Tübatulabal people
Encyclopedia
The Tübatulabal are Native American
s whose ancestral home was in the Kern River
basin, in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains of California
.
Their traditional culture was similar to that of the Yokuts, who occupied most the of the southern half of the California's Central Valley
. Acorn
s, piñon nut
s, and game animals were key elements in Tubatulabal subsistence. Their ancestral language belonged to the Uto-Aztecan language family
. In the current state of the linguistics of the Uto-Aztecan family, it is classified as a branch unto itself.
.) By two estimates, the Tübatulabal were a small to very small nation. Alfred L. Kroeber
(1925:883) put the 1770 population of the Tübatulabal as 1,000. Erminie W. Voegelin (1938:39) considered Kroeber's estimate too high. For the time of initial Euro-American settlement, ca. 1850, she estimated 200-300.
Kroeber in 1910 reported the population of the Tübatulabal as 150. Yamamoto in 2000 estimated the population at 900.http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=tub
Today about 400 Tubatulabal people reside in the Kern River Valley of California. 500 more live in surrounding areas. Many are enrolled in the Tule River Indian Tribe of the Tule River Reservation
.
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...
s whose ancestral home was in the Kern River
Kern River
The Kern River is a river in the U.S. state of California, approximately long. It drains an area of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains northeast of Bakersfield. Fed by snowmelt near Mount Whitney, the river passes through scenic canyons in the mountains and is a popular destination for...
basin, in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Their traditional culture was similar to that of the Yokuts, who occupied most the of the southern half of the California's Central Valley
Central Valley
Central Valley may refer to:*Central Valley *Central Valley, New York*Chilean Central Valley **Central Valley *Costa Rican Central Valley...
. Acorn
Acorn
The acorn, or oak nut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives . It usually contains a single seed , enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne in a cup-shaped cupule. Acorns vary from 1–6 cm long and 0.8–4 cm broad...
s, piñon nut
Pine nut
Pine nuts are the edible seeds of pines . About 20 species of pine produce seeds large enough to be worth harvesting; in other pines the seeds are also edible, but are too small to be of great value as a human food....
s, and game animals were key elements in Tubatulabal subsistence. Their ancestral language belonged to the Uto-Aztecan language family
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...
. In the current state of the linguistics of the Uto-Aztecan family, it is classified as a branch unto itself.
Population
Estimates for the precontact 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...
.) By two estimates, the Tübatulabal were a small to very small nation. 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) put the 1770 population of the Tübatulabal as 1,000. Erminie W. Voegelin (1938:39) considered Kroeber's estimate too high. For the time of initial Euro-American settlement, ca. 1850, she estimated 200-300.
Kroeber in 1910 reported the population of the Tübatulabal as 150. Yamamoto in 2000 estimated the population at 900.http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=tub
Today about 400 Tubatulabal people reside in the Kern River Valley of California. 500 more live in surrounding areas. Many are enrolled in the Tule River Indian Tribe of the Tule River Reservation
Tule River Indian Tribe of the Tule River Reservation
The 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...
.
See also
- Tubatulabal languageTubatulabal languageTübatulabal is a Uto-Aztecan language, traditionally spoken in Kern County, California. It is the traditional language of the Tübatulabal people, who have now largely shifted to English. The language is currently considered moribund....
- Tubatulabal traditional narrativesTubatulabal traditional narrativesTubatulabal traditional narratives include myths, legends, tales, and oral histories preserved by the Tubatulabal people of the Kern River basin of the southern Sierra Nevada in California....