Summerlin recognizes Native American heritage month

November is Native American Heritage Month, and for Summerlin and its residents, it’s a special time to recognize Southern Paiute lands that cover much of Southern Nevada and the important cultural roots of the area.

In October, Downtown Summerlin, the community’s vibrant urban core, hosted the Southern Paiute and Culture District during the 27th annual Summerlin Festival of Arts. This special tribute originally debuted last year and honors the important cultural roots of Southern Nevada while celebrating handcrafted Southern Paiute fine art, folk crafts, music and dance. Featured artisans were not only Southern Paiute, but Northern Paiute, Shoshone, Cherokee, Tewa, Dińe and Mexica, to name a few of the intertribal friends and cultural backgrounds represented.

According to Fawn Douglas of Nuwu Art, “There is a misconception that Native American people are a thing of the past, so the opportunity to participate in the Summerlin Festival of Arts shows that we are still a thriving community,” she said.

“The audience at the Festival of Arts is multicultural and intergenerational,” Douglas said. “We come together from different backgrounds to share our arts, our culture and to meet amazing people. We are grateful that we get to exchange kindness and build an educational connection through the arts.”

Douglas explained that because of Summerlin’s proximity to Nuwu (Southern Paiute) cultural sites, it is important for the local Native American community to have a presence at the Festival of Arts and in Summerlin.

“It is not only us sharing our art, dances and culture — we also get to discuss stewardship with people who live or visit these areas. We are not only artisans, we are people who care about these lands,” she said.

Now in its 33rd year of development, Summerlin offers more amenities than any other Southern Nevada community, including 300-plus parks of all sizes; 200-plus miles of interconnected trails; resident-exclusive community centers; 10 golf courses; 26 public, private and charter schools; a public library and performing arts center; Summerlin Hospital Medical Center; houses of worship representing a dozen different faiths; office parks; and neighborhood shopping centers. Downtown Summerlin offers fashion, dining, entertainment, Red Rock Resort, and Class-A office buildings. City National Arena is home of the Vegas Golden Knights’ National Hockey League practice facility. The Las Vegas Ballpark is a world-class Triple-A baseball stadium.

In total, Summerlin offers over 100 floor plans in over 20 neighborhoods throughout eight distinct villages and districts. Homes, built by many of the nation’s top homebuilders, are available in a variety of styles — from single-family homes to town homes, priced from the $400,000s to more than $1 million. For information on all actively selling neighborhoods, visit Summerlin.com. Before you visit any new Summerlin neighborhood, call the homebuilder to check on hours of operation. Phone numbers for each neighborhood are on Summerlin.com.