The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation ( ) is a federally recognized tribe of Wintun people, specifically

Patwin people The Patwin (also Patween, Southern Wintu) are a band of Wintun people native to the area of Northern California. The Patwin comprise the southern branch of the Wintun group, native inhabitants of California since approximately 500 AD. The Patw ...

or southern Wintun, in

Yolo County, California Yolo County (; Wintun: ''Yo-loy''), officially the County of Yolo, is a county located in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 216,403. Its county seat is Woodland. Yolo County is inc ...

. They were formerly known as the Rumsey Indian Rancheria of Wintun Indians of California.

Government

The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation is headquartered in

Brooks, California Brooks is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Yolo County, California, located in the Capay Valley in the northwest of the county. Brooks' ZIP Code is 95606 and its area code 530. The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation is headq ...

. A democratically elected, five-person tribal council govern the tribe and operate tribal services and business ventures, such as Yocha Dehe Wintun Academy, Yocha Dehe Fire Department, Yocha Dehe Community Fund, Yocha Dehe Farm and Ranch, Cultural Resources Department, Health and Wellness Department, Environmental Department, Tribal Gaming Agency, and

Cache Creek Casino Resort Cache Creek Casino Resort is a casino/resort located in Brooks, California, in Northern California's Capay Valley. Opened as a bingo hall in July 1985, it was renovated in 2002 and completed in 2004 as a destination resort. The connected hotel ...

."Tribal Council."
''Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation.'' 2012. Retrieved 25 October 2012. The current tribal administration is as follows: * Chairman: Anthony Roberts * Secretary: James Kinter * Treasurer: Leland Kinter * Council Member: Yvonne Perkins * Council Member: Diamond Lomeli

Reservation

The tribe's reservation is the Rumsey Rancheria, a federally recognized

ranchería The Spanish word ranchería, or rancherío, refers to a small, rural settlement. In the Americas the term was applied to native villages or bunkhouses. Anglo-Americans adopted the term with both these meanings, usually to designate the resident ...

in the Coast Range. Established in 1907, the rancheria is 185 acres large.

Culture

The Yocha Dehe Wintun are Patwin people, whose traditional territories are near the

Sacramento River The Sacramento River ( es, Río Sacramento) is the principal river of Northern California in the United States and is the largest river in California. Rising in the Klamath Mountains, the river flows south for before reaching the Sacramento� ...

valley. The

Patwin language Patwin (Patween) is a critically endangered Wintuan language of Northern California. As of 2021, there was one documented first language speaker of Patwin. As of 2010, Patwin language classes were taught at the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation (forme ...

is a

Penutian language 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 s ...

. Traditional subsistence included fishing

king salmon The Chinook salmon (''Oncorhynchus tshawytscha'') is the largest and most valuable species of Pacific salmon in North America, as well as the largest in the genus '' Oncorhynchus''. Its common name is derived from the Chinookan peoples. Other v ...

, harvesting acorns, hunting, and gathering vegetables.

Economic development

The Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation owns and operates the Cache Creek Casino Resort, which included a hotel, spa, and golf course, as well as several restaurants: C2 Steak and Seafood, Chang Shou, The Sports Page, Harvest Buffet, Canyon Cafe, The Deli, Asian Kitchen, Sweets Etc., and Loco Express, all located in Brooks. The tribe's agricultural interests include wine grapes and

arbequina olives Arbequina is a cultivar of olives. The fruit is highly aromatic, small, symmetrical and dark brown, with a rounded apex and a broad peduncular cavity. In Europe, it is mostly grown in Catalonia, Spain, but it is also grown in Aragon and Andalusi ...

. They package and market many of their products, including olive oils, vinegar and wine under the brand Seka Hills. They have two retail stores and tasting rooms in

Yolo County Yolo County (; Wintun: ''Yo-loy''), officially the County of Yolo, is a county located in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 216,403. Its county seat is Woodland. Yolo County is incl ...

, one in Brooks and one in Clarksburg in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

Education

The ranchería is served by the

Esparto Unified School District Esparto, halfah grass, or esparto grass is a fiber produced from two species of perennial grasses of north Africa, Spain and Portugal. It is used for crafts, such as cords, basketry, and espadrilles. ''Stipa tenacissima'' and ''Lygeum spartum ...

Notes

References

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

External links

Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation
official website
The Rumsey Band of the Wintun Indians: A Return to Self Sufficiency
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation Native American tribes in California Federally recognized tribes in the United States Wintun Patwin Yolo County, California