Mono tribe
Encyclopedia
The Mono are a Native American
people who traditionally live in the central Sierra Nevada Mountains, the Eastern Sierra (generally south of Bridgeport
), the Mono Basin
, and adjacent areas of the Great Basin
.
people" because fly larva
e was their chief food staple and trading article. That led to the name Mono.
Today, many of the tribal citizens and descendents of the Mono tribe inhabit the town of North Fork
(thus the label "Northfork Mono") in Madera County
. People of the Mono tribe are also spread across California in: the Owens River Valley; the San Joaquin Valley
and foothills areas, especially Fresno County
; and in the San Francisco Bay Area
.
The two clans of the North Fork Mono Tribe are represented by the golden eagle and the coyote. Mono traditions still in practice today include fishing, hunting, acorn gathering, cooking, healing, basket making, and games. The Honorable Ron Goode is the Tribal Chairman for the North Fork Mono Tribe, which is not a Federally recognized tribe. The North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians is the Federally recognized tribe in North Fork and their Chairperson is Elaine Fink. Also in the area are the Cold Springs Rancheria of Mono Indians, Chairman Robert Marquez and the Big Sandy Rancheria of Mono Indians, Chairperson Elizabeth Kipp, in which both are also Federally recognized tribes.
Ceremonies are performed at the Sierra Mono Museum in North Fork, California
, and an annual Indian Fair Days festival takes place on the first weekend of August every year to revive many traditions and rituals for tribal kin and tourists alike to enjoy.
, which is in the Numic branch of the Uto-Aztecan language
family. The native language of the Mono people is referred to as "Nim."
Mun a hoo e boso. Mun a hoo e num. Mun a hoo to e hun noh pa teh can be translated as "Hello to my friends. Hello to the Mono people. Hello to the people from all over."
.) Alfred L. Kroeber
(1925:883) suggested that the 1770 population of the Mono was 4,000. Sherburne F. Cook
(1976:192) set the population of the Western Mono alone was about 1,800.
Kroeber reported the population of the Mono in 1910 as 1,500.
Today, there are approximately 2300 enrolled Mono Indians. The Cold Springs Mono have 275 tribal members. The Northfork Mono's enrollment is 1800, making them one of California's largest native tribes. The Big Sandy Mono have about 96 members. The Big Pine Band has 462 tribal members, but it is difficult to determine how many of these are Mono.
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
people who traditionally live in the central Sierra Nevada Mountains, the Eastern Sierra (generally south of Bridgeport
Bridgeport, California
Bridgeport is a census-designated place that is the county seat of Mono County, California. It lies at an elevation of 6463 feet in the middle of the Bridgeport Valley. Bridgeport is located at the intersection of highways US 395 and State Route 182. The population was 575 at the 2010...
), the Mono Basin
Mono Basin
The Mono Basin is an endorheic drainage basin located east of Yosemite National Park in California and Nevada. It is bordered to the west by the Sierra Nevada, to the east by the Cowtrack Mountains, to the north by the Bodie Hills, and to the south by the north ridge of the Long Valley...
, and adjacent areas of the Great Basin
Great Basin
The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds in North America and is noted for its arid conditions and Basin and Range topography that varies from the North American low point at Badwater Basin to the highest point of the contiguous United States, less than away at the...
.
Culture and geography
Throughout recorded history, the Mono have also been known as "Mona," "Monache," or "Northfork Mono," as labeled by E.W. Gifford, an ethnographer studying people in the vicinity of the San Joaquin River in the 1910s. The tribe's western neighbors, the Yokuts, called them monachie meaning "flyFly
True flies are insects of the order Diptera . They possess a pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax...
people" because fly larva
Larva
A larva 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...
e was their chief food staple and trading article. That led to the name Mono.
Today, many of the tribal citizens and descendents of the Mono tribe inhabit the town of North Fork
North Fork, California
North Fork is an unincorporated community in Madera County, California. It is located east of Raymond, at an elevation of 2638 feet .It is miles south east of Bass Lake and from Oakhurst. North Fork is also home of the Mono Indian Museum and the starting point of the Sierra scenic byway...
(thus the label "Northfork Mono") in Madera County
Madera County, California
Madera County is a county of the U.S. state of California, located in the Central Valley and the Sierra Nevada north of Fresno County. It comprises the Madera-Chowchilla, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census the population was 150,865...
. People of the Mono tribe are also spread across California in: the Owens River Valley; the San Joaquin Valley
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...
and foothills areas, especially Fresno County
Fresno County, California
Fresno County is a county located in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California, south of Stockton and north of Bakersfield. As of the 2010 census, it is the tenth most populous county in California with a population of 930,450, and the sixth largest in size with an area of . The county...
; and in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
.
The two clans of the North Fork Mono Tribe are represented by the golden eagle and the coyote. Mono traditions still in practice today include fishing, hunting, acorn gathering, cooking, healing, basket making, and games. The Honorable Ron Goode is the Tribal Chairman for the North Fork Mono Tribe, which is not a Federally recognized tribe. The North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians is the Federally recognized tribe in North Fork and their Chairperson is Elaine Fink. Also in the area are the Cold Springs Rancheria of Mono Indians, Chairman Robert Marquez and the Big Sandy Rancheria of Mono Indians, Chairperson Elizabeth Kipp, in which both are also Federally recognized tribes.
Ceremonies are performed at the Sierra Mono Museum in North Fork, California
North Fork, California
North Fork is an unincorporated community in Madera County, California. It is located east of Raymond, at an elevation of 2638 feet .It is miles south east of Bass Lake and from Oakhurst. North Fork is also home of the Mono Indian Museum and the starting point of the Sierra scenic byway...
, and an annual Indian Fair Days festival takes place on the first weekend of August every year to revive many traditions and rituals for tribal kin and tourists alike to enjoy.
Tribal groups
The Mono are divided into the Eastern Mono and the Western Mono, roughly based on the Sierra crest. The Eastern Mono are also known as the Owens Valley Paiute. The Western Mono traditionally lived in the south-central Sierra Nevada foothills.Eastern Mono (Owens Valley Paiute)
- Big Pine Band of Owens Valley Paiute Shoshone Indians of the Big Pine ReservationBig Pine Band of Owens Valley Paiute Shoshone Indians of the Big Pine ReservationThe Big Pine Band of Owens Valley Paiute Shoshone Indians of the Big Pine Reservation are a federally recognized tribe of Mono and Timbisha Indians in California.The Big Pine Reservation is located from Bishop, at the eastern base of the Sierra Nevada...
- Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Bishop Community of the Bishop ColonyPaiute-Shoshone Indians of the Bishop Community of the Bishop ColonyThe Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Bishop Community of the Bishop Colony is a federally recognized tribe of Mono and Timbisha Indians of the Owens Valley, in Inyo County of eastern California.-Reservation:...
- Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Lone Pine Community of the Lone Pine ReservationPaiute-Shoshone Indians of the Lone Pine Community of the Lone Pine ReservationThe Paiute-Shoshone Indians of the Lone Pine Community of the Lone Pine Reservation is a federally recognized tribe of Mono and Timbisha Native American Indians near Lone Pine in Inyo County, California...
Western Mono (Monache)
- Big Sandy Rancheria of Mono Indians of California
- Cold Springs Rancheria of Mono Indians of CaliforniaCold Springs Rancheria of Mono Indians of CaliforniaThe Cold Springs Rancheria of Mono Indians of California is a federally recognized tribe of Mono Native Americans. Cold Springs Rancheria is the name of the tribe's reservation, which is located in Fresno County, California.-Culture:...
- Northfork Rancheria of Mono Indians of CaliforniaNorthfork Rancheria of Mono Indians of CaliforniaThe Northfork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California is a federally recognized tribe of Mono Native Americans. Northfork Rancheria is the name of the tribe's reservation, which is located in Madera County, California...
- Table Mountain Rancheria of California
- Tule River Indian Tribe of the Tule River ReservationTule River Indian Tribe of the Tule River ReservationThe Tule River Indian Tribe of the Tule River Reservation is a federally recognized tribe of Native Americans. The Tule River Reservation is the name of the tribe's reservation, which is located in Tulare County, California...
Language
The Mono speak the Mono languageMono language (Native American)
Mono is a Native American language of the Numic group of Uto-Aztecan languages, the ancestral language of the Mono people. Mono consists of two dialects, Eastern and Western. The name "Monachi" is commonly used in reference to Western Mono and "Owens Valley Paiute" in reference to Eastern Mono....
, which is in the Numic branch of the Uto-Aztecan language
Uto-Aztecan languages
Uto-Aztecan or Uto-Aztekan is a Native American language family consisting of over 30 languages. Uto-Aztecan languages are found from the Great Basin of the Western United States , through western, central and southern Mexico Uto-Aztecan or Uto-Aztekan is a Native American language family...
family. The native language of the Mono people is referred to as "Nim."
Mun a hoo e boso. Mun a hoo e num. Mun a hoo to e hun noh pa teh can be translated as "Hello to my friends. Hello to the Mono people. Hello to the people from all over."
Population
Estimates for the pre-contact populations of most native groups in California have varied substantially. (See Population of Native CaliforniaPopulation of Native California
Estimates of the Native Californian population have varied substantially, both with respect to California's pre-contact count and for changes during subsequent periods. Pre-contact estimates range from 133,000 to 705,000 with some recent scholars concluding that these estimates are low...
.) Alfred L. Kroeber
Alfred L. Kroeber
Alfred Louis Kroeber was an American anthropologist. He was the first professor appointed to the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, and played an integral role in the early days of its Museum of Anthropology, where he served as director from 1909 through...
(1925:883) suggested that the 1770 population of the Mono was 4,000. Sherburne F. Cook
Sherburne F. Cook
Sherburne Friend Cook was a physiologist by training, and served as professor and chairman of the department of physiology at the University of California, Berkeley...
(1976:192) set the population of the Western Mono alone was about 1,800.
Kroeber reported the population of the Mono in 1910 as 1,500.
Today, there are approximately 2300 enrolled Mono Indians. The Cold Springs Mono have 275 tribal members. The Northfork Mono's enrollment is 1800, making them one of California's largest native tribes. The Big Sandy Mono have about 96 members. The Big Pine Band has 462 tribal members, but it is difficult to determine how many of these are Mono.
See also
- Mono traditional narrativesMono traditional narrativesMono traditional narratives include myths, legends, tales, and oral histories preserved by the Mono people, including the Owens Valley Paiute east of the Sierra Nevada and the Monache on that range's western slope, in California....
- Mono language (Native American)Mono language (Native American)Mono is a Native American language of the Numic group of Uto-Aztecan languages, the ancestral language of the Mono people. Mono consists of two dialects, Eastern and Western. The name "Monachi" is commonly used in reference to Western Mono and "Owens Valley Paiute" in reference to Eastern Mono....
- Native Americans in the United StatesNative Americans in the United StatesNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
- Population history of American indigenous peoplesPopulation history of American indigenous peoplesThe population figures for Indigenous peoples in the Americas before the 1492 voyage of Christopher Columbus have proven difficult to establish and rely on archaeological data and written records from European settlers...
- Population of Native CaliforniaPopulation of Native CaliforniaEstimates of the Native Californian population have varied substantially, both with respect to California's pre-contact count and for changes during subsequent periods. Pre-contact estimates range from 133,000 to 705,000 with some recent scholars concluding that these estimates are low...