Southern Paiute hosts powwow at Red Rock

The crowd at Sunday’s Winter Gathering ranged from eighth-generation Southern Paiute to those who stumbled into Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area Visitor Center before a scenic drive.

“We’re letting people know that Natives aren’t a thing of the past,” Fawn Douglas told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We’re still here; we’re still a thriving community.”

Douglas, a member of the Las Vegas Paiute Tribe and head of Nuwu Art and Activism Studios, hopes to educate people about the Southern Paiute and other indigenous culture through art.

Winter, she said, is the only season that the Southern Paiute is allowed to share its stories. Sunday’s winter gathering featured Wonumeegah powwow dancers, a history lesson, Southern Paiute bird singers, fry bread and craft activities inside Red Rock Canyon’s Visitor Center.

Michael Acevedo, who described himself as part Native American, said that he goes to as many local powwows as he can.

“That’s how we can reconnect and keep on our path to finding out more about that side of my ethnicity,” he said.

Powows, Douglas explained, are cultural and social gatherings. Powwow dancing is something that has connected a lot of cultures.

With the background of bright red rocks and desert behind it, the Wonumeegah dance group performed a variety of dances in its traditional regalia. The group featured dancers from several different tribes, including Amaia Marcos, who was named Miss Native UNLV and is from the Oglala Lakota tribe in South Dakota.

In addition to the Southern Paiute, Douglas has roots in other tribes as well. She told the crowd that it is important to note that several other tribes also passed through the Red Rock area.

“We share this area,” Douglas said. “We’re not separated by borders or lines. We’ve always been in communication with each other.”

People continuously trickled into the event Sunday, sometimes with fresh fry bread from outside. Barbara Fine had brought her friend who was visiting for a scenic drive and said that it was her first time seeing an indigenous celebration.

“This was a special bonus,” she said.

Douglas also hoped that educating people would encourage them to take better care of the land. Often, she said, people vandalize the petroglyphs, which are the indigenous inscriptions in the rocks. She thanked the rangers at Red Rock for taking care of the land.

“The staff here has been phenomenal,” Douglas said. “These are our allies. When I talk about shared stewardship, the workers here, the rangers here, these are the ones that help keep our parks clean.”

Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@reviewjournal.com.