The Gathering For Our Mountains is an annual event, started in 2012, which brings together multiple generations of Nuwuvi (Southern Paiute) with the Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service and community supporters to engage in inter-cultural exchange, harvest pine nuts, demonstrate cultural skills, share stories and sing traditional songs. Hosted collaboratively by the federal agencies and the tribes in the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area (SMNRA) and the Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex (DNWRC) and facilitated by The Mountain Institute and Portland State University, the Gathering reunites Nuwuvi with their ancestral lands and creates new pathways for communication. Multiple generations come together to renew familial ties, make connections with their friends and partners and care for the land.
You can get all this information and more at the Gathering For Our Mountains website: https://nuwu.smugmug.com/
“The 8th annual Gathering For Our Mountains was a great success. We had more than 110 folks in attendance over the three days. There were representatives from seven Nuwu (Southern Paiute) tribes, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. National Park Service, Southern Nevada Conservancy, Friends of the Nevada Wilderness, the Sierra Club, The Mountain Institute, and Portland State University graduate students, interns and alumni. The weather was pretty cool and comfortable considering how hot it was in Las Vegas Valley. Multigenerational Nuwu reunited with various parts of their ancestral territory now designated as public lands. Cultural demonstrators shared knowledge from elders to youth. Tribal members built rapport with the federal agency staffs. Participants cooked a delicious dinner for all. In the evening, there was also an opportunity to share stories and sing songs at the group camp.
Thank you to everyone who helped to make this event happen and thrive. Big shout out to The Chemehuevi Tribe, Las Vegas Paiute Tribe, Moapa Band of Paiutes, Fish and Wildlife, Forest Service, and Southern Nevada Conservancy for donations and support. Excited for next year!” – Jeremy Spoon
PSU Anthropology Department 
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