Total population | |
---|---|
168 tribal members on the rancheria, 285 enrolled (1995) [1] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
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Languages | |
English, Central Sierra Miwok language [2] | |
Related ethnic groups | |
other Miwok and Yokut peoples [3] |
The Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians is a federally recognized tribe of Miwok people in Tuolumne County, California. [3] [4] The Tuolumne Band are central Sierra Miwok people. [5] Annually, in September, the tribe holds an acorn festival and intertribal gathering. [6]
The Tuolumne Band is headquartered in Tuolumne, California. The governing body for the tribe is a legislative body referred to as the "Community Council". Council officers of the Tuolumne Me-Wuk Tribal Council (TMTC) are democratically elected from among the tribal members; the current tribal chairperson is Andrea Reich . [4] The governmental structure for the executive aspects of tribal government (those that provide services to the tribe) is managed by the chief executive officer, who exercises authority over various governmental departments addressing tribal needs, which includes, but are not limited to: the Rancheria Fire Department, Tribal Law Enforcement, the Cultural Department, the Education Department & the Tribal School, the Housing Authority, the Fiscal Department, the Recreation Department, and Social Services.
Several community health care agencies are also operated by the tribe, including the Tuolumne Me-Wuk Indian Health Center in Tuolumne, the Tuolumne Me-Wuk Cedar Road Health Center in Sonora, the Tuolumne Me-Wuk Dental Center in Sonora, and the MEWU:YA Substance Abuse Recovery Offices in Tuolumne.
The Tuolumne Rancheria ( 37°58′51″N120°14′17″W / 37.98083°N 120.23806°W ) is a 792.69 acre federal Indian reservation in Tuolumne County, at the western base of the Sierra Nevada. It is located near Yosemite National Park. [3] The rancheria was established in 1910, and had a population of 150 in 1990. [7] In 1995 the population was 168. [3] The reservation lies in and just north of the township of Tuolumne. The Tribe owns, as private property (not Indian Reservation), an additional 1,510.41 acres of land. Other nearby communities include Twain Harte, Soulsbyville, and Mono Vista.
The Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians economic arm is the Tuolumne Economic Development Authority (TEDA), through which many of the construction projects for the Tribe are planned and completed.
The Tribe owns and operates several business in Tuolumne County, the most prominent of which is the Black Oak Casino Resort, which includes a casino, a hotel, an arcade with bowling alley, and several restaurants, bars, and lounges. [8] The Tribal Gaming Agency (TGA) was established by the Tribe to regulate, license, investigate, and monitor all gaming activities at these facilities.
Other economic ventures pursued by the Tribe and TEDA, which are often affiliated with Black Oak Casino Resort, but not managed by the Resort, include the Teleli Golf Course, the Westside Pavilion Music & Event Venue, the RV Park at Black Oak, the Bear Creek Gas Station, the Tuolumne Square Shopping Center, and the Native Plant Nursery.
The Miwok are members of four linguistically related Native American groups indigenous to what is now Northern California, who traditionally spoke one of the Miwok languages in the Utian family. The word Miwok means people in the Miwok languages.
The California Valley Miwok Tribe is a federally recognized tribe of Miwok people in San Joaquin County and Calaveras County, California. They were previously known as the Sheep Ranch Rancheria or the Sheep Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indian of California. The California Valley Miwok are Sierra Miwok, an Indigenous people of California.
The Ione Band of Miwok Indians is a federally recognized tribe of Miwok people in Amador County, California. As of the 2010 census the population was only 5.
The Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, Shingle Springs Rancheria, California is a federally recognized tribe.
Central Sierra Miwok is a Miwok language spoken in California, in the upper Stanislaus and Tuolumne valleys. Today it is spoken by the Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians of California, a federally recognized tribe of Central Sierra Miwoks.
The United Auburn Indian Community (UAIC) is a federally recognized Native America tribe consisting mostly of Miwok Indians indigenous to the Sacramento Valley region.
The Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians of California is a federally recognized tribe of Miwok in Amador County, California. The Buena Vista Miwok are Sierra Miwok, an indigenous people of California.
The Big Lagoon Rancheria is a federally recognized tribe of Yurok and Tolowa Indians. They are located in Humboldt County, California, and their tribal headquarters is in Arcata, 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. As of the 2010 Census the population was 118. In 1909, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) bought 280 acres of land for the Big Sandy Band of Western Mono Indians.
The Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria is a federally recognized tribe of Mattole, Bear River and Wiyot people in Humboldt County, California.
The Cold Springs Rancheria of Mono Indians of California is a federally recognized tribe of Mono Native Americans. Cold Springs Rancheria is the tribe's reservation, which is located in Fresno County, California. As of the 2010 Census the population was 184.
The North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California is a federally recognized tribe of Mono Native Americans. North Fork Rancheria is the name of the tribe's reservation, which is located in Madera County, California. Nium is their self-designation.
Wilton Rancheria is a federally recognized Native American tribe of Miwok people based in northern California. They were formed from Wilton Rancheria Miwok and the Me-Wuk Indian Community of the Wilton Rancheria. It regained recognition in 2009.
The Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians of California is a federally recognized tribe of Miwok people in Tuolumne County, California. The Chicken Ranch Rancheria Miwok are central Sierra Miwok, an Indigenous people of California.
The Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation, previously known as Smith River Rancheria, is a federally recognized tribe of Tolowa people in Del Norte County, California. They are Athabascan people, distantly related to northern Athabascans of eastern Alaska and western Canada, as well as the Apache and Navajo peoples of the American Southwest.
The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation is a federally recognized tribe of Wintun people, specifically Patwin people or southern Wintun, in Yolo County, California. They were formerly known as the Rumsey Indian Rancheria of Wintun Indians of California.
The Mooretown Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California is a federally recognized tribe of Concow and Maidu people in Butte County. Concow, or Konkow, people are the northwestern or foothill branch of the Maidu people, who traditionally spoke the Concow language
The Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians of California is a federally recognized tribe of indigenous people of California, affiliated with the Chukchansi subgroup of the Foothills Yokuts. The Picayune Rancheria, founded in 1912 and located in Coarsegold, California, covers 160 acres (1 km2) in Madera County and serves as the tribal land.
The Miwok are four Native American groups in Northern California.