Indian Ruins, Ivins, Utah
Shivwits Band of Paiutes
The Shivwits Band of Paiutes are a band of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, a federally recognized tribe of Southern Paiutes located in southwestern Utah.
History:
The Shivwits Paiutes settled in Utah around 1100 CE. They hunted rabbits, deer, and mountain sheep and gathered seeds, roots, tubers, berries, and nuts, particularly pine nuts. They were farmers living along the Santa Clara River and the Virgin River and cultivated crops of corn, squash, melons, gourds, sunflowers, and, after European contact, winter wheat.
Their reservation was formed in 1891 with only 100 acres. It did not receive water rights so they were forced to abandon farming. The reservation had a population of 194 in that year. There were 154 Shivwits in 1906. The Shivwits Band of Paiute Indians of Utah first received federal recognized on March 3, 1891 as the "Shebit tribe of Indians in Washington County, Utah." [more]