Nevada has always been a state of immigrants; only the native Washoe, Paiute and Shoshone people can claim indigenous status. In the 19th century, Nevada had the highest percentage of foreign-born residents of any state in the union. Today's Italian, German, Basque, Irish and other ethnic groups claim a proud lineage to those early pioneers.

Nevada continues to be a land of opportunity for people of every possible ethnic and cultural group, whether new immigrants to the U.S. or people moving from other parts of the country. Filipino, Mexican, Iranian, Argentinean, Thai, Ethiopian, Chinese, Russian, Japanese, Tongan, Puerto Rican, Hawaiian, East Indian, Israeli, Greek, Polish, Navajo and many other ethnic and national groups are now represented in our population. The list is long and tremendously diverse.

These newcomers contribute their history and heritage to our already heady cultural stew, but they are often not visible in the rush of modern life, especially in Reno and Las Vegas. Folk arts especially tend to be practiced on an intimate scale within homes and churches and other community settings not often seen by outsiders. One small remedy for this has been the production of folklife festivals in the state's two largest cities, co-sponsored by the Nevada Arts Council in partnership with other local cultural organizations.

Leilani's Hula Halau, Reno

This year the Sierra Folklife Festival happens on Saturday, Sept. 18 at Wingfield Park in downtown Reno, and includes performances by a bagpipe band, Native American dancers, cowboy poets, and Tongan dancers, among others, as well as demonstrations of Washoe and Shoshone basketry and beadwork, Hawaiian lei making, cowboy silversmithing, and Norwegian embroidery. Food vendors will sell Basque chorizos, Indian tacos, Mexican enchiladas, and Greek and Jewish pastries. The festival is co-sponsored with the City of Reno and Sierra Arts (For more information on the Reno Festival, call Sierra Arts at 775-329-ARTS)

The Kaminari Taiko Drummers from Las Vegas

In Southern Nevada, the Las Vegas Folklife Festival is set for Saturday, Oct. 2 at the Rainbow Library Park and Amphitheater. Crafts demonstrations will include Polish papercutting, Navajo silversmithing and rug weaving, cowboy hat making, Filipino lanterns, Ukrainian Easter eggs, and Mexican paper flowers, and a crafts market will offer art work by the participating artists for sale. Performances of Hawaiian hula, South American songs, a Chinese lion dance, Iranian music, Japanese taiko drumming and Mexican dance will fill the stage all day, and visitors can sample Thai, Filipino, Mexican, African American and Japanese food as well. The Las Vegas festival is co-sponsored with the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District and the Clark County Cultural Affairs office. (For details, call the Library District Programming Office at 702-382-3493, ext. 267)

Folk arts are part of a community's heritage. They have been shared within that group, whether it be ethnic, tribal, religious, familial, occupational or regional, and they express important values, beliefs and esthetics of that group. But folk arts forms aren't perpetuated automatically or unthinkingly, and it takes work, time and understanding to keep them alive and vital. That dedication comes from individuals who actively choose to learn, perfect, develop and pass on an art form as part of their culture. The folklife festivals provide a rare opportunity to meet those individuals and to see, hear, touch, smell and taste the richness of all Nevada's cultures, from the most ancient to the newest arrivals. For information on other folk arts activities and programs, contact the Nevada Arts Council's Folk Arts Program at 775-687-6680.

(Editor's note: The Nevada Dept. of Museums, Library and Arts sponsors other opportunities to experience Nevada's rich cultural heritage, such as Festival Americana held at the Lost City Museum in Overton Nov. 6-7, and the Long Steel Rails Festival held every Spring in Ely. For information on department offerings, please see dmla.clan.lib.nv.us or call 775.687.8323

Go Back - DMLA Homepage - State of Nevada