Shivwitz
Encyclopedia
The Shivwits Band of Paiutes are a band of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah
, a federally recognized tribe of Southern Paiutes located in southwestern Utah
.
and the Virgin River
and cultivated crops of corn, squash, melons, gourds, sunflowers, and, after European contact, winter wheat.
The Dominguez-Escalante Expedition
of 1776 was most likely the Shivwits' first contact with Europeans. Fur trader Jedediah Smith
created a route to California directly through Paiute territory. The 19th century brought non-Native trappers, traders, and settlers to the area. The newly introduced livestock had a negative effect on the area's delicate ecology. Ute
s and Navajos
often captured Paiute women and children and sold them to European-Americans as slaves. Mormon
s permanently settled on Paiute lands in the 1850s, putting an end to the Shivwits' traditional lifestyle.
Their reservation was formed in 1891 with only 100 acre (0.404686 km²). It did not receive water rights so they were forced to abandon farming. The reservation had a population of 194 in that year. There were 154 Shivwits in 1906. The Shivwits Band of Paiute Indians of Utah first received federal recognized on March 3, 1891 as the "Shebit tribe of Indians in Washington County, Utah
."
Along with other Utah Paiute
tribes, the Shivwits' relationship with the federal government was terminated
in the 1950s. Unlike other Paiute groups the Shivwits retained ownership of their lands after termination and leased them to ranchers instead of selling them outright.
is named for the tribe.
on 3 April 1980. The reservation is larger than it was originally, covering over 240 acre (0.9712464 km²).
In 2003 the Shivwits received water rights for 4000 acre.ft annually, enabling the tribe to create new economic development projects.
, located in Washington County, Utah
. Their Band Chairperson is Charlotte Lomeli.
Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah
The Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah is a federally recognized tribe of Southern Paiute and Ute Indians in southwestern Utah.-Reservation:The Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah has a reservation composed of ten separate parcels of land, located in four counties in southwestern Utah.-History:Two Ute bands were...
, a federally recognized tribe of Southern Paiutes located in southwestern Utah
Utah
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...
.
History
The Shivwits Paiutes settled in Utah around 1100 CE. They hunted rabbits, deer, and mountain sheep and gathered seeds, roots, tubers, berries, and nuts, particularly pine nuts. They were farmers living along the Santa Clara RiverSanta Clara River (Utah)
The Santa Clara River is a river whose three forks join above Pine Valley in the Pine Valley Mountains in Washington County, Utah, United States. It flows west, then south, then briefly southeast before joining the Virgin River just south of St. George...
and the Virgin River
Virgin River
The Virgin River is a tributary of the Colorado River in the U.S. states of Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. The river is about long. It was designated Utah's first wild and scenic river in 2009, during the centennial celebration of Zion National Park.-Course:...
and cultivated crops of corn, squash, melons, gourds, sunflowers, and, after European contact, winter wheat.
The Dominguez-Escalante Expedition
Dominguez-Escalante Expedition
The Dominguez-Escalante Expedition was conducted in 1776 to find an overland route from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Spanish missions in California...
of 1776 was most likely the Shivwits' first contact with Europeans. Fur trader Jedediah Smith
Jedediah Smith
Jedediah Strong Smith was a hunter, trapper, fur trader, trailblazer, author, cartographer, cattleman, and explorer of the Rocky Mountains, the American West Coast and the Southwest during the 19th century...
created a route to California directly through Paiute territory. The 19th century brought non-Native trappers, traders, and settlers to the area. The newly introduced livestock had a negative effect on the area's delicate ecology. Ute
Ute Tribe
The Ute are an American Indian people now living primarily in Utah and Colorado. There are three Ute tribal reservations: Uintah-Ouray in northeastern Utah ; Southern Ute in Colorado ; and Ute Mountain which primarily lies in Colorado, but extends to Utah and New Mexico . The name of the state of...
s and Navajos
Navajo people
The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...
often captured Paiute women and children and sold them to European-Americans as slaves. Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
s permanently settled on Paiute lands in the 1850s, putting an end to the Shivwits' traditional lifestyle.
Their reservation was formed in 1891 with only 100 acre (0.404686 km²). It did not receive water rights so they were forced to abandon farming. The reservation had a population of 194 in that year. There were 154 Shivwits in 1906. The Shivwits Band of Paiute Indians of Utah first received federal recognized on March 3, 1891 as the "Shebit tribe of Indians in Washington County, Utah
Washington County, Utah
As of the census of 2000, there were 90,354 people, 29,939 households, and 23,442 families residing in the county. The population density was 37 people per square mile . There were 36,478 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile...
."
Along with other Utah Paiute
Paiute
Paiute refers to three closely related groups of Native Americans — the Northern Paiute of California, Idaho, Nevada and Oregon; the Owens Valley Paiute of California and Nevada; and the Southern Paiute of Arizona, southeastern California and Nevada, and Utah.-Origin of name:The origin of...
tribes, the Shivwits' relationship with the federal government was terminated
Indian termination policy
Indian termination was the policy of the United States from the mid-1940s to the mid-1960s. The belief was that Native Americans would be better off if assimilated as individuals into mainstream American society. To that end, Congress proposed to end the special relationship between tribes and the...
in the 1950s. Unlike other Paiute groups the Shivwits retained ownership of their lands after termination and leased them to ranchers instead of selling them outright.
Name
Shivwits or Shivwitz comes from the Southern Paiute word, sipicimi. The word may be based on the prefix sibi-, meaning "east" or si-vints, meaning "people who live in the east." It is also spelled Shi'-vwits, She-bits, Sübü'ts, and Sebit. The Shivwits Plateau in ArizonaArizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
is named for the tribe.
Recent developments
The Shivwits regained federal recognition through an act signed by President Jimmy CarterJimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
on 3 April 1980. The reservation is larger than it was originally, covering over 240 acre (0.9712464 km²).
In 2003 the Shivwits received water rights for 4000 acre.ft annually, enabling the tribe to create new economic development projects.
Today
The tribe is headquartered in IvinsIvins, Utah
Ivins is a city in Washington County, Utah, United States. The population was 4,450 at the 2000 census, and it was estimated at 7,205 in 2006. Although Ivins was a town in 2000, it has since been classified as a fifth-class city by state law.-History:...
, located in Washington County, Utah
Washington County, Utah
As of the census of 2000, there were 90,354 people, 29,939 households, and 23,442 families residing in the county. The population density was 37 people per square mile . There were 36,478 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile...
. Their Band Chairperson is Charlotte Lomeli.