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Welcome To Nevada!



Hello. Osiyo, and Happy New Year to everyone!

I am your new Native American editor at BellaOnline and I wish to welcome you to my site.

If you are already signed up to receive my newsletters, thank you. If you are new to the

site you might want to sign up to receive this newsletter which will be coming out each

week. There is a box just to the right where you can sign up for free. Whether you are a

regular or new reader, I hope to continue to provide you with interesting news and

information. If you have any questions or would like to see a particular subject in the

newsletter, please feel free to contact me at nativeamerican@bellaonline.com.

It is my goal to provide you with information and news that you want to read about, so let

me know what you would like to see in your newsletters. I would love to hear from you for

you are the reason I am here.

I live in the great state of Nevada, home of the Northern Paiute tribe. The Northern Paiute

have been in this area since long before 1825, when the first Europeans began coming here as

trappers. There has been little change in the culture of the Paiute even though other

cultures inhabited close by. Their life was that of hunters and gatherers. The great

influx of settlers during the discovery of the Comstock lode at Virginia City, NV, was very

disrupting to the tribe's way of life. Along with the people came their livestock which

were allowed to graze over the lands, destroying their native food plants. Pinyon trees, a

source of edible nuts, were cut down to be used as firewood by the settlers, depleting a

choice food source. When the railroads came through in 1869, that just about ended the

Paiute's way of life. However, the Northern Paiute, as all other tribes today, are strong

and proud and have survived to carry on their culture, spirituality and crafts that their

ancestors have passed on to them.

The Paiute occupy all the area around Pyramid Lake which is beautiful and has many

mysterious legends and attributes assigned to it. The lake, on a clear summer's day can be

absolutely still, like an enormous mirror reflecting the sky and passing clouds above. All

is quiet and serene and peaceful. Then suddenly, all can rise up and begin pummeling the

unsuspecting beaches with wave after wave of disturbed waters, as if a giant hand has

reached down and stirred up the lake. Since there is no connection to any oceans, this can

be a very mystifying and curious experience.


I love to go out to the lake in the summer and walk along the water's edge, where I can find

tiny, minute shells shaped like snail or conch shells. No one I have asked about them know

what they really are or where they came from, but I have heard they are ancient. They are

so tiny and fragile that some of them I can hardly see or pick up. I would love to gather

them and put them in little baskets to display, but, like the Native American, I respect

nature and leave them as I found them. They are just another part of the mysterious beauty

of the area. If you are ever in the Great Basin area, Pyramid Lake is well worth taking a

side trip to see. And, if you catch the right cook in the snack bar in the right mood, she

might make some fantastic Indian Tacos for you!

Right now, our whole area is covered with 4 to 6 inches of snow and it is lovely, but the

true beauty of the desert can be seen in the spring when the sage and wildflowers come out

of their winter's sleep and give us their fragrant scents and colors.

If you have a favorite vacation spot that has Native American legends tied to it, I would

love to hear your adventures if you care to share them.

Until next week,
Walk in Peace and May the Great Spirit Bless you,

Phyllis Doyle Burns, Native American Editor
http://nativeamerican.bellaonline.com

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