The Kucadikadi are a band of

Northern Paiute Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a r ...

people who live near Mono Lake in Mono County, California. They are the southernmost band of Northern Paiute.Fowler and Liljeblad 437Arkush, Brooke S
"Historic Northern Paiute Winter Houses in Mono Basin, California."
''Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology''. 9 (2) 1987 (retrieved August 31, 2010) The Kutzadika’a have resided in the Mono Lake–Yosemite region since time immemorial.(??)

Name

Mono, the Indians of Owens Valley are now recognized as the southernmost division of Northern Paiute. A definitive ethnography has been published by Steward (1933; see also Steward 1938). There were probably at least thirty permanent villages clustered into a lesser number of land-owning districts between Round Valley to the north and Owens LakeThe "Mono" lived on both sides of the Sierra Nevada and are divided into two regional tribal/dialect groups, roughly based on the Sierra crest: Eastern Mono live on the California-Nevada border on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada in the Owens Valley (Mono: Payahǖǖnadǖ/Payahuunadu - "place/land of flowing water") along the Owens River (Wakopee) and south to Owens Lake (Pacheta).The Yosemite-Mono Lake Paiute group trace the origins of the Ahwahnichi, the original inhabitants of the park, to Chief Tenaya’s group, which is the band documented in Bunnell’s accounts. Andrews said that Tenaya led a band of Paiutes that migrated from the Mono Lake area and settled in villages in Yosemite. Mono, the Indians of Owens Valley are now recognized as the southernmost division of Northern Paiute. A definitive ethnography has been published by Steward (1933; see also Steward 1938). There were probably at least thirty permanent villages clustered into a lesser number of land-owning districts between Round Valley to the north and Owens Lake They are also known as the "Owens Valley Paiute" Most mono lake paiute are and will be Owens Valley Paiute. they live on the reservation ,enrolled there. Western Mono on the west side in the south-central foothills of the Sierra Nevada, including the "Northfork Mono," as labeled by E.W. Gifford, an ethnographer studying people in the vicinity of the San Joaquin River in the 1910s. ucadikadi means "eaters of the brine fly pupae". They are also known as the Kutsavidökadö, Koza'bittukut'teh, Kotsa'va, Mono Lake Paiute, Mono Basin Paiute, and Kuzedika. Lamb gives the Mono language name as kwicathyhka', "

larvae A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

eaters", or Mono Lake Paviotso. The term "Mono Lake Paiute," a holdover from early anthropological literature, has proven problematic.

Culture and geography

The Kucadikadi's homeland surrounds Mono Lake in eastern California, but they traditionally traveled to Walker Lake, Nevada for seasonal subsistence activities. Mono Lake is a high piedmont area of 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 primarily ...

, the average elevation in the Mono Lake basin is around above sea level. The surrounding mountains range from in elevation. Mono Lake is extremely saline and is home to several waterfowl species and the brine fly, or ''

Ephydra hians ''Ephydra hians'', commonly known as the alkali fly, is a species of fly in the family Ephydridae, the brine flies. Description The body of the adult is dark brown, and roughly in length. The thorax reflects a metallic greenish or bluish color, ...

'' or ''

Hydropyrus hians ''Ephydra hians'', commonly known as the alkali fly, is a species of fly in the family Ephydridae, the brine flies. Description The body of the adult is dark brown, and roughly in length. The thorax reflects a metallic greenish or bluish color, ...

'', from which the band takes its name.Fowler and Liljeblad 437 '' Pinus monophylla'' or piñon pine has been an important source of food, as were jackrabbits, deer, mountain sheep, and the coloradia Pandora moth. The extended family formed the band's basic social units, which moved together as a group. They traded with

Owens Valley Paiute The Mono ( ) are a Native American people who traditionally live in the central Sierra Nevada, the Eastern Sierra (generally south of Bridgeport), the Mono Basin, and adjacent areas of the Great Basin. The Eastern mono is often grouped under th ...

and Western Mono. Three late 19th-century winter houses belonging to the tribe have been excavated by archaeologists. They are conical houses constructed with posts of

Utah juniper ''Juniperus osteosperma'' (Utah juniper; syn. ''J. utahensis'') is a shrub or small tree native to the southwestern United States. Description The plant reaches , rarely to 9 m, tall. The shoots are fairly thick compared to most junipers, ...

or '' Juniperus osteosperma''. Winter houses of this type, called ''

tomogani A wigwam, wickiup, wetu (Wampanoag), or wiigiwaam (Ojibwe, in syllabics: ) is a semi-permanent domed dwelling formerly used by certain Native American tribes and First Nations people and still used for ceremonial events. The term ''wickiup'' ...

'', were built by the band up to 1920.

Language

The Kucadikadi speak the Northern Paiute language, which is in the Numic branch of the Uto-Aztecan language family. The Numu (Northern Paiute) language is spoken by a wide number of different tribes, residing across the western United States, from Mono Lake in eastern California, and extending into Nevada, Oregon, and Idaho. Numu is most firmly identified with the Owens Valley Paiute and Mono people. Extending further in the United States of America, the Northern Paiute language is connected to the language of the Shoshoni, who live in Death Valley, and east and north California, as well as that of the

Kawaiisu The Kawaiisu (pronounced: ″ka-wai-ah-soo″) are a Native Californian ethnic group in the United States who live in the Tehachapi Valley and to the north across the Tehachapi Pass in the southern Sierra Nevada, toward Lake Isabella and Walker ...

and Ute people, who live in southern California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona.

Basketry

The band is well known for its basketry, they wove coiled baskets as well as twined baskets. Bracken fern and

redbud ''Cercis'' is a genus of about 10 species in the subfamily Cercidoideae of the pea family Fabaceae, native to warm temperate regions. It contains small deciduous trees or large shrubs commonly known as redbuds. They are characterised by simpl ...

provide color for designs on coiled baskets.Dalrymple 35 In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, encroachment of non-Natives in their territory disrupted traditional hunting and gathering lifestyles, so members of the tribe relied on the tourist trade. Selling elaborate baskets to non-Indian tourists became a viable way of making a living. Glass beads were introduced by non-Indians, and Kucadikadi women began incorporating the seed beads into their baskets by 1908.

Today

Many members of the Kucadikadi band are enrolled in federally recognized BISHOP PAIUTE TRIBE> some in Paiute, Washoe, Yokuts, Miwok, and Western Mono tribes. Others are seeking recognition as the Sierra Southern Miwuk . but the true mono lake paiute are EASTERN MONOEastern Mono live on the California-Nevada border on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada in the Owens Valley (Mono: Payahǖǖnadǖ/Payahuunadu - "place/land of flowing water") along the Owens River (Wakopee) and south to Owens Lake (Pacheta).The Yosemite-Mono Lake Paiute group trace the origins of the Ahwahnichi, the original inhabitants of the park, to Chief Tenaya’s group, which is the band documented in Bunnell’s accounts. Andrews said that Tenaya led a band of Paiutes that migrated from the Mono Lake area and settled in villages in Yosemite. Mono, the Indians of Owens Valley are now recognized as the southernmost division of Northern Paiute. A definitive ethnography has been published by Steward (1933; see also Steward 1938). There were probably at least thirty permanent villages clustered into a lesser number of land-owning districts between Round Valley to the north and Owens Lake They are also known as the "Owens Valley Paiute" Most mono lake paiute are and will be Owens Valley Paiute. they live on the reservation ,enrolled there. and the Mono Lake Indian Community, headquartered in Lee Vining, California."California Indians and Their Reservations."
''SDSU Library and Information Access.'' retrieved September 1, 2010

Notable Kucadikadi

* Carrie Bethel (1898–1974), basket weaver * Nellie Charlie (1867–1965), basket weaver *

Tina Charlie Tina Charlie (born Tina Jim in Mono Lake, California; 1869–1962) was a Native North American basketweaver. Affiliated with the Kucadikadi tribe, she wove baskets for her own use and that of others in the tribe. An innovative weaver, she incor ...

(1869-1962), basket weaver *

Lucy Telles Lucy Parker Telles (/1885–1955/6) was a Mono Lake Paiute - Kucadikadi (Northern Paiute) and Southern Sierra Miwok (Yosemite Miwok) Native American basket weaver.Giese, Paula"Miwok-Paiute Tradition."''Yosemite Basket Makers - Native American ...

(ca. 1870/1885–1955/6), basket weaver

Notes

References

* Fowler, Catherine S. and Sven Liljeblad. "Northern Paiute". ''Handbook of North American Indians: Great Basin, Volume 11''. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution, 1986. . *Kelly, Isabel T. and Catherine S. Fowler. "Southern Paiute". ''Handbook of North American Indians: Great Basin, Volume 11''. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution, 1986: 368-397. . * Pritzker, Barry M. ''A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.

External links

"Native American Story of Mono Lake Paiute"
Reznet News video {{authority control Native American tribes in California History of Mono County, California Mono County, California Paiute