the Paiute Indian Tribe (omitting the Cedar Band). [4] As with other termination agreements, the Act provided for termination of federal trusts and distribution of tribal lands to individuals or a tribally organized entity. It had provisions to preserve the tribal water rights and a special education program to assist tribal members in learning how to earn a living, conduct affairs, and assume their responsibilities as citizens. [5] The Bureau of Land management terminated tribal trusts on 1 March 1957 [6] as did the Indian Health Service. [7]

On 3 April 1980, Congress passed the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah Restoration Act, Public Law 96-227 94 Stat. 317, which restored the federal trust relationship of the Shivwits, Kanosh, Koosharem, and Indian Peaks Bands of the Paiute Indian Tribe and restored and reaffirmed that the Cedar Band was part of the Tribe. The law acknowledged that the Kanosh, Koosharem, and Indian Peaks Bands had lost their lands as a result of termination and that the Cedar Band had never had any. It proposed to develop within two years of enactment a plan to secure reservation land for the tribe not to exceed 15,000 acres. [8] The Bureau of Land management reinstituted the federal trust on 43,576.99 acres concurrent with the enactment of the statute. [6]

Today

The Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah's tribal headquarters is located in Cedar City, Utah. As of 2006, 840 people were enrolled in the tribe. [2] The Utah Paiute's tribal chairperson is Tamra "Tami" Borchardt-Slayton and their vice-chairperson is Patrick Charles.

The Paiute Tribe made national news when former Chairperson Gari Pikyavit Lafferty was impeached in 2015, [9] After accepting gifts from Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder which were ostensibly made in an attempt to induce the tribe to publicly endorse the team's controversial name, the Tribal Council charged Gari Pikyavit Lafferty, then tribal chairperson, on March 26, 2015, with violating the tribe's Ethics Ordinance, Constitution and Standards of Conduct as well as ignoring the express directives of the Tribal Council, interfering with internal band matters and misusing her title. [10]

The Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah operates its own programs for health, behavioral care, housing, education, and economic development. [2] Proposed economic development enterprises include geothermal plants, agricultural, convenience stores, gift stores, restaurants, hotels, and cultural centers. [11]

Bands

The tribe is made up of five constituent bands, who have been independent communities for centuries.

Cedar Band of Paiutes

The "Cedar Band of Paiute Indians" or Suh’dutsing ("Cedar People") received federal recognition on April 3, 1980, under the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah Restoration Act. Their band headquarters is located in Cedar City, Utah. [12] Their band chairperson is Travis N. Parashonts. [13]

Kanosh Band of Paiutes

The "Kanosh Band of Paiute Indians" or Kawnaw’os ("willow [water] jug") first received federal recognition on February 11, 1929. Their band headquarters is located in Cedar City, Utah. An additional tribal office is located in Kanosh, Utah, near their traditional ancestral home. [14] Their Band Chairperson is Corrina Bow. [13]

Koosharem Band of Paiutes

The "Koosharem Band of Paiute Indians" or Paw goosawd’uhmpuhtseng ("Water Clover People") first received federal recognition on March 3, 1928. Their band headquarters is located in Richfield, Utah. [15] Their Band Chairperson is LaTosha Mayo. [13]

Indian Peaks Band of Paiutes

The "Indian Peaks Band of Paiute Indians" or Kwee’choovunt ("Peak People") first received federal recognition on August 2, 1915, and have lands in Beaver County, Utah. Their band headquarters is located in Cedar City, Utah. [16] Their Band Chairperson is Jeanine Borchardt. [13]

Shivwits Band of Paiutes

The first reservation of the "Shivwits Band of Paiutes" or See’veetseng ("Whitish Earth People") was established in 1891. They received federal recognition on March 3, 1891. They have lands in Washington County, Utah. Their band headquarters is located in Ivins, Utah. [17] Their Band Chairperson is Patrick Charles. [13]

Tribal flag

Flag of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah Flag of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah.png
Flag of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah

The Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah has a flag that was officially confirmed in 1997. Within it are several symbols for the tribe. First the colors, white symbolizes purity, the red and black are both for strength and power, and the yellow for healing and life. The biggest symbol is the eagle which represents their deity, then there are a series of images that relate to traditional songs and games the Southern Paiutes would play, the arrowheads that they were known for. Overall the image is supposed to represent a warrior's shield with the five eagle feathers hanging on the bottom representing the 5 modern-day bands that comprise the tribe. [18]

Notes

  1. Pritzker, 233
  2. 1 2 3 "Home." Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah. (retrieved 12 Dec 2009)
  3. D'Azevedo
  4. "25 U.S. Code § 742 - Definitions".
  5. "25 U.S. Code Chapter 14, Subchapter XXXII - PAIUTE INDIANS OF UTAH: TERMINATION OF FEDERAL SUPERVISION".
  6. 1 2 "Indian Issues: BLM's Program for Issuing Individual Indian Allotments on Public Lands Is No Longer Viable".
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-07-23. Retrieved 2014-12-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/STATUTE-94/pdf/STATUTE-94-Pg317.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  9. "Tribal Government: 2009 Tribal Chairperson Election Results. Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah. 11 March 2009 (retrieved 12 Dec 2009)
  10. McKenna, Dave (April 2015). "Paiute Tribal Leader Faces Impeachment For Taking Redskins Gifts". Deadspin. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  11. "Economic Development." Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah. (retrieved 12 Dec 2009)
  12. "Cedar Band of Paiutes." Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah. 11 March 2009 (retrieved 12 Dec 2009)
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 "Tribal Government: 2009 Band Chairperson Election Results.
  14. "Kanosh Band of Paiutes." Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah. 11 March 2009 (retrieved 12 Dec 2009)
  15. "Koosharem Band of Paiutes." Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah. 11 March 2009 (retrieved 12 Dec 2009)
  16. "Indian Peaks Band of Paiutes." Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah. 11 March 2009 (retrieved 12 Dec 2009)
  17. "Shivwits Band of Paiutes." Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah. 11 March 2009 (retrieved 12 Dec 2009)
  18. Healy, Donald (2008). "Paiute logo and flag information". Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kanosh, Utah</span> Town in the state of Utah, United States

Kanosh is a town in Millard County, Utah, United States. The population was 474 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bannock people</span> Indigenous people of North America

The Bannock tribe were originally Northern Paiute but are more culturally affiliated with the Northern Shoshone. They are in the Great Basin classification of Indigenous People. Their traditional lands include northern Nevada, southeastern Oregon, southern Idaho, and western Wyoming. Today they are enrolled in the federally recognized Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Reservation of Idaho, located on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Paiute people</span> Indigenous people native to the U.S. states of Nevada, Arizona, and Utah

The Southern Paiute people are a tribe of Native Americans who have lived in the Colorado River basin of southern Nevada, northern Arizona, and southern Utah. Bands of Southern Paiute live in scattered locations throughout this territory and have been granted federal recognition on several reservations. Southern Paiute's traditionally spoke Colorado River Numic, which is now a critically endangered language of the Numic branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family, and is mutually intelligible with Ute. The term Paiute comes from paa Ute meaning water Ute, and refers to their preference for living near water sources. Before European colonization they practiced springtime, floodplain farming with reservoirs and irrigation ditches for corn, squash, melons, gourds, sunflowers, beans and wheat.

The Big Pine Band of Owens Valley Paiute Shoshone Indians of the Big Pine Reservation are a federally recognized tribe of Mono and Timbisha Indians in California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ute people</span> Native American people in the United States

Ute are the Indigenous people of the Ute tribe and culture among the Indigenous peoples of the Great Basin. They had lived in sovereignty in the regions of present-day Utah and Colorado in the Southwestern United States for many centuries until European settlers seized their lands. The state of Utah is named after the Ute tribe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guidiville Rancheria of California</span> Indian reservation in United States, Pomo

The Guidiville Rancheria of California are a Pomo tribe located in Mendocino County, California.

The Klamath Tribes, formerly the Klamath Indian Tribe of Oregon, are a federally recognized Native American Nation consisting of three Native American tribes who traditionally inhabited Southern Oregon and Northern California in the United States: the Klamath, Modoc, and Yahooskin. The tribal government is based in Chiloquin, Oregon.

Indian termination is a phrase describing United States policies relating to Native Americans from the mid-1940s to the mid-1960s. It was shaped by a series of laws and practices with the intent of assimilating Native Americans into mainstream American society. Cultural assimilation of Native Americans was not new; the belief that indigenous people should abandon their traditional lives and become what the government considers "civilized" had been the basis of policy for centuries. What was new, however, was the sense of urgency that, with or without consent, tribes must be terminated and begin to live "as Americans." To that end, Congress set about ending the special relationship between tribes and the federal government.

The Big Sandy Rancheria of Mono Indians of California is a ranchería and federally recognized tribe of Western Mono Indians (Monache) located in Fresno County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census the population was 118. In 1909, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) bought 280 acres of land for the Big Sandy Band of Western Mono Indians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shivwits Band of Paiutes</span> Band of the Paiute Indian Tribe in southwestern Utah, United States

The Shivwits Band of Paiutes is a sovereign, federally recognized tribe located in southwestern Utah. The Shivwits Band is one of five Bands comprising the inter-Tribal government of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah.

The Paiute-Shoshone Tribe of the Fallon Reservation and Colony is a federally recognized tribe of Northern Paiute and Western Shoshone Indians in Churchill County, Nevada. Their autonym is Toi Ticutta meaning "Cattail Eaters."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Summit Lake Paiute Tribe of Nevada</span>

The Summit Lake Paiute Tribe of Nevada is a federally recognized tribe of Northern Paiute Indians in northwest Nevada. Their autonym in their language is Agai Panina Ticutta, meaning "Fish Lake Eaters." They are traditionally known as the "Fish Eaters."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winnemucca Indian Colony of Nevada</span> Indian reservation in the United States

The Winnemucca Indian Colony of Nevada is a federally recognized tribe of Western Shoshone and Northern Paiute Indians in northwestern Nevada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yerington Paiute Tribe of the Yerington Colony and Campbell Ranch</span> Native American tribe

The Yerington Paiute Tribe of the Yerington Colony and Campbell Ranch is a federally recognized tribe of Northern Paiute Indians in western Nevada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Las Vegas Tribe of Paiute Indians of the Las Vegas Indian Colony</span>

The Las Vegas Tribe of Paiute Indians of the Las Vegas Indian Colony is a federally recognized tribe of Southern Paiute Indians in Southern Nevada.

The San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe of Arizona' Uto-Aztecan is a federally recognized tribe of Southern Paiute Indians in Coconino County, Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pahvant</span> Extinct band of Ute people of modern Utah, US

Pahvant was a band of Ute people that lived in present-day Utah. Called the "Water People", they fished and hunted waterfowl. They were also farmers and hunter-gatherers. In the 18th century they were known to be friendly and attentive, but after a chief's father was killed by emigrating white settlers, a group of Pahvant Utes killed John Williams Gunnison and seven of his men during his exploration of the area. The bodies of water of their homeland were dried up after Mormons had diverted the water for irrigation. Having intermarried with the Paiutes, they were absorbed into the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah and relocated to reservations.

Tamra Borchardt-Slayton is a Paiute politician and the chairperson and leader of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah.

References