This report integrates and summarizes findings from the 1987 and 1988 Native American cultural resource studies related to the Yucca Mountain high level radioactive waste isolation facility. The purposes of the report are to describe the traditional cultural values associated with the Cultural Studies Area, describe the methods used in the research, and provide a theoretical discussion of the role of cultural resources in American Indian groups' past and contemporary society (DOE 1988:3 -9). Findings from these Native American cultural resource studies are presented in what are termed "interim reports." Each of these were submitted for concurrent review by the sixteen involved American Indian tribes, Science Applications International Corporation, and the Department of Energy. This report is based on five reports, including three interim reports.

This report presents Native American interpretations of and concerns for plant resources on or near Yucca Mountain, Nevada. This is one of three research reports regarding Native American cultural resources that may be affected by site characterization activities related to the Yucca Mountain high -level radioactive waste disposal facility. Representatives of the sixteen involved American Indian tribes identified and interpreted plant resources as part of a consultation relationship between themselves and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). This report integrates data from the ethnobotanical fieldwork and visits conducted over a three -week period. The bulk of this report divides plants into their logical components: plant parts used; places where used; purposes of uses; and persons who used, do use, and will use the plants. The remainder of this Introduction is devoted to conveying an American Indian holistic perspective on plants as a part of the world.

This report presents a review of the literature concerning Native American occupancy and use of the Yucca Mountain area and vicinity. It draws on a wide range of material, including early traveler reports, government documents, ethnographic and historical works, and local newspapers. The report complements two other concurrent studies, one focused on the cultural resources of Native American people in the study area and the other an ethnobotanical study of plant resources used by Native American people in the study area. Both concurrent studies are based on interviews with Native American people. The literature review was designed to contribute to the understanding of the presence of Native American people in the Yucca Mountain area. A review of the existing literature about the Yucca Mountain area and southern Nye County, supplemented by the broader literature about the Great Basin, has verified three aspects of the study design. First, the review has aided in assessing the completeness of the list of Native American ethnic groups that have traditional or historical ties to the site. Second, it has aided in the production of a chronology of Native American activities that occurred on or near the site during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Third, it has helped to identify the location of cultural resources, including burials and other archaeological sites, in the study area and vicinity.

The Yucca Mountain region was used by Owens Valley Paiute, Western Shoshone, and Southern Paiute people for thousands of years. The area contains numerous plants, animals, and sacred resources traditionally used by these people. This report presents the location and interpretation of Native American cultural resources on or near Yucca Mountain, Nevada. This work built upon the archaeological reconnaissance and identifications of cultural resources by the Desert Research Institute. Interpretations provided by Native American Indian people are not intended to refute other scientific studies, such as botanical, wildlife, and archaeological studies. Rather, they provide additional hypotheses for future studies, and they provide a more complete cultural understanding of the Yucca Mountain area. Representatives of sixteen American Indian tribes identified the cultural value of these resources as part of a consultation relationship with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). This interim report is to be used to review research procedures and findings regarding (1) initial consultation with the sixteen tribes, (2) in -depth interviews with tribal elders, and (3) findings from the first on -site visit with representatives of the sixteen tribes.

This is a report of findings from an American Indian Rapid Cultural Assessment that was conducted in 1997. The focus of the study is a location on the Nevada Test Site (NTS) where the Kistler Aerospace Corporation proposes to build a launch site for a communications satellite. As such, this is a rapid cultural assessment of Water Bottle Canyon on which construction is expected in the near future. The purpose of this study is to summarize American Indian cultural resources, as these exist on and near to site 26NY10133 and to consider potential mitigation strategies. This report is a summary of the cultural assessments made by members of the American Indian Writers Subgroup (AIWS) which is representing in this study the cultural resource interests of the 17 tribes and 3 Indian organizations that constitute the CGTO.

A government-to-government consultation between the Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office (DOE/NV) and the Consolidated Group of Tribes and Organizations (CGTO) focused on the interpretation and determination of eligibility for nomination to the National Register of Water Bottle Canyon. The consultation entailed a systematic ethnographic study of the cultural resources found in the Water Bottle Canyon area. The main goal of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of the cultural significance of this unique area for contemporary Indian people and its role in Numic cultural landscapes. During the field visits Native American consultants were interviewed with standardized survey instruments and they provided ethnographers with observations, comments, and recommendations regarding the various features found at Water Bottle Canyon. The project involved 10 tribes and one organization. They represent the Indian people who have aboriginal and historic ties to the lands currently under use by the Nevada Test Site (NTS). The study was originally funded as rapid cultural assessment for an environmental assessment for the proposed construction of a rocket launch facility by the Kistler Aerospace Corporation. This present report builds upon first study and the studies that have followed. The four studies expanded upon previous work conducted on the NTS and will contribute to the DOE/NV’s further understanding of and continued efforts to manage and protect American Indian cultural resources.

This government-to-government consultation between the Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office (DOE /NV) and the Consolidated Group of Tribes and Organizations (CGTO) focused on the interpretation of 10 rock art sites; seven on the Nevada Test Site (NTS), and three on the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Office (YMSCO). The consultation entailed a systematic ethnographic study of petroglyphs, pictographs, and other rock art manipulations. The objective of the project was to gain an understanding of the cultural significance of rock art for contemporary American Indians and its place in their traditional cultural landscapes. Research activities involved visits to rock art sites by tribal elders and tribal cultural experts. During the field visits, Indian consultants responded to standardized interviews and provided observations, comments, and recommendations regarding each of the sites under study. The project involved 14 American Indian tribes and two Indian organizations that represent Indian people having aboriginal and historic ties to lands currently occupied by the NTS. The study was initiated as part of the overall DOE /NV American Indian Program, which includes a decade of project - specific and general consultation efforts. This study built upon previous efforts and contributed to DOE /NV's understanding of American Indian cultural resources on the NTS.

This is a report of cultural resource identifications, evaluations, and potential impact assessments made by the American Indian Rapid Cultural Assessment team (RCA) who represent the Consolidated Group of Tribes and Organizations (CGTO). The RCA team is composed of the American Indian Writers Subgroup (AIWS) who were selected by the CGTO to participate in the development of the Nevada Test Site Environmental Impact Statement (NTS EIS). The study was part of the on-going consultation program established between the Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office (DOE/NV) and the 17 American Indian tribes and 3 Indian organizations who have traditional and historic ties to DOE/NV managed lands. This study responded to two DOE/NV American Indian consultation activities (1) the recent site-wide environmental impact statement for the NTS and (2) Presidential Executive Order #13007 regarding American Indian sacred sites protection. The study was an outgrowth of the on-going DOE/NV American Indian Consultation Program. The RCA team was asked to visit three different study locales (1) Double Tracks; (2) Clean Slates 1, 2, and 3; and (3) Central Nevada Test Area. The first study locale is on the Nellis Air Force Range (NAFR), the second place located on the TTR, and the third locale involves small sections of land surrounded by Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service lands in Hot Creek Valley. At each location the DOE/NV conducted some type of testing activity, which resulted in either radioactivity or hazardous wastes becoming part of the site. The DOE/NV Environmental Restoration Division then conducted actions that resulted in the removal or isolation of wastes from these past activities.

This report presents the results of ethnographic fieldwork conducted at Timber Mountain Caldera (TMC) on the NTS. Volcanic in origin, the caldera is a geologic feature that was formed when a large volcano collapse thousands of years ago producing the large circular crater that exists today. Since that event, the caldera has experienced other volcanic eruptions making a complex topographic landscape. The ethnographic fieldwork (conducted in 2005) that forms the foundation of this report included official tribal representatives from the Owens Valley Paiute, Western Shoshone, and Southern Paiute ethnic groups. This report presents the findings of the tribal representatives’ visits to several sites in the TMC and the cultural value associated with it. These research findings are based upon interviews conducted with tribal representatives selected by the American Indian Writers Subgroup of the culturally affiliated Consolidated Group of Tribes and Organizations (CGTO).

This is a summary of findings from an American Indian rapid cultural assessment. As such, this is not a formal report. The text in this summary of findings has been prepared to fit directly into the Intermodal Environmental Assessment (IM EA). This summary of findings was prepared by a study team of Indian people directly from their own field observations. <p> The American Indian Transportation Committee (AITC) was formed in August of 1996 during a study of American Indian issues related to the transportation of Low-level Radioactive Waste to the Nevada Test Site. The AITC contained 9 members who were selected (with the approval of their respective governments) to represent the 29 tribes involved in the study (see Austin 1998:4). The AITC helped with all aspects of that study, they being deeply involved in developing culturally appropriate research methods, helping with the interviews, and closely reviewing the findings. Their efforts were finally presented in a report entitled Native Americans Respond to the Transportation of Low Level Radioactive Waste To the Nevada Test Site (September 1998) edited by Diane Austin.