The Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians is a

federally recognized tribe This is a list of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States of America. There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. , 574 Indian tribes were legally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the United ...

Miwok people The Miwok (also spelled Miwuk, Mi-Wuk, or Me-Wuk) 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 ' ...

Tuolumne County, California Tuolumne County (), officially the County of Tuolumne, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 55,620. The county seat and only incorporated city is Sonora. Tuolumne County comprises the ...

."Tribal Office Locations."
''California Department of Transportation: District 10.'' Retrieved 1 June 2012. The Tuolumne Band are central

Sierra Miwok people The Plains and Sierra Miwok were once the largest group of California Indian Miwok people, indigenous to California. Their homeland included regions of the Sacramento Valley, San Joaquin Valley, and the Sierra Nevada. Geography The Plains an ...

. Annually, in September, the tribe holds an acorn festival and intertribal gathering.

Government

The Tuolumne Band is headquartered in

Tuolumne, California Tuolumne City is an unincorporated town in Tuolumne County, California. A census-designated place (CDP) officially known as Tuolumne also encompasses the town. The population of the CDP was 1,779 at the 2010 census, down from 1,865 at the 2000 c ...

. 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 . 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.

Reservation

The Tuolumne Rancheria () is a 792.69 acre federal

Indian reservation An Indian reservation is an area of land held and governed by a federally recognized Native American tribal nation whose government is accountable to the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs and not to the state government in which it ...

in Tuolumne County, at the western base of the Sierra Nevada. It is located near

Yosemite National Park Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ar ...

. The rancheria was established in 1910, and had a population of 150 in 1990. In 1995 the population was 168. 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.

Economics

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."Black Oak Casino."
''500 Nations.'' Retrieved 1 June 2012. 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.

Notes

External links

Official Tuolumne Band Of Me-Wuk Indians website
*
''Nupa'' (Acorn) Soup Recipe
— ''from Tuolumne Rancheria''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians Miwok Yokuts Native American tribes in California Federally recognized tribes in the United States Tuolumne County, California

Government

Reservation

Economics

See also

Notes

External links