Indians ask for time before legislature in Nevada

CARSON CITY- An innocent remark by a legislator at a luncheon spurred the Nevada Indian Commission to request one day each session for Native Americans to meet with legislators.

Sherry Rupert, executive director of the Indian Commission, said several members told her that a legislator had asked "Do Indians vote?" during a luncheon last year. She said she does not know the name of the legislator.

"It shows we must do more to educate legislators," said Rupert, a Native American. "There are a lot of new legislators who may not know our history."

Rupert said Nevada is home to about 35,000 Indians, about half of whom live off-reservation in the Las Vegas area. There are 20 federally recognized tribes in Nevada.

While it is difficult to gauge the percentage of Indians who vote, several Indian websites put the figure in the 30 percent to 35 percent range. Because reservations are by federal law sovereign nations, the percentage who vote in tribal elections may be higher.

Rupert said most are Democrats.

Because of the lack of Indian participation in elections, the Sept. 24-28 period has been designated Rock the Native Vote week.

Although they were the first Americans, Indians were not officially granted citizenship until 1924. Even then some states found reasons to deny Native Americans the right to vote. New Mexico, which has a large native population, did not allow Indians to vote until 1962. In some South Dakota counties, they were not permitted to vote until 1975.

Native American have lived in Nevada for 10,000 years, Rupert said. Unlike in most of America, Indians in Nevada in some cases never were moved from their ancestral homes. Indians have lived in the Pyramid Lake area for several thousand years.

The Stewart Indian School, now owned by the state of Nevada, served as a boarding school for Native American children 1890 to 1980. Children were forced to attend the school in early days to make them conform to non-Indian culture.

Later, attending Stewart was a source of pride for some students. The state Department of Corrections and the Indian Commission are housed in Stewart Indian School buildings.

Despite Nevada's rich Native American history, only two Indians have been elected to the Legislature. Dewey Sampson, a Paiute from Washoe County, served in the Legislature in 1939.

Current Assembly Speaker Joe Oceguera, D-Las Vegas, is an enrolled member of the Walker River Tribe. Oceguera, who comes from a multi-ethnic background, is a candidate for Congress.

In interviews, he has said that he often was asked to work on issues supported by Native Americans.

Contact Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3900.