Archive:Moapa Band of Paiute Indians

The Moapa Band of Paiute Indians are a federally recognized band of Southern Paiutes (Nuwuvi) who live in Southern Nevada. The Moapa Paiutes traditionally reside in the Moapa Valley, a 40-mile long valley near the Virgin River which encompasses several towns. The Moapa Paiute reservation is an area of land north of Las Vegas and south of Mesquite alongside Interstate 15, and many Moapa Paiutes live there today. The Warm Springs Natural area, which was formerly owned by famous billionaire Howard Hughes and then by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and currently by the Southern Nevada Water Authority, is in the region of the Moapa Paiutes. The Moapa Paiutes' territory is the home of the Moapa dace, an endangered species of fish. The Moapa Paiutes traditionally used the Desert Fan Palm (Washingtonia filifera) wood to build huts and the fibers that hang down from the top below the fronds to create roofs. Since their arrival in the Western United States, Mormons (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) have lived near the Moapa Paiutes and still do to this day.