The North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California is a

federally recognized tribe A federally recognized tribe is a Native American tribe recognized by the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs as holding a government-to-government relationship with the US federal government. In the United States, the Native American tribe ...

Mono Mono may refer to: Biology * Infectious mononucleosis, "the kissing disease" * Monocyte, a type of leukocyte (white blood cell) * Monodactylidae, members of which are referred to as monos Technology and computing * Mono (audio), single-c ...

Native Americans Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

. North Fork Rancheria is the name of the tribe's reservation, which is located in

Madera County, California Madera County (), officially the County of Madera, is a County (United States), county located at the geographic center of the U.S. state of California. It features a varied landscape, encompassing the eastern San Joaquin Valley and the central ...

.Pritzker, 137 Nium is their self-designation.California Indians and Their Reservations.
''SDSU Library and Information Access.'' (retrieved 24 July 2009)

Culture

The North Fork Mono tribe are Western Mono Indians, whose traditional homeland is in the southern

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...

foothills of

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. The Mono language is part of the

Paiute Paiute (; also Piute) refers to three non-contiguous groups of Indigenous peoples of the Great Basin. Although their languages are related within the Numic group of Uto-Aztecan languages, these three languages do not form a single subgroup and th ...

language family. Their oral history is included in

Mono traditional narratives Mono traditional narratives include myths, legends, tales, and oral histories preserved by the Mono people, including the Owens Valley Paiute east of the Sierra Nevada and the Monache on that range's western slope, in present-day eastern California ...

Awani The Ahwahnechee, Awani, or Awalache were an Indigenous people of California who historically lived in the Yosemite Valley. They were a band of Mono and Miwok People. The Awani people's heritage can be found all over Yosemite National Park. Na ...

descendants are also enrolled in the Northfork Rancheria.

Enrollment

The tribe's 1996 Constitution allows open enrollment to eligible lineal descendants of the Northfork Mono. Their enrollment is 1800, making them one of California's largest native tribes.History and Timeline.
''North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians''. (retrieved 25 July 2009)

Reservation

The North Fork Rancheria occupies along the western edge of the

Sierra National Forest Sierra National Forest is a U.S. national forest located on the western slope of the central Sierra Nevada in California, bounded on the northwest by Yosemite National Park and on the south by Kings Canyon National Park. The forest is known for ...

, about northeast of

Fresno, California Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...

. Their tribal headquarters are located in North Fork of

Madera County Madera County (), officially the County of Madera, is a county located at the geographic center of the U.S. state of California. It features a varied landscape, encompassing the eastern San Joaquin Valley and the central Sierra Nevada, with Ma ...

, California.

Mono tribes

Other federally recognized Mono tribes are the

Tule River Indian Tribe of the Tule River Reservation The Tule River Indian Tribe of the Tule River Reservation is a federally recognized tribe of Native Americans. The Tule River Reservation is located in Tulare County, California. The reservation was made up of Yokuts, about 200 Yowlumne, Wukchu ...

Cold Springs Rancheria of Mono Indians of California The Cold Springs Rancheria of Mono Indians of California is a federally recognized tribe of Mono tribe, Mono Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans. Cold Springs Rancheria is the tribe's reservation, which is located in Fresno Cou ...

, and the

Big Sandy Rancheria of Mono Indians of California The Big Sandy Rancheria of Mono Indians of California is a ranchería and federally recognized tribe of Western Mono Indians (Monache) located in Fresno County, California, United States.

Education

The ranchería is served by the Chawanakee Joint Elementary School District and Sierra High school Joint Union High School District.

Notes

References

* Pritzker, Barry M. ''A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.

External links

North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians, official website

History and Timelines of the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians

Book: Walking Where We Lived: Memoirs of a Mono Indian Family by Gaylen D. Lee
{{authority control Mono people Native American tribes in California Federally recognized tribes in the United States