Winnemucca Colony

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

History:

In the 1940s, members of the tribe had been forcibly removed from their lands, which were taken over by the Nevada Test Site, where nuclear bombs were tested from 1951 to 1993. The tribe considered the removal and subsequent nuclear weapons testing on their lands as a violation of the 1863 Western Shoshone Treaty of Ruby Valley.

The Western Shoshone and Northern Paiute Indians, known by then as the Winnemucca Indian Colony of Nevada,  joined non-Natives from Utah in suing the United States to prevent the detonation of 700 tons of explosives at the Nevada Test Site.

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination of the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights ruled on March 10, 2006 that the lands belonged to the Winnemucca Indian Colony and other Western Shoshone tribes. 

The United States does not recognise the competence of the Committee to hear complaints from individuals about violations of the rights protected by the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Establishment:

18 June, 1917 – Executive Order 60 acres were set aside 
08 February, 1918 – Executive Order 60 acres were set aside 
21 May, 1928 – (45 Stat. 618) added 10 acres 
29 May, 1928 – (45 Stat. 899) added 10 acres 

Location:

The Winnemucca Reservation is divided into two parcels of land, 20 acres (0.081 km2) enclosed within the urban area of the City of Winnemucca, Humboldt County, Nevada centered on Cinnabar Street, and 320 acres (1.3 km2) of rural land on the southern edge of the city west of Water Canyon Road.

Acreage:

340 acres of Tribal Land 

Government:

Organized under the Indian Reorganization Act of 18 June 1934 (48 Stat. 984) as amended. Constitution and By-Laws of the Winnemucca Colony approved 05 March, 1971.

The Winnemucca Indian Colony of Nevada’s tribal headquarters is located in Winnemucca, Nevada. Judy Rojo is the Tribal Chairman recognized by the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs. The tribe is governed by a five-person tribal council.

B.I.A. Agency:
Western Nevada Agency
Carson City, Nevada 89701 
Phone:(702) 887-3500

Jurisdiction:

Federal

Contact Info:

C/O 420 Pardde, Susanville, California 96130