CARSON CITY, Nevada — Citing the invaluable contributions American Indians in Nevada and nationwide have made to the United States, Gov. Steve Sisolak has proclaimed Sept. 25, 2020, Native American Day in Nevada.
“Nevada has been shaped by the culture and history of its Indigenous people,” Gov. Sisolak said. “We have benefited greatly from those contributions, and I am pleased to be able to honor the Native American Community in Nevada by declaring Sept. 25 to be Native American Day in Nevada.”
“For our Native American communities, this day is an opportunity to reflect on our past and recognize the tremendous sacrifice our ancestors made for us,” Stacey Montooth, Nevada Indian Commission executive director, said. “Because we are a culture that reveres its elders, Native American Day is an ideal time to recognize the numerous contributions these pillars of our society continue to add to our beautiful traditions.”
Nevadans are encouraged to learn about the four Great Basin Native American tribes that were the first peoples of the Silver State: the Washoe, the Northern Paiute, the Southern Paiute and the Western Shoshone. Together, they encompass Nevada’s 27 tribes, bands and colonies, each with its own unique traditions and identities.
Among the ways to learn about Native American culture:
- Visit the Stewart Indian School and Cultural Center & Museum in Carson City. This museum, opened earlier this year, tells the story of the Stewart Indian School, a former federal boarding school for Native American children. The museum also showcases the efforts of Nevada tribes to revitalize their languages and cultural traditions; and exhibits contemporary art of Great Basin Native Artists.
- Check out the Nevada Indian Commission website, which has resources, including a map of Nevada’s tribes and a registry of Great Basin Native Artists.
- View a recording of “This is Why We Dance,” a Zoom webinar on pow wow culture that was offered in lieu of the annual Father’s Day Pow Wow in Carson City, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 health crisis.
