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25-796: 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 km) in Madera County and serves as the tribal land . The tribe has historically confronted numerous challenges, including European colonization, displacement, and loss of land. In response, they have pursued cultural and economic revitalization efforts, notably with

50-560: A 75-mile radius of the Picayune Reservation. General eligibility requires tribal members to be 18 years or older and have attended at least eight council meetings. For officer positions, candidates must be 25 years or older and also meet the meeting attendance requirement. Founded in 1912, the Picayune Rancheria ( 37°12′41″N 119°42′03″W  /  37.21139°N 119.70083°W  / 37.21139; -119.70083 )

75-927: Is 160 acres (650,000 m) large and located in Madera County, in Coarsegold, California . The community of Yosemite Lakes is also nearby. The tribe operates the Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino and associated dining venues in Coarsegold . They also hold naming rights to Chukchansi Park in Fresno . Since the Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino opened in 2003, the Chukchansi Tribe has disenrolled more than half its members. Disenrollment involves removing individuals from tribal membership, denying them various federal tribal benefits including educational support, land rights, tax advantages, medical care, and income from tribal enterprises like casinos. Following

100-672: The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the United States. Of these, 228 are located in Alaska and 109 are located in California. 346 of the 574 federally recognized tribes are located in the contiguous United States. Federally recognized tribes are those Native American tribes recognized by the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs as holding a government-to-government relationship with

125-400: The Bureau of Indian Affairs intervened by reinstating the 2010 Tribal Council, recognized as the last uncontested election, as a temporary measure to alleviate the conflict until a new council could be elected. In 2019, more than 60 members were expelled from the tribe, and in 2023, an additional 49 members faced disenrollment. This reduction in total membership has resulted in an increase in

150-663: The Sierra Nevada foothills to the Fresno and Chowchilla River valleys and down to the Tehachapi Mountains . Today, many Chukchansi reside near their tribal headquarters in the Picayune Rancheria, approximately 30 miles north of Fresno . The Chukchansi language, part of the broader Yokuts linguistic classification, reflects the diversity of approximately 60 tribes identified by anthropologists, each with distinct dialects but sharing cultural similarities. Historically,

175-639: The U.S. Congress the right to interact with tribes. More specifically, the Supreme Court of the United States in United States v. Sandoval warned, "it is not... that Congress may bring a community or body of people within range of this power by arbitrarily calling them an Indian tribe, but only that in respect of distinctly Indian communities the questions whether, to what extent, and for what time they shall be recognized and dealt with as dependent tribes" (at 46). Federal tribal recognition grants to tribes

200-449: The 1950s, the BIA in 1978 published final rules with procedures that groups had to meet to secure federal tribal acknowledgment. There are seven criteria. Four have proven troublesome for most groups to prove: long-standing historical community, outside identification as Indians, political authority, and descent from a historical tribe. Tribes seeking recognition must submit detailed petitions to

225-457: The 574th tribe to gain federal recognition on December 20, 2019. The website USA.gov , the federal government's official web portal, also maintains an updated list of tribal governments . Ancillary information present in former versions of this list but no longer contained in the current listing has been included here in italic print. The Federal Register

250-551: The BIA's Office of Federal Acknowledgment. To be formally recognized as an Indian tribe, the US Congress can legislate recognition or a tribe can meet the seven criteria outlined by the Office of Federal Acknowledgment. These seven criteria are summarized as: The federal acknowledgment process can take years, even decades; delays of 12 to 14 years have occurred. The Shinnecock Indian Nation formally petitioned for recognition in 1978 and

275-732: The Chukchansi Yokuts Revitalization Project. With only a few native speakers remaining, the tribe partnered with the university and contributed $ 1 million in 2012 to support the language's preservation. The tribe also established the Picayune Rancheria Chukchansi Scholarship at Fresno State to support students with an interest in Native American culture. Moreover, the tribe offers a range of educational programs, scholarships, and internships for its members. They prioritize early education to support

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300-555: The Chukchansi people were adept at utilizing their environment, engaging in farming, hunting, and gathering using advanced techniques. They relied on various animals for protein and employed innovative methods, such as decoys, for hunting. Their diet was complemented by plants, nuts, and seeds, particularly acorns, which were abundant in summer. Fire played a crucial role in their lifestyle, used not only for cooking but also for managing land and hunting grounds. Following European contact, including Spanish missionaries and American settlers,

325-464: The Chukchansi population faced significant challenges, including disease and displacement, dramatically reducing their numbers. The discovery of gold further exacerbated their loss of land and rights under American governance. In the early 20th century, the U.S. government allocated land to landless Native Californians, forming Rancherias . However, the Chukchansi experienced a period of federal non-recognition and land loss until their federal recognition

350-617: The US federal government . For Alaska Native tribes, see list of Alaska Native tribal entities . In the United States , the Native American tribe is a fundamental unit of sovereign tribal government. As the Department of the Interior explains, "federally recognized tribes are recognized as possessing certain inherent rights of self-government (i.e., tribal sovereignty)...." The constitution grants to

375-686: The addition of six tribes in Virginia under the Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act of 2017, signed in January 2018 after the annual list had been published. In July 2018 the United States' Federal Register issued an official list of 573 tribes that are Indian Entities Recognized and Eligible To Receive Services From the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs . The Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians of Montana became

400-517: The case was dismissed. February 2012 saw the election of leaders opposed to disenrollment, but the standing council members disputed the election results, leading to a standoff. Protests escalated when supporters of the new leaders occupied a tribal building, leading to confrontations involving pepper spray and burning logs. Law enforcement from Fresno and Madera Counties, alongside the California Highway Patrol, intervened. In February 2014,

425-503: The casino's opening, hundreds of members were disenrolled, resulting in increased financial shares for the remaining members. Those disenrolled included individuals with verified ancestry and rights, as well as some of the last speakers of the Chukchansi language. By 2013, tribal membership reportedly halved from approximately 1,800 to 900. In 2012, the Ramirezes family's legal challenge asserted their exclusive legitimacy as tribe members, but

450-457: The educational success of Native American children and families, focusing on maintaining and sharing their cultural heritage. The tribe's administrative center is in Coarsegold, California , managed by a seven-member tribal council elected by the community. Annual Tribal Council elections are overseen by an election committee, adhering to the tribe's constitutional guidelines. Eligible candidates and officers must be qualified voters residing within

475-606: The monthly payouts for the remaining members. The tribe's casino reportedly generated close to $ 44 million in revenue in 2022. The ranchería is served by the Coarsegold Union Elementary School District and Yosemite Joint Union High School District. Federally recognized tribe This is a list of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States . There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes . As of January 8, 2024 , 574 Indian tribes were legally recognized by

500-456: The opening of the Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino in 2003. Various initiatives have been undertaken to revive the Chukchansi language and to maintain the tribe's cultural heritage. The tribal governance is based in Coarsegold and consists of a seven-member council. Economic activities of the Picayune Rancheria have expanded into investments into retail, construction and other areas. However,

525-454: The right to certain benefits, and is largely administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). While trying to determine which groups were eligible for federal recognition in the 1970s, government officials became aware of the need for consistent procedures. To illustrate, several federally unrecognized tribes encountered obstacles in bringing land claims ; United States v. Washington (1974)

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550-601: The tribe has faced issues related to the disenrollment of a significant portion of its members following the casino's opening. The Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians is affiliated to the Chukchansi Yokuts culture, indigenous to Central California . This group has occupied the San Joaquin Valley and Sierra Nevada foothills for over 12,000 years. The Chukchansi territory has traditionally spanned from

575-564: Was a court case that affirmed the fishing treaty rights of Washington tribes; and other tribes demanded that the U.S. government recognize aboriginal titles . All the above culminated in the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975 , which legitimized tribal entities by partially restoring Native American self-determination . Following the decisions made by the Indian Claims Commission in

600-661: Was recognized 32 years later in 2010. At a Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing, witnesses testified that the process was "broken, long, expensive, burdensome, intrusive, unfair, arbitrary and capricious, less than transparent, unpredictable, and subject to undue political influence and manipulation." The number of tribes increased to 567 in May 2016 with the inclusion of the Pamunkey tribe in Virginia who received their federal recognition in July 2015. The number of tribes increased to 573 with

625-524: Was reinstated in 1983, although they initially remained landless. Awani descendants from Yosemite Valley are also enrolled in the Picayune Rancheria. In recent years, the Chukchansi have worked to reclaim their heritage and land, notably establishing the Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino , marking a step toward economic and cultural revitalization. The tribe promotes education and has collaborated with Fresno State's Department of Linguistics since June 2009 to revive its nearly extinct language through

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