Wukchumni facts for kids
The Wukchumni are a Native American tribe from California. They are part of the larger Yokuts group. Today, about 200 Wukchumni people live on the Tule River Reservation.
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Who Are the Wukchumni People?
About 3,000 years ago, the Wukchumni people separated from the main Yokuts group. They decided to make their home near the east fork of the Kaweah River in California. This area became their permanent home.
Where Did the Wukchumni Live?
The Wukchumni people lived in villages along the East Fork Kaweah River. During the warmer summer months, they would move to villages in places like the Atwell Mill area and the Mineral King Valley.
They were skilled at finding food. They gathered bulbs, berries, and acorns from the land. For hunting, they would catch animals like bear, deer, and mountain sheep. They also traveled to Hockett Meadow and White Chief Bowl in Sequoia National Park. Here, they hunted and traded with their neighbors, the Northern Paiute people.
How Many Wukchumni Are There Today?
Long ago, before Europeans came to California, it's thought that the Yokuts population was around 50,000 people. Today, there are fewer than 200 people who identify as Wukchumni. Some people on the Tule River Reservation have Wukchumni ancestors. However, most Wukchumni descendants are not officially recognized by the government.
One very important Wukchumni person was Marie Wilcox. She wrote a dictionary for the Wukchumni language. She was also the last person who spoke the language fluently from birth.
Saving the Wukchumni Language
The Wukchumni people traditionally spoke a language also called Wukchumni. It is a special part of their culture and history.
Marie Wilcox: A Language Hero
Marie Wilcox was born in 1933. She was the last person who spoke Wukchumni fluently from birth. She passed away on October 7, 2021.
In the early 2000s, Marie and her daughter, Jennifer Malone, started an amazing project. They wanted to create a Wukchumni dictionary. Marie also worked on an audio dictionary with her grandson.
Marie said her grandparents taught her the language when she was young. For a while, she didn't use the language much after her grandmother died. But then, she noticed that young people in her tribe were interested in learning it. This inspired her to work hard on the dictionary.
Marie Wilcox and her daughter taught weekly classes around Tulare County, California. In 2014, Marie Wilcox was the only fluent speaker of Wukchumni. Because of her dedication, by 2021, at least three other people became fluent in the language. Her great-great-grandson is even being raised to speak Wukchumni from birth! Her efforts helped keep this important language alive for future generations.
