Winnemucca Indian Colony of Nevada
Encyclopedia
The Winnemucca Indian Colony of Nevada is a federally recognized tribe of Northern Paiute and Western Shoshone
Indians in western Nevada
.
. The reservation was established in 1971 and is 340 acres (1.4 km²) large. In 1990, 17 tribal members lived on the reservation.
in suing the United States
to prevent the detonation of 700 tons of explosives at the Nevada Test Site
, which is on ancestral Western Shoshone
lands. Members of the tribe had been forcibly removed from their lands on the Nevada Test Site, where nuclear bombs were tested from 1951 to 1993. The removal and subsequent nuclear weapons testing is seen by the tribe as a violation of the 1863 Western Shoshone Treaty of Ruby Valley. 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 USA 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.
. Linda Ayer is the Tribal Chairperson. The tribe is governed by a five-person tribal council
.
Western Shoshone
Western Shoshone comprises several Shoshone tribes that are indigenous to the Great Basin and have lands identified in the Treaty of Ruby Valley 1863. They resided in Idaho, Nevada, California, and Utah. The tribes are very closely related culturally to the Paiute, Goshute, Bannock, Ute, and...
Indians in western Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
.
Reservation
The Winnemucca Indian Colony of Nevada has a reservation at 40°57′11"N 117°43′16"W in Humboldt County, NevadaHumboldt County, Nevada
Humboldt County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of 2007, the population was estimated to be 18,052. Its county seat is Winnemucca.The county was the site of an arrest in 2000 that led to the U.S. Supreme Court decision Hiibel v...
. The reservation was established in 1971 and is 340 acres (1.4 km²) large. In 1990, 17 tribal members lived on the reservation.
Recent history
The Winnemucca Indian Colony joined non-Natives from UtahUtah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
in suing the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to prevent the detonation of 700 tons of explosives at the Nevada Test Site
Nevada Test Site
The Nevada National Security Site , previously the Nevada Test Site , is a United States Department of Energy reservation located in southeastern Nye County, Nevada, about northwest of the city of Las Vegas...
, which is on ancestral Western Shoshone
Western Shoshone
Western Shoshone comprises several Shoshone tribes that are indigenous to the Great Basin and have lands identified in the Treaty of Ruby Valley 1863. They resided in Idaho, Nevada, California, and Utah. The tribes are very closely related culturally to the Paiute, Goshute, Bannock, Ute, and...
lands. Members of the tribe had been forcibly removed from their lands on the Nevada Test Site, where nuclear bombs were tested from 1951 to 1993. The removal and subsequent nuclear weapons testing is seen by the tribe as a violation of the 1863 Western Shoshone Treaty of Ruby Valley. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
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 USA 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.
Today
The Winnemucca Indian Colony of Nevada's tribal headquarters is located in Winnemucca, NevadaWinnemucca, Nevada
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 7,174 people, 2,736 households, and 1,824 families residing in the city. The population density was 867.5 people per square mile . There were 3,280 housing units at an average density of 396.6 per square mile...
. Linda Ayer is the Tribal Chairperson. The tribe is governed by a five-person tribal council
Tribal Council
A Tribal Council is either: an association of Native American bands in the United States or First Nations governments in Canada, or the governing body for certain tribes within the United States or elsewhere...
.