OCR Text |
Show 116 Nuwuvi: A Southern Paiute History The background for termination was extensive.12 Government Indian policy had always hoped to eventually enable the Indian to stand on his own in white society. When he "progressed" to that point, his special connection with the government and the aid that accompanied it could be terminated, or cut off. The Indian Reorganization Act, under which the Shivwits organized, had been understood by its authors as an attempt to make Indian tribes and bands more self-dependent. They thus looked forward to quicker assimilation of the tribes into white society. By the 1950's demand was high enough for Congress to begin termination hearings. Involved in proceedings besides the Shivwits reservation were all the other reservations in southern Utah that were considered to be Nuwuvi. The one exception was Cedar City Colony, which seems to have been passed over simply because it had always been only nominally under federal control and because it was confused with Indian Peak. This colony consequently retained rights to BIA services. Besides Shivwits, the other reservations which were involved were the Indian Peak Reservation, established by Executive Order on August 2, 1915; the Koosharem Reservation, set aside by an act of March 3, 1928; and the Kanosh Reservation, set aside by an act of February 11,1929. In 1947, when Congress was presented with a list of Indian groups who were ready for self-dependence, the Nuwuvi were not even included. When a list again was submitted in 1954, the Shivwits, Koosharem, and Kanosh bands were noted as being unready. The Indian Peak band was considered conditionally ready. When the bills were introduced to terminate individual tribes, however, the first bill called for the termination of the Utah Nuwuvi and Shoshones (located at Skull Valley and Washakie Reservations). The only reason that has been suggested for this inconsistency is the influence of Senator Arthur Watkins of Utah, Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Indian AfTairs. It has been speculated that he sought to use the Indians of his own state as an example to encourage this policy elsewhere. Congressional hearings reported that an estimated 97 persons in 24 families belonged to the Shivwits band. None of the 24 families were self-supporting; 19 families partially supported themselves but depended on welfare assistance from church and public sources |