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The Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Reservation () is an
Indian Reservation An American Indian reservation is an area of land land tenure, held and governed by a List of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States#Description, U.S. federal government-recognized Native American tribal nation, whose gov ...
in northwestern
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
, approximately northeast of
Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...
, in Washoe,
Storey A storey (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) or story (American English), is any level part of a building with a floor that could be used by people (for living, work, storage, recreation, etc.). Plurals for the wor ...
, and
Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
counties. It is governed by the federally recognized Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, which represents two
Northern Paiute Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ...
bands, the larger Kuyuidökadö (Cui Yui Ticutta) ("
Cui-ui The cui-ui (''Chasmistes cujus'') is a large sucker fish endemic to Pyramid Lake and, prior to its desiccation in the 20th century, Winnemucca Lake in northwestern Nevada. It feeds primarily on zooplankton and possibly on nanoplankton (such ...
-Fish-Eaters") and the smaller Tasiget tuviwarai ("Those who live amidst the mountains"). The reservation lies almost entirely in Washoe County (99.88%), with small amounts of land in the other two counties (at the southern end, near the city of Fernley). In 1993, the population of the reservation was 1,603 individuals. At that time there were 2,253 enrolled members of the tribe. The 2000 census reported a population of 1,734 on the reservation. Together with the Walker River Paiute tribe (two Northern Paiute bands: ''Aga'idökadö (Agai Ticutta)'': "
Cutthroat trout The cutthroat trout (''Oncorhynchus clarkii'' clade) is a clade of four fish species of the Family (biology), family Salmonidae native to cold-water Tributary, tributaries of the Pacific Ocean, Rocky Mountains, and Great Basin in North America. ...
Eaters", and ''Pakwidökadö (Pugwi Ticutta)'': "Chub carp Eaters"), in 2016 the Pyramid Lake band successfully sued in federal court in a civil rights case to force the state to provide polling places on the reservation. Otherwise, members had to travel many miles to reach a polling place. Early voting at Pyramid Lake reservation started October 22, and during the first two days, the number of voters was double that in the 2012 presidential election.Stephanie Woodard, "Paiutes Triumph in Court—Early Voting ‘In Full Swing’ on Two Reservations"
''Indian Country Today,'' 27 October 2016; accessed 27 October 2016
In October 2016, under the Nevada Native Nations Land Act, the Pyramid Lake Tribe was one of six federally recognized tribes in Nevada to have additional lands put into trust for their reservations. The Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe is to receive approximately of
Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands, U.S. federal lands. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the BLM oversees more than of land, or one ...
(BLM) land. Gaming is prohibited on the new lands.


Background

The reservation has in land area, and includes all of Pyramid Lake, and all of the
Truckee River The Truckee River is a river in the U.S. states of California and Nevada. The river flows northeasterly and is long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 20, 2012 Th ...
from the Big Bend north. The reservation is centered on Pyramid Lake, which comprises 25% of the reservation's area. The reservation also includes a sliver of Winnemucca Lake, most of the Lake Range, portions of the Virginia Mountains and Pah Rah Range, and the southern end of the Smoke Creek Desert. Three communities have developed on the reservation. Wadsworth, the largest, is located near the Big Bend of the Truckee at the southern end of the reservation, just north of the non-reservation town of Fernley. The seat of tribal government is located at
Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 36th vice president under P ...
, at the southern end of Pyramid Lake. Sutcliffe is located on the western shore of the lake. A few outlying
ranch A ranch (from /Mexican Spanish) is an area of landscape, land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of farm. These terms are most often ap ...
es are located along the Truckee River between Wadsworth and Nixon. The reservation land was first set aside for the Northern Paiute by request of the
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States List of United States federal agencies, federal agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, Department of the Interior. It is responsible for im ...
in 1859. The reservation was not surveyed until 1865. The status of the reservation was very uncertain until President
Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...
affirmed its existence by executive order on March 23, 1874. At that time the creation of reservations by the executive branch was novel; most previous reservations were created by treaty or congressional legislation. Subsequent court decisions have affirmed the validity of reservations created by the executive branch, and have set the establishment date for the Pyramid Lake Reservation at 1859, not 1874. This earlier date is important both with regard to the
priority date Priority date is a United States immigration concept – it is the date when a principal applicant first reveals his or her intent of immigration to the US government. For family-sponsored applicants, the priority date is the date an immigration ...
of tribal
water rights Water right in water law is the right of a user to use water from a water source, e.g., a river, stream, pond or source of groundwater. In areas with plentiful water and few users, such systems are generally not complicated or contentious. In o ...
, and the status of non-tribal claims to land within the reservation. The tribe has fought a long series of legal battles on both these issues. The Northern Paiute were awarded a settlement in their lands claim case in 1968. In October 2016 the Nevada Native Nations Land Act (PL No: 114-232) authorized the federal government to put certain public lands of the
Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands, U.S. federal lands. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the BLM oversees more than of land, or one ...
(BLM) and Forest Service in the state into trust for six of the nine federally recognized tribes in the state. These transfers will expand their reservations and make their bases more sustainable. The government is putting acres of BLM land into trust for the Pyramid Lake Reservation. Gaming is prohibited on these new lands."Nevada Native Nations Land Act"
, Propublica website; accessed 30 November 2016


Ancestry

As of 1970, one source claimed that residents of the reservation included descendants of Chief Winnemucca, an early 19th-century Paiute leader.


Environmental factors

The
Lahontan cutthroat trout Lahontan cutthroat trout'','' ''Oncorhynchus henshawi'',Markle, D. (2018). An interim classification of the cutthroat trout complex, Oncorhynchus clarkii Sensu Lato, with comments on nomenclature. In Trotter P., Bisson P., Schultz L., & Roper B. ...
fishery at Pyramid Lake attracts many anglers from the Reno area and beyond. Sale of fishing licenses and boating permits is a large source of revenue for the tribe. Prior to the construction of the
Derby Dam Derby Dam is a diversion dam built from 1903 to 1905 on the Truckee River, located about east of Reno in Storey and Washoe counties in Nevada, United States. It diverts water into the Truckee Canal that would otherwise enter Pyramid Lake. ...
and the diversion of water from the Truckee River for
irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has bee ...
, the lake supported a commercial fishery. This was an even larger revenue source for the tribe. Historically water levels have been declining in Pyramid Lake; in addition, water quality has been adversely affected by upstream discharges including point and non–point sources. A number of studies have been conducted on Pyramid Lake including the application of the DSSAM hydrological river model to examine
nitrogen Nitrogen is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a Nonmetal (chemistry), nonmetal and the lightest member of pnictogen, group 15 of the periodic table, often called the Pnictogen, pnictogens. ...
, reactive
phosphorus Phosphorus is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol P and atomic number 15. All elemental forms of phosphorus are highly Reactivity (chemistry), reactive and are therefore never found in nature. They can nevertheless be prepared ar ...
,
dissolved oxygen Oxygen saturation (symbol SO2) is a relative measure of the concentration of oxygen that is dissolved or carried in a given medium as a proportion of the maximal concentration that can be dissolved in that medium at the given temperature. It can ...
and other water quality parameters.


Political activism

Native Americans in Nevada have become more politically active in presidential and other elections, as they have in other states. They have been seeking more equitable access to polling places and treatment by county and state officials. Led by chairman Vinton Hawley, the Pyramid Lake Paiute joined with the Walker River Paiute in a successful civil rights suit under the
Voting Rights Act The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights movem ...
in federal court against the state government to gain polling places on their homelands in 2016. They have been disadvantaged in the past by having to travel excessive distances to vote in elections, which had reduced participation. They argued that the state had set up satellite offices in wealthy, mostly white neighborhoods. The Justice Department sided with the plaintiffs. When the counties said the change would cost too much and the state said that it could not intervene, the Justice Department "said in a new filing Monday they appear to be confusing voting rights with 'voting convenience.'""The Latest: Ruling Friday on Nevada tribal voting rights"
''The Standard Examiner,'' 4 October 2016; accessed 30 October 2016
The court decided in favor of the two Paiute tribes and ordered officials to set up satellite offices. Early voting at Pyramid Lake reservation started October 22, and during the first two days, the number of voters was double the total in the 2012 presidential election. Hawley is chairman of the Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada, representing many other tribes that also have difficulty with access to polling places. On behalf of the council, he has "urged Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske to direct counties to open omelandpolling places for nine more tribes, including some where ballot boxes are 200-plus miles away, round trip." He also urged the Secretary of State for Nevada to improve conditions at local county polling places for urban Indians, who testified in the suit to being made uncomfortable at most offices.


References


External links


A Guide to the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe of the Pyramid Lake Reservation, Nevada records, MS NC16
Special Collections, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Reno.
A Guide to the Charles E. Hancock Collection of Nevada Water Court Cases, 91-54
Special Collections, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Reno. {{authority control Northern Paiute Federally recognized tribes in the United States Native American tribes in Nevada American Indian reservations in Nevada Populated places in Lyon County, Nevada Populated places in Storey County, Nevada Populated places in Washoe County, Nevada