The focus of this document is to provide a contextual basis for ongoing consultations between the contemporary Northern Paiute and Western Shoshone tribes in Nevada and the BLM in northern Nevada (i.e., Winnemucca, Battle Mountain, Elko, Ely, and Carson City field offices; see Figure 1.1). This has been accomplished through a review, analysis, and synthesis of existing ethnographic and ethnohistoric literature and archival materials containing information on Traditional Cultural Properties, sacred sites, traditional lifeway areas, other culturally important places, Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) concerns, and other heritage issues between contemporary Northern Paiute and Western Shoshone tribes in Nevada.
To facilitate its use as a cultural resources management tool, this report has been divided into the following components. Chapter 1 contains introductory information, including a brief mention of the laws and other legislation pertinent to Native American consultation regarding the BLM. To provide a background and contextual basis for the current study, Chapters 2 and 3 provide a brief ethnohistoric and more extensive ethnographic information on the Northern Paiutes and Western Shoshones. Chapter 4 contains a brief description of the ethnographic/ethnohistoric studies undertaken to date in Nevada to identify culturally-significant places of importance to Northern Paiutes and Western Shoshones. The chapter also includes a list of the culturally-significant places identified during these studies, as well as a listing of other concerns and issues identified through Native American consultation for these projects. In addition to a discussion on the definition and evaluation of what is called a “Traditional Cultural Property” or TCP, Chapter 5 provides a discussion of culturally-significant property types, as well as potential mitigation treatment for these properties. Chapter 6 presents a listing by property type and brief discussion of culturally-significant sites identified during the archival and literature review. Other Native American issues, concerns, and recommendations, as ascertained in the studies discussed in Chapter 4, are discussed in Chapter 7. Chapter 8 contains recommendations for further studies, especially in regards to obvious research information gaps.