The Summit Lake Indian Reservation in Nevada is the home of Northern Paiute Indians.
The Summit Lake Paiute Tribe of Nevada is a federally recognized tribe of Northern Paiute Indians known in their language as Agai Panina Ticutta, meaning “Fish Lake Eaters” or commonly known as the Fish Eaters.
At a remote northwest corner of Nevada, the tribe is the most isolated among the nine federally recognized tribes in the state. There is no safe source of drinking water on the reservation.
History:
Traditionally, before European-American contact, the Agai Panina Ticutta peoples controlled an area of 2,800 square miles (7,300 km2) around the borders of what is defined as present-day Nevada, California, and Oregon. Other bands of Paiute, Shoshone and Bannock held territory throughout Nevada and southwestern Oregon.
Their lands were unilaterally seized by the United States government following the American Civil War. In 1867 this property became part of a military reservation, Camp McGerry. After ending activities in this area, the military abandoned this camp in 1871. The buildings of Camp McGerry still standing have become tribal property.
During the 1880s through the early 1900s, the state of Nevada did not allow Indian children to attend state public schools. The federal government forced tribal children to attend Indian boarding schools at Fort Bidwell, California; Stewart, Nevada; and the Sherman Institute at Riverside, California.
These were intended to assimilate children to the white culture. They were required to speak English at school and were mixed with children of many other tribes.
To keep their children in their families, many tribal members moved away from the reservation. They sometimes joined growing Indian colonies on the outskirts of cities where the parents could find work. Some of these, such as the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, have since been formally recognized by the U.S. federal government as tribes.
The current tribal reservation was created on January 14, 1913, by President Woodrow Wilson’s Executive Order number 1681, which set aside 5,026 acres (20.3 km2) in trust for the tribe.
On October 24, 1964, the Agai Panina Ticutta Tribe of the Northern Paiute Nation voted to give up their traditional form of government, with hereditary chiefs. They created a new elected government under the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act. Following this action, they received federal recognition as the Summit Lake Paiute Tribe on January 8, 1965.
Establishment:
14 January, 1913 – By order of Executive Order #1681
03 March, 1928 – Public Law 89 of the 70th Congress (45 Stat. 160)
20 April, 1949 – Deed approved
04 January, 1950 – Deed approved
14 January, 1950 – Transfer Order of Inherited Interest
10 June, 1959 – By Authority of the 86th Congress 9,489.49 acres
Under the Nevada Native Nations Land Act, passed in October 2016, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land and Forest Service lands in the state were put into trust by the Department of Interior for six federally recognized tribes, to expand their reservations.
Among them, the Summit Lake Paiute Tribe received 941 acres (3.81 km2) of BLM land put into trust for its reservation. Gaming is prohibited on the new lands.
Location:
Approximately eighty miles Southwest of Denio, Humboldt County, Nevada. Access via State Route 140 and unimproved road 8A.
Acreage:
10,097.97 acres of Tribal Land (includes 560 acres of lake surface).
764.94 Allotted acres
Population:
Approximately 120 people are enrolled in the tribe.
Government:
Organized under the Indian Reorganization Act of 18 June 1934 (48 Stat. 984) as amended. Constitution and By-Laws of the Summit Lake Paiute Tribe approved 08 January, 1965.
The tribe is governed by an elected five-person Tribal Council, including the chairperson. They are elected for three-year terms.
The Summit Lake Paiute’s tribal headquarters is located in Sparks, Nevada.
B.I.A. Agency:
Western Nevada Agency
Carson City, Nevada 89702
Phone:(702) 887-3500
Jurisdiction:
Federal
Contact Info:
655 Anderson Street
Winnemucca, Nevada 89445
Telephone: (702) 623-5151
Fax:(702) 623-0558