Tübatulabal facts for kids
Upper fork of Kern River
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|
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 900 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 United States ( California) |
|
| Languages | |
| English, Tübatulabal | |
| Religion | |
| Traditional tribal religion, Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Kawaiisu people |
The Tübatulabal are an Native American group from the Kern River Valley in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. They might have been the first people to live in this area permanently. Today, many Tübatulabal people are part of the Tule River Indian Tribe. Their ancestors belonged to the Uto-Aztecan language family. They separated from the Shoshone people about 3,000 years ago.
Contents
Where the Tübatulabal Lived
The Tübatulabal's traditional lands covered a large area, about 1,300 square miles. This included the Kern and South Fork Kern Rivers in the Kern Valley area of California. Their land stretched from very high mountains in the north to about 41 miles south of where the two rivers meet.
Mountain and Valley Landscapes
The northern part of their land had high mountains, from 2,500 to 14,500 feet tall. These mountains had many lakes and meadows. The southern part of their land, about 2,500 to 3,000 feet high, had three connected valleys: Kern Valley, South Fork Kern Valley, and Hot Springs Valley. Summers there are hot, and winters are cold and rainy.
Plants and Trees in Their Homeland
The valleys are mostly grasslands and chaparral. You can find cacti, scrub oaks, willows, elderberry, and cottonwood trees. Some areas also have joshua trees, junipers, piñons, oaks, and sugar pines.
What Does Tübatulabal Mean?
The Kern River Valley was home to three different groups, all known as Tübatulabal. The name Tübatulabal means "a people that go to the forest to gather tubat (piñon nuts)." It roughly translates to "pine-nut eaters." The neighboring Yokuts people gave them this name.
Other Names and River Names
At one time, the Yokuts also called the Tübatulabal "Pitanisha," meaning "place where the rivers fork." The north fork of the river was called Palegewanap, or "place of the big river," in their language. The south fork was called Kutchibichwanap Palap, meaning "place of the little river."
Tübatulabal Family Groups
The Tübatulabal tribe is made up of three main groups, listed from west to east:
- Bankalachi, Pong-ah-lache or Toloim / Tulamni
- These groups lived in the Greenhorn Mountains and areas around Glennville, California. They sometimes went farther up the South Fork Tule River. They often married people from the Foothill Yokuts tribes.
- Bankalachi or Bokninuwiad (northern group)
- Kumachisi (southern group)
- Toloim or Tulamni (southwestern group)
- These groups lived in the Greenhorn Mountains and areas around Glennville, California. They sometimes went farther up the South Fork Tule River. They often married people from the Foothill Yokuts tribes.
- Pahkanapil, Bahkanapil, Tubatulabal proper
- This group lived from Mount Whitney south along the South Fork Kern River to Lake Isabella. Their lands included areas around Onyx, California and Weldon, California, stretching to Ridgecrest, California near Walker Pass.
- Palagewan
- This group lived near the Little Kern River and the North Fork Kern River. Their territory went south through Kern River Canyon into Hot Springs Valley (Lake Isabella) and down the Kern River to Bakersfield, California.
These groups are closely related in their culture and language. The Pahkanapil group is the only one that has largely survived the changes brought by European settlement.
Tübatulabal Culture and Traditions
The traditional culture of the Tübatulabal was similar to that of the Yokuts people. The Yokuts lived in much of the southern Central Valley of California. Important foods for the Tübatulabal included acorns, piñon nuts, and wild game animals.
Connections with Other Tribes
Because they lived in the Kern Valley, the Tübatulabal had contact with many other tribes. These included the Poso Creek Yokuts and Tule-Kaweah Yokuts to the west. To the north and east, they met groups who spoke Western and Southern Numic languages, like the Western and Eastern Mono and Timbisha (Panamint). To their south were the Kawaiisu people. The Tübatulabal also had ties with the Kitanemuk, Serrano, and Tataviam (Alliklik) peoples, who spoke languages from the Takic branch of Uto-Aztecan.
Important Traders
The Tübatulabal were very important in the trade networks. They helped connect different regions, including the Great Basin, the southern deserts, the Central Valley, and coastal groups.
Society and Decisions
Compared to other tribes in the Sierra Nevada, the Tübatulabal had a higher social standing. Even though their society was led by men, women had an equal say in important decisions. Marriages had to be agreed upon by both the man and the woman.
Stories of Creation
According to the tribe's oral history, the deep cracks and curves of the Kern River canyon were made by a hawk and a duck. They bounced back and forth along the canyon walls as they raced up the river.
Famous Crafts: Pottery and Baskets
The Tübatulabal are well known for their red pottery and coiled baskets. Many of their baskets are now kept in museums and universities. Louisa Francisco, a Bankalachi woman, was famous for her beautiful baskets. Some Tübatulabal families in Kern Valley are related to her. Many of their ancestors married into the Tule River Tribe, Tachi Yokuts, and Tejon Indian Tribe. Tribal families shared their basket-making designs, materials, and weaving techniques.
Basket Makers and Their Skills
Louisa Francisco was born in 1865 at Poso Flat, a Bankalachi village. She died in 1954 at age 95. She lived on the Tule River Indian Reservation before she passed away.
Estefana Miranda, a Pakanapul woman, lived in Weldon, California. She was born in 1895 and died in 1957. Estefana was the daughter of Steban Miranda, who was the last Tübatulabal chief. She knew how to gather native tobacco, acorns, salt grass, and other native foods from the South Fork of Kern Valley and Kelso Valley areas. Estefana also knew how to make "flat round" baskets used for sifting and ceremonies. Her baskets were used to process piñon nuts gathered from Walker Pass, Kennedy Meadows, and Greenhorn Mountain. Estefana was also a skilled horse rider.
The Tübatulabal Language
The ancestral language of the Tübatulabal is called Tübatulabal. It belongs to the Uto-Aztecan language family. In this family, it is considered its own unique branch.
Unique Language Features
The Tübatulabal language is part of the Uto-Aztecan group, but it is not closely related to other languages in that group. Unlike many related languages, Tübatulabal words often ended in consonant sounds. They used special names and endings to show a person's place in the family and their connection to those who had passed away.
Language Dialects and Learning
The Tübatulabal language has two dialects: "paka'anil" and "bankalachi." Today, in Mountain Mesa, California, the Tübatulabal tribe has a Pakanapul Language Program. This program teaches the "paka'anil" dialect. The last person who spoke "paka'anil" fluently was James Andreas, who passed away in 2009. He spent his last 10 years teaching the Pakanapul Language Team this dialect. Less is known about the "bankalachi" dialect, but it is similar to "paka'anil."
Overcoming Challenges: Historical Trauma
The Tübatulabal people of the Kern River Valley have faced and survived difficult historical events. Of the three Tübatulabal groups, only the Pahkanapil survived the Whiskey Flats event of 1863. During this time, many Tübatulabal people were killed. This event greatly affected the tribe, as most of those who died were adult men.
The Lasting Impact
Despite this terrible event, the tribe members did not seem to blame local white settlers or seek revenge. One tribe member, interviewed for a study, shared the lasting impact: "That morning the soldiers killed our people, it caused a lot of heartache to our people physically, emotionally, and mentally. They took away all our people who tell stories, who could read the stars at night, who could farm. They took away all our old traditions, our songs, our language, and our pride. It affected us a lot. Even to this day it affects us."
How Many Tübatulabal People Are There?
Estimates for how many Native Americans lived in California before Europeans arrived vary a lot. The Tübatulabal were a small group.
Past and Present Population Numbers
In 1770, some estimates suggest there were about 1,000 Tübatulabal people. However, another expert thought this number was too high. For around 1850, when European-Americans first settled, the population was estimated to be between 200 and 300 people. By 1910, the population was reported as 150. In 2000, the population was estimated to be 900.
Today, about 400 Tübatulabal people live in the Kern River Valley of California. Another 500 live in nearby areas.
The Tübatulabal Tribe Today
Today, a Tübatulabal tribe is working to gain official federal recognition. They have an office in Mountain Mesa, California. This group includes descendants of several tribal families who received land under the US Dawes Allotment Act of 1887. The tribe currently has 287 members. However, they started a new enrollment process in October 2012 and estimate they will have about 400 to 600 members in total.
