The Yokuts (previously known as MariposasPowell, 1891:90–91.) are an

ethnic group An ethnicity or ethnic group is a group of people with shared attributes, which they collectively believe to have, and long-term endogamy. Ethnicities share attributes like language, culture, common sets of ancestry, traditions, society, re ...

of Native Americans native to central

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 ...

. Before European contact, the Yokuts consisted of up to 60 tribes speaking several related languages. Yokuts is both plural and singular; Yokut, while common, is erroneous. Yokut should only be used when referring specifically to the Tachi Yokut Tribe of Lemoore. Some of their descendants prefer to refer to themselves by their respective tribal names; they reject the term Yokuts,' saying that it is an

exonym An endonym (also known as autonym ) is a common, name for a group of people, individual person, geographical place, language, or dialect, meaning that it is used inside a particular group or linguistic community to identify or designate them ...

invented by English-speaking settlers and historians. Conventional subgroupings include the Foothill Yokuts, Northern Valley Yokuts, and

Southern Valley Yokuts Southern Valley Yokuts is a dialect network within the Valley Yokuts division of the Yokutsan languages spoken in the Central Valley of California. Among the dialects grouped under the label Southern Valley Yokuts are Wechihi, Tachi A ...

.Pritzker, 211

History

Another name used to refer to the Yokuts was Mariposans. The

endonym An endonym (also known as autonym ) is a common, name for a group of people, individual person, geographical place, language, or dialect, meaning that it is used inside a particular group or linguistic community to identify or designate them ...

"Yokuts" itself means "people." Many stories are told, depending on the tribe, on how the Yokuts and their land came to be, but most follow a similar form. Their creation story is such: Once the world was completely covered in water. Then came an eagle and a crow. As they were flying, they came upon a duck and asked the duck to bring up mud from the water so there can be land again. The duck did as he was asked, and this mud became the land of the Yokuts, more specifically the

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 ...

and the

Coast Mountains The Coast Mountains () are a major mountain range in the Pacific Coast Ranges of western North America, extending from southwestern Yukon through the Alaska Panhandle and virtually all of the British Columbia Coast, Coast of British Columbia sout ...

. To this day, the crow and the eagle continue to be symbolic figures in Yokuts religious ceremonies.

Pre-contact

Yokuts life was rather peaceful. The more than 60 tribes had an estimated 400-600 or more people in each tribe at the time of contact with the

Spaniards Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance-speaking ethnic group native to the Iberian Peninsula, primarily associated with the modern nation-state of Spain. Genetically and ethnolinguistically, Spaniards belong to the broader Southern a ...

in 1770. In Yokuts culture, men and women had different responsibilities. Men usually did the hunting, fishing, and building, while the women gathered, maintained the home, and cared for the children. Divorce was not difficult to achieve and could be done for a number of reasons, including affairs, laziness, and infertility. Artistic expression among the Yokuts included music, singing, and painting. Basketmaking was also a way for the Yokuts to show their artistic skills by weaving designs and images into the baskets. Other forms of expression were done on the bodies of the Yokuts, such as tattoos and piercings. The Yokuts partook in two important religious ceremonies, the annual mourning rite and the first fruit rite. Shamans were important to the Yokuts as they were believed to have supernatural powers, helped conduct ceremonies, and were able to treat the sick. However, shamans were able to use their power for good or evil, and depending on how they used their power they could be executed.

During contact

The first time the Yokuts encountered Europeans was in 1772, when Spanish troops were in the area searching for soldiers. In the 19th century, missions were introduced by the Spaniards and as they expanded they forced the Yokuts to work the land for farming. The harsh working conditions along with disease and abuse led to the death of many Yokuts. With their work force dwindling the missions moved further inland forcing those they encountered to convert and work. In 1833,

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

was brought by British fur traders, spreading through the native population through their use of the sweat houses. This decrease in population left the Yokuts weak in numbers when gold was discovered, bringing with it more foreigners. Gold was discovered in California in 19th century. The 1850s were a devastating time for California's Native Americans due to the incursion of European settlers into their homelands, who enslaved or killed the natives in great number. The

gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, ...

left the Yokuts with no land and a large decrease in their population. In 1853, malaria spread once again among the Yokuts, killing more natives. By 1854, what was left of the Yokuts tribes was forced to move to the Fort Tejon Reservation. The reservation briefly flourished, until a combination of mismanagement, droughts, and flooding caused its eventual failure and abandonment in 1864. Tule Reservation was established in 1873 and many Yokuts moved there. Disease, violence, and relocation severely diminished the Yokuts; today, they number only a fraction of their pre-contact population.

Population

Estimates for the precontact populations of most native groups in California have varied substantially (See

Population of Native California The population of Native California refers to the population of Indigenous peoples of California. Estimates prior to and after European contact have varied substantially. Pre-contact estimates range from 133,000 to 705,000 with some recent scho ...

). Alfred L. Kroeber in 1925 put the 1770 population of the Yokuts at 18,000. Several subsequent investigations suggested that the total should be substantially higher.

Robert F. Heizer Robert Fleming Heizer (July 13, 1915 – July 18, 1979) was an Archaeology, archaeologist who conducted extensive Field research, fieldwork and reporting in California, the Southwestern United States, and the Great Basin. Background Robert Flem ...

and Albert B. Elsasser 1980 suggested that the Yokuts had numbered about 70,000. They had one of the highest regional population densities in precontact North America. The federal government, which had recently acquired California after defeating Mexico in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

, signed a treaty (one of 18 such treaties signed state-wide, setting aside seven and a half percent of California's land area) defining a proposed reservation and 200 head of cattle per year. The US Senate failed to ratify any of the 18 treaties in a secret vote cast on July 8, 1852, with every member either abstaining or voting no. The result of the vote was not made public until 1905. The newly organized state government took a different approach. In 1851, California Governor Peter Burnett said that unless the Indians were moved east of the Sierras, "a war of extermination would continue to be waged until the Indian race should become extinct". Over the course of the next 50 years, settlers and eventually the California State Militia would wage war on the Yokuts and other native tribes in what became known as the

California genocide The California genocide was a series of genocidal massacres of the indigenous peoples of California by United States soldiers and settlers during the 19th century. It began following the American conquest of California in the Mexican–Americ ...

. The Yokuts were reduced by around 93% between 1850 and 1900, with many of the survivors being forced into

indentured servitude Indentured servitude is a form of labor in which a person is contracted to work without salary for a specific number of years. The contract called an " indenture", may be entered voluntarily for a prepaid lump sum, as payment for some good or s ...

sanctioned by the so-called "California State

Act for the Government and Protection of Indians The Act for the Government and Protection of Indians (Chapter 133, California Statutes, Cal. Stats., April 22, 1850), nicknamed the Indian Indenture Act was enacted by the first session of the California State Legislature and signed into law by ...

". A few Valley Yokuts remain, the most prominent tribe among them being the Tachi Yokut. Kroeber estimated the population of the Yokuts in 1910 as 600. Today, about 2,000 Yokuts are enrolled in the federally recognized tribe. An estimated 600 Yokuts are said to belong to unrecognized tribes.

Territory

Yokuts tribes populated the

San Joaquin Valley The San Joaquin Valley ( ; Spanish language in California, Spanish: ''Valle de San Joaquín'') is the southern half of California's Central Valley (California), Central Valley. Famed as a major breadbasket, the San Joaquin Valley is an importa ...

, from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta ("the delta") south to

Bakersfield Bakersfield is a city in and the county seat of Kern County, California, United States. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, which is located in the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's population as of the ...

and the adjacent foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, which lies to the east.

Tulare Lake Tulare Lake () or Tache Lake ( Yokuts: ''Pah-áh-su'', ''Pah-áh-sē'') is a freshwater lake in the southern San Joaquin Valley, California, United States. Historically, Tulare Lake was once the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi R ...

was a population center for the Yokuts tribes until they were driven off by white settlers."..In 1858 or 1859, settlers began ethnically cleansing Tulare Lake, by killing or forcibly relocating the majority of the

Yokuts The Yokuts (previously known as MariposasPowell, 1891:90–91.) are an ethnic group of Native Americans native to central California. Before European contact, the Yokuts consisted of up to 60 tribes speaking several related languages. Yokuts ...

population. Severe floods in 1861 and 1867 killed thousands of cattle and caused settlers to request further dams on the inflows to Tulare Lake. From 1875 to 1877, large numbers of hogs and cattle were carried to Skull Island from the mainland on the ''Mose Andross''. Presumably the last autonomous Indigenous people lived at the Tulare Lake archipelago in the 1870s. Yoimut detailed white settlers introducing cattle to the island and subsequently forcing the indigenous people out:

While we were at Chawlowin some white men put cattle on the island. The water was low and they drove them across from the east. There were hogs there already, but they were wild. As soon as the white people found out we were there, we began to have trouble. The tules were getting dry and we were afraid the white people would burn us out. So, we all left. My mother and stepfather took us to Téjon Ranch. We went in his brother's little wagon.

In the northern half of the Yokuts region, some tribes inhabited the foothills of the Coast Range to the west. Some evidence shows Yokuts inhabiting the

Carrizo Plain The Carrizo Plain ( Obispeño: ''tšɨłkukunɨtš'', "Place of the rabbits") is a large enclosed grassland plain, approximately long and up to across, in southeastern San Luis Obispo County, California, United States, about northwest of Lo ...

and creating

rock art In archaeology, rock arts are human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type al ...

in the Painted Rock area.

Language

According to

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 ...

, the

Yokutsan languages Yokuts, formerly known as Mariposa, is an endangered language spoken in the interior of Northern and Central California in and around the San Joaquin Valley by the Yokuts people. The speakers of Yokuts were severely affected by disease, missio ...

are members of the

Penutian language family Penutian is a proposed grouping of language families that includes many Native American languages of western North America, predominantly spoken at one time in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California. The existence of a Penutian st ...

Diet

Yokuts used spears, basket traps, and assorted other tools to hunt a variety of local animals, such as game birds, waterfowl, rabbits, turtles, various fish, mussels, and wasp grubs. Big game was hunted less frequently, but included deer, elk, and antelope. Their staple food was derived from acorn mash, though they also gathered tule roots and iris bulbs to make flour. Other foraged food includes manzanita berries, pine nuts, and seeds. They used a form of horticulture to cultivate tobacco. Salt came from

salt grass ''Distichlis spicata'' is a species of grass known by several common names, including seashore saltgrass, inland saltgrass, and desert saltgrass. This grass is native to the Americas, where it is widespread. It can be found on other continents a ...

Communities

Yokuts tribes

Bierstadt Albert Mariposa Indian Encampment Yosemite Valley California

Delta Yokuts

* Tarkumne - South bank of

Carquinez Strait The Carquinez Strait (; Spanish: ''Estrecho de Carquinez'') is a narrow tidal strait located in the Bay Area of Northern California, United States. It is part of the tidal estuary of the Sacramento and the San Joaquin rivers as they drain int ...

, from

Rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqu ...

to Martinez. * Bolbumne -

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; , ) "Antioch on Daphne"; or "Antioch the Great"; ; ; ; ; ; ; . was a Hellenistic Greek city founded by Seleucus I Nicator in 300 BC. One of the most important Greek cities of the Hellenistic period, it served as ...

and Brentwood areas. * Yachicumne - Stockton area and along the lower

Calaveras River Lead The Calaveras River is a river in the San Joaquin Valley of California. It flows roughly southwest for from the confluence of its north and south forks in Calaveras County to its confluence with the San Joaquin River in the city of St ...

. * Laquisumne - From the junction of the Mokelumne and Cosumnes Rivers south to Stockton. * Apelumne - South and east of Stockton, including Escalon, Manteca, French Camp, and Lathrop. * Yalesumne - From the

Tuolumne River The Tuolumne River ( Yokutsan: ''Tawalimnu'') flows for through Central California, from the high Sierra Nevada to join the San Joaquin River in the Central Valley. Originating at over above sea level in Yosemite National Park, the Tuolumne ...

to north of the

Stanislaus River The Stanislaus River is a tributary of the San Joaquin River in north-central California in the United States. The main stem of the river is long, and measured to its furthest headwaters it is about long. Originating as three forks in the h ...

, possibly as far north as the Cosumnes River. * Hunezumne - Stockton area. * Chelumne - Exact location in the delta is unknown. * Chucumne - Between the

San Joaquin River The San Joaquin River ( ; ) is the longest river of Central California. The long river starts in the high Sierra Nevada and flows through the rich agricultural region of the northern San Joaquin Valley before reaching Suisun Bay, San Francis ...

and Stockton. * Cosumne - On the Cosumnes River from its junction with the Mokelumne to a point upstream ten miles above Sloughhouse. * Mokelumne - On the Mokelumne River from its junction with the Cosumnes to the foothills.

Northern Valley Yokuts

* Hulpumne -

Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...

to Tassajara. * Cholbumne - Byron to just south of Tracy, including

Livermore Valley The Livermore Valley, historically known as the Valle de San José (Valley of San José), is a valley in Alameda County, California, located in the East Bay region. The city of Livermore is located in the valley. The valley became known as "Liver ...

, Altamont, Patterson, and Corral Hollow passes. * Hoyumne - West of San Joaquin River and south of Tracy. Exact location unknown. * Miumne - Orestimba Creek Basin extending south to the Garzas Creek Basin and east to the San Joaquin River. * Kahwatchwah - San Joaquin River around the Mendota, Firebaugh, and Los Banos areas. * Honoumne - West of the San Joaquin River between the Kahwatchwah and the Miumne. * Tucuyu - South of the Kahwatchwah on

Fresno 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 ...

and Fish Sloughs. * Walakumne - Between the Stanislaus and Tuolumne Rivers. * Suenumne - Lower Stanislaus River. * Tuolumne - Lower Stanislaus River. * Ausumne - Lower

Merced River The Merced River (), in the central part of the U.S. state of California, is a -long tributary of the San Joaquin River flowing from the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada into the San Joaquin Valley. It is most well known for its swift and st ...

. * Chulumne - Sand plains southwest of Stockton and opposite the Yachicumne. * Chauchela (Chowchilla) - Chowchilla River from the San Joaquin River to the Sierra Nevada foothills. * Heuche -

Fresno River The Fresno River (Spanish language, Spanish for "ash tree") is a river in Central California and a major tributary of the San Joaquin River. It runs approximately from the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada Range to the San Joaquin River if me ...

, from its junction with the San Joaquin River to the foothills. * Hoyumne - San Joaquin River from Herndon to Cottonwood Creek (Friant Dam). Shares name with Yokuts tribe south of Tracy. * Pitkache (Pitkachi) - San Joaquin River from Mendota Pool to Herndon.

Southern Valley Yokuts

* Tache (Tachi) - North and west shores of

, including

Kettleman Hills The Kettleman Hills is a low mountain range of the interior California Coast Ranges, in western Kings County, California. It is a northwest–southeast trending line of hills about 30 miles long which parallels the San Andreas Fault to the west. ...

and Kettleman Plains. * Apiche - North of Murphy Slough (lower Kings River drainage). * Wimilche - Along the north bank of the Kings River near Laton downstream to Fresno Slough. * Nutúnutu - Along the south bank of the Kings River near Laton downstream to Fresno Slough. * Itecha (Aitecha) - South bank of Kings River near Sanger. Across river and upstream from the Wéchikit, downstream from the Choinumne. * Wéchikit - North bank of Kings River east of Sanger downstream to the Reedley area, including parts of Wahtoke Creek. * Chunut - Northeastern shore of Tulare Lake and along the lower channels of the southern branches of the

Kaweah River The Kaweah River is a river draining the southern Sierra Nevada in Tulare County, California in the United States. Fed primarily by high elevation snowmelt along the Great Western Divide, the Kaweah begins as four forks in Sequoia National Pa ...

. * Talumne - Along

Cross A cross is a religious symbol consisting of two Intersection (set theory), intersecting Line (geometry), lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of t ...

Mill Mill may refer to: Science and technology * Factory * Mill (grinding) * Milling (machining) * Millwork * Paper mill * Steel mill, a factory for the manufacture of steel * Sugarcane mill * Textile mill * List of types of mill * Mill, the arithmetic ...

, and Packwood Creeks (lower Kaweah River delta), centered around Visalia. * Gáwea - North bank of the Kaweah River from

Terminus Dam Terminus Dam is a dam on the Kaweah River in Tulare County, California in the United States, located near Three Rivers, California, Three Rivers about from the western boundary of Sequoia National Park and east of Visalia, California, Visalia. T ...

to Venice Hills. * Yokodo - South bank of the Kaweah River from

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

to the foothills. * Wólase - Area around Cameron Creek (lower Kaweah River delta) east of Visalia. * Choinok - Junction of Outside and Deep Creeks (lower Kaweah River delta) south to Tulare. * Wowol - Southeastern shore of Tulare Lake, including Atwell Island ( Alpaugh). * Koyete -

Tule River The Tule River, also called Rio de San Pedro or Rio San Pedro, is a river in Tulare County in the U.S. state of California. The river originates in the Sierra Nevada east of Porterville and consists of three forks, North, Middle and South. Th ...

from Highway 99 to Porterville. * Yowlumne - Lower

Kern River The Kern River is an Endangered, Wild and Scenic river in the U.S. state of California, approximately long. It drains an area of the southern Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between ...

area, Caliente Creek, between

Kern Lake Kern Lake,was the smallest of the three large lakes in the Tulare Basin, in the southwestern San Joaquin Valley of California. It was the first of the lakes fed by the Kern River. Kern Lake is now a dry lake bed, due to agricultural diversion o ...

and the

Tehachapi Mountains The Tehachapi Mountains (; Kawaiisu: ''Tihachipia'', meaning "hard climb") are a mountain range in the Transverse Ranges system of California in the Western United States. The range extends for approximately in southern Kern County and northwe ...

and as far south as El Paso Creek. * Tuhoumne - Lower Kern River downstream from the Yowlumne. Also on

Buena Vista Lake Buena Vista Lake was a fresh-water lake in Kern County, California, in the Tulare Lake Basin in the southern San Joaquin Valley, California. Buena Vista Lake was the second largest of several similar lakes in the Tulare Lake basin, and was fed ...

Buena Vista Slough Buena Vista Slough was the joint outlet of an overflowing Buena Vista Lake and a distributary of the Kern River into Tulare Lake. It is now diverted into a system of canals by the Outlet Canal of the Central Valley Project. History In times when ...

, and Goose Lake south of the Paleumne. * Halaumne (Hometwole) - Northern and western shores of Kern Lake. * Tulumne - The south, west, and north sides of Buena Vista Lake and as far west as the Taft and McKittrick areas.

Foothill Yokuts

* Gashou - Foothills between the San Joaquin and Kings Rivers, including parts of the plains (

Clovis Clovis may refer to: People * Clovis (given name), the early medieval (Frankish) form of the name Louis ** Clovis I (c. 466 – 511), the first king of the Franks to unite all the Frankish tribes under one ruler ** Clovis II (c. 634 – c. 657), ...

area). Centered around Dry Creek (Big Dry Creek). * Chukchanse (Chuckchansi) ( Mono language name: ''wowa'') - Fresno River in the foothills above the Heuche, including

Coarsegold Coarsegold, California, is a census-designated place in Madera County, situated in the central part of the state. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 4,144. Coarsegold holds historical significance as Madera County's last surviving "go ...

, O'Neals, and Picayune Rancheria areas. * Dalinche - Coarsegold and O'Neals area, including Fine Gold Creek . * Kechaye - South side of the San Joaquin River upstream from the Dumna. * Tolteche - On both sides of the San Joaquin River upstream from the Kechaye. Kerckhoff Dam area. The Monache (Western Mono) peoples bordered them to the east. * Dumna - San Joaquin River from Millerton downstream to the mouth of Little Dry Creek. * Éntimbits - Dunlap area, Wonder Valley * Chukimena - Yokuts Valley * Choinumne - Kings River around its junction with Mill Creek upstream to Sycamore Creek. * Michahi - South of Choinumne on Mill Creek (tributary of Kings River). * Páhdwishe (Balwishe) - On the Kaweah River centered around Camp Potwishe extending east to

Sequoia National Park Sequoia National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in the southern Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada east of Visalia, California. The park was established on September 25, 1890, and toda ...

. Includes Three Rivers area. * Wuksache - North of the Páhdwishe around

Badger Badgers are medium-sized short-legged omnivores in the superfamily Musteloidea. Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by their squat bodies and adaptions for fossorial activity rather than by the ...

and upper Rattlesnake Creek. Includes Eshom Valley,

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, and Stokes Mountain area. * Wukchumne - Kaweah River between Farmersville area to Terminus Dam, including Lemon Cove and Woodlake areas and lower Dry Creek (previously called Lime Kiln Creek). * Bancalache - Deer Creek, Kernville,

Lake Isabella Lake Isabella also called Isabella Lake, is a reservoir in Kern County, California, United States created by the earthen Isabella Dam. At , it is one of the larger reservoirs in California. Lake Isabella is located about northeast of Bakersfi ...

. * Yáudanche - North Fork Tule River. * Hoeynche (Buknínuwad) - Upper Deer Creek, South Fork Tule River. * Kumachese - White River area, Woody and Glennville areas. * Paleumne - Poso Creek south to Kern River, territory extended to Kern River Falls at the mouth of

Kern Canyon The Kern River Canyon is a canyon in Kern County, California. It is located in the Southern Sierra Nevada. The canyon was formed by the Kern River and connects the Kern River Valley and southern San Joaquin Valley.Lee, Charles. ''An Intensive St ...

Contemporary tribes

Santa Rosa Rancheria Santa Rosa Rancheria is the reservation of the Santa Rosa Indian Community of the Santa Rosa Rancheria. It is located southeast of Lemoore, California. Established in 1934 on about , the Santa Rosa Rancheria belongs to the federally recognize ...

(Tachi) * Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians *

Table Mountain Rancheria The Table Mountain Rancheria is a federally recognized tribe of Native American people from the Chukchansi band of Yokuts and the Monache tribe. It is also the tribe's ranchería, located in Fresno County, California Fresno County (), offi ...

(Mono) *

Tejon Indian Tribe of California The Tejon Indian Tribe is a federally recognized tribe of Kitanemuk, Yokuts, Paiute and Chumash Indigenous people of California. Their ancestral homeland is the southern San Joaquin Valley, San Emigdio Mountains, and Tehachapi Mountains. Toda ...

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 ...

Pritzker, 159 * Tuolumne Rancheria The contemporary Wukchumni and Choinumni communities do not yet have federal recognition. As of the 2010 census there are a total of 6,273 people who identify as Yokuts. Many of them live on reservations that have casinos, these casinos have been essential to providing the Yokuts with jobs, money, and healthcare.

Trading routes

The Yokuts tribe of California are known to have engaged in trading with other California tribes of Native Americans in the United States including coastal peoples like, for example, the Chumash tribe of the Central California coast, and they are known to have traded plant and animal products. Other items part of Yokuts trade included salts, soap stones, and obsidian. They used marine shells as a form of money showing they had a functional monetary system in place.

Internal conflicts within the Chukchansi tribe near Yosemite

On April 5, 2015, it was reported that members of the Chukchansi tribe near

Yosemite Yosemite National Park ( ) is a national park of the United States in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service ...

had been disenrolling other members from the tribe for decades, so that the tribe's casino profits would go to fewer people. In the autumn of 2014, several disenrolled Chukchansi tribe members (who were no longer receiving a share of casino profits) arrived at the Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino armed with guns, and violence ensued. As a result, a federal judge ordered that the casino be shut down. The casino reopened on December 31, 2015, and a formal Grand Reopening Ceremony took place on January 15, 2016.

Notable Yokuts

* Cucunuchi (also known as

Estanislao Cucunuchi ( – 1838), baptized as Estanislao, was an indigenous ''alcalde'' of Mission San José (California), Mission San José and a member and leader of the Lakisamni tribe of the Yokuts people of northern California. He is famous for leadi ...

)

Tribal government

Every tribe has a head chief, winatun, and a village chief.

Gallery

File:Photograph with text of a Chuckachancy woman and child, California. This is from a survey report of Fresno and Madera... - NARA - 296287 (cropped).jpg, A Chukchansi woman and child, California, ca. 1920 File:Photograph with text of Dick Neal, a member of the Chuckachancy tribe, California. This is from a survey report of... - NARA - 296284 (cropped).jpg, Dick Neal, a member of the Chukchansi tribe, California, ca. 1920 File:Photograph with text of young members of the Chuckachancy tribe, California. This is from a survey report of Fresno... - NARA - 296290 (cropped).jpg, Young members of the Chukchansi tribe, California, ca. 1920 File:Photograph with text showing a Chuckachancy woman preparing acorns for grinding, California. This is from a survey... - NARA - 296297 (cropped).jpg, A Chukchansi woman preparing acorns for grinding, California, ca.1920

Notes

References

* Kroeber, A. L. 1910. ''On the Evidences of Occupation of Certain Regions by the Miwok Tribes'', University of California Press, Berkeley, Vol. 6 No. 3 p. 37

* Kroeber, A. L. 1925. ''Handbook of the Indians of California''. Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin No. 78. Washington, D.C. * * Pritzker, Barry M. 2000. ''A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples''. Oxford University Press, Oxford. . * Heizer, R. F., and A. B. Elsasser 1980. ''The Natural World of the California Indians'', University of California Press, Berkeley. .

External links

Tachi Yokut Tribal website