The Spanish word ranchería, or rancherío, refers to a small, rural settlement. In the Americas the term was applied to

native Native may refer to: People * '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood * '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Nat ...

villages or bunkhouses.

Anglo-Americans Anglo-Americans are a demographic group in Anglo-America. It typically refers to the predominantly European-descent nations and ethnic groups in the Americas that speak English as a native language, making up the majority of people in the world ...

adopted the term with both these meanings, usually to designate the residential area of a rancho in the

American Southwest The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural list of regions of the United States, region of the United States that includes Arizona and New Mexico, along with adjacen ...

, housing aboriginal ranch hands and their families. The term is still used in other parts of

Spanish America Spanish America refers to the Spanish territories in the Americas during the Spanish colonization of the Americas. The term "Spanish America" was specifically used during the territories' Spanish Empire, imperial era between 15th and 19th centur ...

; for example, the

Wayuu The Wayuu (also Wayu, Wayú, Guajiro, Wahiro) are an Indigenous ethnic group of the Guajira Peninsula in northernmost Colombia and northwest Venezuela. The Wayuu language is part of the Arawakan language family. Throughout their history, they ...

tribes in northern

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

call their villages ''rancherías''. The ''Columbia Encyclopedia'' describes it as: :a type of communal settlement formerly characteristic of the Yaqui Indians of

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...

, Tepehuanes of

Durango Durango, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Durango, is one of the 31 states which make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in the northwest portion of the country. With a population of 1,832,650 ...

, Mexico, and of various small Native American groups of the Southwestern U.S., especially in

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 ...

. These clusters of dwellings were less permanent than the

pueblo Pueblo refers to the settlements of the Pueblo peoples, Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, currently in New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. The permanent communities, including some of the oldest continually occupied settlement ...

s (see Pueblo) but more so than the camps of the migratory Native Americans. The term could be applied to the settlements of the California Mission Indians beyond the Spanish missions, such as Maugna of the

Tongva The Tongva ( ) are an Indigenous peoples of California, Indigenous people of California from the Los Angeles Basin and the Channel Islands of California, Southern Channel Islands, an area covering approximately . In the precolonial era, the peop ...

people.

History

The term 'Ranchería' was used in colonial Spain to refer to the semi-rural settlements favored by many of the Native Indian settlements in the northern frontiers of New Spain. It was typically a farming community developed around established fields of corn, squash, and beans, with the Native families that supported the farms established in simple homes dispersed widely around the community farms. The Native families did not necessarily reside year-round in any particular ranchería; they could migrate between other rancherías or even wilderness encampments, in response to seasonal conditions or threats from outside groups. Spanish elites and religious missions often secured property and 'protectorate' rights over these Indian rancherías with the Spanish government if they claimed to serve as 'protectors' of the indigenous groups on the land. In

, the term refers to a total of 59 Indian settlements established by the U.S. government, 54 of them between 1906 and 1934, for the survivors of the aboriginal population.

San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CS ...

maintains a reference titled ''California Indians and Their Reservations: An Online Dictionary''. It says: The word migrated north with the 49ers to the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush in an adapted form, "'' rancherie"''. It survives in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

as a somewhat archaic but still commonly used word, in rural areas and small towns, as well as in general

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

English usage, meaning the residential area of an

Indian reserve In Canada, an Indian reserve () or First Nations reserve () is defined by the '' Indian Act'' as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." ...

. It especially means the historical residential area, as opposed to newer subdivisions. It was further extended to refer to other non-white residential communities, such as the Kanaka Rancherie in early

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, which came to house the city's Kanaka (Hawaiian) residents. In an even more truncated form, ''the Ranche'' was used to refer to the

Tlingit The Tlingit or Lingít ( ) are Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. , they constitute two of the 231 federally recognized List of Alaska Native tribal entities, Tribes of Alaska. Most Tlingit are Alaska Natives; ...

portion of

Sitka, Alaska Sitka (; ) is a municipal home rule, unified Consolidated city-county, city-borough in the southeast portion of the U.S. state of Alaska. It was under Russian America, Russian rule from 1799 to 1867. The city is situated on the west side of Ba ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rancheria Indigenous peoples of California topics Former populated places in California Alta California Native American populated places American Indian reservations Aboriginal title in the United States Lands inhabited by indigenous peoples

History

See also

References