US Tribes K to M


Click on a letter of the alphabet to go to US Tribes starting with that letter. Where known, the official name is used. Linked tribal names go to their profile index page which will contain more links to sections of our site where you can find articles about that tribe and related tribes.

A-B   C-D   E-F-G   H-I-J   K-L-M   N-O-P
Q-R-S
  T-U-V   W-X-Y-Z

KEY:(F)= Federally Recognized, (S)= State Recognized, (T)= Terminated, (U)= Unrecognized, (M)= Mesoamerican Civilizations,(P)= Petitioning for Recognition, (C)= Canadian Tribes, (E)= Extinct, (IRA)= Indian Reorganization Act

Inclusion on this site does NOT mean an endorsement has been made for recognition of any particular tribe. All entities claiming to be US indian tribes that we are aware of have been included for completeness. Where known, we have indicated official tribal status with our Key Chart, based on information released by the BIA as of May 2016.

In many cases we have not verified the validity of the claim of tribal status, and leave it to your own common sense or further research to validate tribal claims.Alternate names in parenthesis are either older names that were once used to identify that tribe, or they are misspellings.

Links to tribal profile pages are at the bottom of the page.

us tribes starting with K

Kalispel

Kalispel Indian Community of the Kalispel Reservation, Washington

Karuk

Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria (California) (F)
Karuk Tribe (California)

Kaw

Kaw Nation, Oklahoma

Kickapoo

Kickapoo Tribe of Indians of the Kickapoo Reservation in Kansas
Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma
Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas (formerly the Texas Band of Traditional Kickapoo), Texas

Kiowa

Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma

Klallam

Confederated Tribes

Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation (Upper and Lower Chehalis, Klallam, Muckleshoot, Nisqually, and Quinault)
Lower Elwha Tribal Community (Klallam)
Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe (Klallam)
Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe (Klallam)
Scia’new First Nation (Becher Bay Indian Band or Beecher Bay Indian Band), (Becher Bay Indian Reserve No. 1, Becher Bay Indian Reserve No. 2, Fraser Island Indian Reserve No. 6, Lamb Island Indian Reserve No. 5, Long Neck Island Indian Reserve No. 9, Twin Island Indian Reserve No. 1, Village Island Indian Reserve No. 7, and Whale Island Indian Reserve No. 8), Vancouver Island, British Columbia

Klamath Tribes

Klamath Tribes (below), Oregon (formerly the Klamath Indian Tribe of Oregon)
Quartz Valley Indian Community of the Quartz Valley Reservation of California

Kootenai

Kootenai Tribe of Idaho
Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation

Kumeyaay/Diegueño (Ipai/Tipai):

Barona Group of Capitan Grande Band of Mission Indians of the Viejas Reservation (California)(F)
Campo Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the Campo Indian Reservation – See Campo Kumeyaay Nation
Capitan Grande Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of California (F)
Cuyapaipe Community of Diegueño Mission Indians of the Cuaypaipe Reservation (Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay Indians)(California) (F)
Inaja Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the Inaja and Cosmit Reservation (California) (F)
Jamul Indian Villiage
La Posta Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the La Posta Indian Reservation (California) (F)
Manzanita Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the Manzanita Reservation (California) (F)
Mesa Grande Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the Mesa Grande Reservation (California) (F)
San Pasqual Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of California (F) (California)
Santa Ysabel Band of Diegueño Mission Indians of the Santa Ysabel Reservation (Iipay) (California) (F)
Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation (F)
Viejas (Baron Long)Group of Capitan Grande Band of Mission Indians of the Viejas Reservation (California)(F)

us tribes starting with L

Chippewa

Lake Superior Chippewa Tribes – See Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe – See Minnesota Chippewa Tribe and Keweenaw Bay Indian Community

Lenape – See Delaware

Luiseno

La Jolla Band of Luiseño Indians (F)
Pala Band of Luiseño Indians (F)
Pauma Band of Luiseño Indians (F)
Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians (F)
Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians (F)
Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians (F)
San Luis Rey Band of Mission Indians (U)

Lower Lake Rancheria – See Koi Nation of Northern California

Lumbee Tribe

Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina (S)

us tribes starting with M

Maidu:

Berry Creek Rancheria of Maidu Indians (F)
Enterprise Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California (F)
Greenville Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California (F)
Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria (F)
Mooretown Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California (F)
Round Valley Reservation (F)
Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, Shingle Springs Rancheria (Verona Tract) (F)
Susanville Indian Rancheria (F)
United Auburn Indian Community of the Auburn Rancheria (F)
Honey Lake Maidu Tribe (U)
KonKow Valley Band of Maidu Indians (Koyom’kawi/Concow) (U)
Nevada City Rancheria (T)
Maidu Band of Strawberry Valley Rancheria (aka Strawberry Valley Rancheria or Strawberry Valley Band of Pakan’yani Maidu ) (T)
Tsi Akim Maidu Tribe of Taylorsville Rancheria (U)
United Maidu Nation (U)
Colfax-Todds Valley Consolidated Tribe of the Colfax Rancheria (T)
Ninsenan (U)

Makah:

Makah Indian Tribe of the Makah Indian Reservation, Washington

Meskwaki – See Sac & Fox

Miami

Miami Nation of Indiana (U)
Miami Tribe of Oklahoma (F)

MicMac

Abegweit First Nation (PE) (Canada)
Acadia (NS) (Canada)
Annapolis Valley (NS) (Canada)
Aroostook Band of Micmac Indians of Maine (F) (US)
Bear River First Nation (NS) (Canada)
Buctouche First Nation (NB) (Canada)
Burnt Church First Nation (NB) (Canada)
Chapel Island First Nation (NS) (Canada)
Eel Ground First Nation (NB) (Canada)
Eel River Bar First Nation (NB) (Canada)
Elsipogtog First Nation (NB) (Canada)
Eskasoni First Nation (NS) (Canada)
Fort Folly First Nation (NB) (Canada)
Glooscap First Nation (NS) (Canada)
Indian Brook First Nation (Canada)
Indian Island First Nation (NB) (Canada)
Lennox Island First Nation (PE) (Canada)
Listuguj Mi’gmaq First Nation (QC) (Canada)
Membertou First Nation (NS) (Canada)
Metepenagiag Mi’kmaq Nation (NB) (Canada)
Miawpukek First Nation (NL) (Canada)
Micmacs of Gesgapegiag (QC) (Canada)
Millbrook First Nation (NS) (Canada)
Nation Micmac de Gespeg (QC) (Canada)
Pabineau First Nation (NB) (Canada)
Paq’tnkek First Nation (NS) (Canada)
Pictou Landing First Nation (NS) (Canada)
Wagmatcook First Nation (NS) (Canada)
Waycobah First Nation (NS) (Canada)

Mille Lacs Band – See Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, Minnesota (F)
Modoc

Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma

Mojave Tribe – See Fort Mojave Indian Tribe of Arizona, California, and Nevada

Miwok (Me-Wuk)

California Valley Miwok Tribe
Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians of California

Mixed-Blood Tribes

Beaver Creek Indians SC (S)

Mono:

Big Sandy Rancheria of Mono Indians of California
Cold Springs Rancheria of Mono Indians of California
North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians of California
Tule River Indian Tribe of the Tule River Reservation

Muscogee (Creek)

Alabama-Coushatta Tribe (Texas) (F)
Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town (Oklahoma) (F)
Kialegee Tribal Town (Oklahoma) (F)
Machis Lower Creek Indian Tribe (Alabama) (S)
Muscogee (Creek) Nation (Oklahoma)(F)
Poarch Band of Creek Indians of Alabama (F)(S)
Star Clan of Muscogee Creeks (Alabama) (S)

 

Article Index:

Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians of the Kaibab Indian Reservation

 The Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians are members of the Southern Paiute Nation and a federally recognized indian tribe.

Official Tribal Name: Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians of the Kaibab Indian Reservation

Address:  Tribal Admin Bldg #1, North Pipe Spring Rd., Fredonia, AZ  86022
Phone: 928-643-7245
Fax: 888-939-3777
Email: Kaibab Tribe

Official Website: http://www.kaibabpaiute-nsn.gov/

Recognition Status: Federally Recognized

Traditional Name / Traditional Meaning:

Kai’vi’vits –
E’nengweng – meaning “ancestral people” (who lived throughout the southwest 500 to 1100 years ago).

Common Name / Meaning of Common Name:

Alternate names / Alternate spellings / Mispellings:

Name in other languages:

Region:Great Basin

State(s) Today: Arizona

Traditional Territory:

Confederacy: Southern Paiute

Treaties:

Reservation: Kaibab Indian Reservation

Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians T-Shirt
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The Kaibab Paiute Indian Reservation is located on the Arizona Strip, about 50 miles north of the Grand Canyon. The reservation hosts five tribal villages.  The non-Indian community of Moccasin, and Pipe Spring National Monument are also located entirely within the reservation boundary.
Land Area:  120,413 acres
Tribal Headquarters:  
Time Zone:  Mountain

Population at Contact:

Registered Population Today: 233 enrolled members as of 2000 Census

Tribal Enrollment Requirements:

 Kaibab Paiute Band Enrollment Requirements

Genealogy Resources:

Indian Census Roll 199 – 1910-19, 1921-27

Indian Census Roll 543 – 1897-1905

Government:

Charter:  In 1934, the Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians was established under the Indian Reorganization Act.
Name of Governing Body:  Tribal Council
Number of Council members:   5 plus executive officers
Dates of Constitutional amendments: Amendment No 1, May 29, 1965
Number of Executive Officers:  Plus Chairman and Vice-Chairman

Elections: Elections are staggered.

Language Classification:

Language Dialects:

Number of fluent Speakers:

Dictionary:

Origins:

The Kaibab Paiute people say their traditional territory  is the place of their origin. Their oral traditions says they were brought here by Coyote in a sack.

Bands, Gens, and Clans

Related Tribes:
Duck Valley Paiute
| Pyramid Lake Paiute | Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe | Fort Independence Paiute | Ft. McDermitt Paiute-Shoshone Tribe | Goshute Confederated Tribes | Kaibab Band of Paiute | Las Vegas Paiute Tribe | Lovelock Paiute Tribe | Moapa River Reservation | Reno/Sparks Indian Colony | Summit Lake Paiute Tribe | Winnemucca Colony | Walker River Paiute Tribe | Yerington Paiute Tribe

Traditional Allies:

Traditional Enemies:

Ceremonies / Dances:

Seasonal dancing and games were the primary leisure time amusements. Gambling was a common activity among adults, especially during large gatherings of the various bands and tribes. Children’s games were often instructional.  

Modern Day Events & Tourism:

Pipe Spring National Monument and Cultural Museum

Legends / Oral Stories:

Art & Crafts:

Animals:

Clothing:

Housing:

The Kaibab Paiutes built dwellings in different locations as they moved throughout their territory. The kahn was a home made from trees and brush such as juniper tree branches, willow, rabbitbrush, and sage, that was usually open on one side. Primarily used for sleeping, the kahn also provided an escape from the sun during the summer, and when lined with bark, a refuge from cold winds in the winter. All daily activities took place outside, including making fires for cooking or warmth.

Subsistance:

The Kaibab Paiute lifestyle included hunting, gathering plants and small-scale farming. They depended on a wide range of plants and animals found during different seasons and in different areas.

The Kaibab Paiutes knew how to use each plant, animal and mineral in this arid environment. Their deep understanding of these resources provided them with the basic needs of life: food, clothing, shelter, medicine and spiritual aids.
When you look at a yucca (Oos’eev), what do you see? To the Paiutes, Oos’eev was more than just a spiky desert plant – it was soap, shoes, fuel and rope.

Depending on the season, Oos’eev also provided food. The tender young fruit was good to eat raw or roasted. The pulp of the fruit was rolled and eaten like bread or used for trade. Flowers were eaten fresh.

Dead plants and dry, mature flower stalks became fuel for fires. The main part of the long tap-root was dug up and used as soap, which became a valued trade item. Smaller side roots produced a reddish dye.

Economy Today:

Tribal businesses include a gasoline station and convenience store, cattle ranching, sport hunting licensing and guiding, and a public R.V. park and campground. The Tribe also leases administrative office space to the National Park Service for Pipe Spring National Monument.  The tribal government employs 40 people.

Religion & Spiritual Beliefs:

Within Paiute philosophy, plants, animals, humans, mountains, rocks, and water are viewed as intertwined, and each has a significant purpose to the connectedness of life in this land. All natural objects are seen as having a life force very similar to humans in that these have feelings and power that can help if used in a correct and reverent way.

The power of an animal or a plant may be used through a human, but it is power that belongs to that spirit that ultimately heals. It is in Paiute etiquette to speak to a plant before it is picked, to ensure the plant’s spirit that it will be used in the correct way….if a person harvests a plant without doing these things first, the plant’s power will not help or heal.



It is very similar with animals and the respect that must be shown to them when taking their lives. It must be explained to an animal what it will be used for, and the person must show gratitude by making an offering to the animal’s spirit….gratitude is shown to the spirits of the mountains for allowing the hunter to be successful since the spirits of the mountains are the caretakers of the animals. It is they that protect and hide the animals when it isn’t proper to take them.  

Within the lives of Southern Paiutes, there is an inherent understanding that all things are placed on this land with the breath of life, just as humans. This land is considered to be their home, just as it is for man, and it is taught that one must consider that rocks, trees, animals, mountains and all other things are on the same level as man.

Each has a purpose in life, and the one who created every living thing on this earth placed all living things here to interact with one another….It is said that the plants, animals, and in fact, everything on this land, understands the Paiute language, and when one listens closely and intently enough, there is affirmation and a sense of understanding. 

Burial Customs:

Wedding Customs

 
Radio:  
Newspapers:  

Famous Paiute Chiefs and Leaders

Catastrophic Events:

Tribe History:

The Kaibab Paiute believe the E’nengweng were their ancestors. They believe Tumpee’po’-ohp  – petroglyphs (pictures pecked into stone) and pictographs (pictures painted on stone) – made by the E’nengweng are the link that connects them together. The places where these pictures are found are revered. The early Paiutes continued the tradition of rock writing. 

Certain families owned, or were in charge of, specific springs and farming areas. Extended families and their kinship band had larger areas where they seasonally hunted and gathered. Beyond the family and local group there were several levels or layers of leadership.

Territories were agreed upon between bands. Each territory contained nearly all of the resources necessary for the complex lifestyle of the People. They did, however, regularly travel into other territories to gather certain plants or minerals. This travel resulted in contact, trade and intermarriage with the other Paiute bands and different tribes. Cultural traditions and practices were exchanged and passed on – including basketry, songs and dances, and various beliefs.

The Kaibab Paiute passed on to their children and grandchildren their beliefs that they were to care for and nurture the land, which fed, cured and clothed them. They believed that when they were created they were given the right to use, and the duty to protect, the lands and resources. If plants and animals weren’t harvested and used appropriately, they would disappear and be gone from the People forever.

Knowledge was gained and passed on by and through the person who needed it and used it. Not everyone knew everything. This kept family members dependent upon each other and increased respect for individuals. Knowledge was passed on gradually over time. A lifetime of apprenticeship was the normal process for passing on the complex knowledge of an elder.

The division of labor placed various tasks in the hands of the most skilled. Men worked to prepare the ground before planting; both men and women tended the fields; women were responsible for the harvest. Men hunted, after which the women in camp identified the most needy and distributed the meat accordingly. Women made all the food, clothing and baskets. The building of the family home, the kahn, was generally a joint effort. 

In the News:

Further Reading:

Kalispel Indian Community of the Kalispel Reservation

The Kalispel Indian Community of the Kalispel Reservation are a federally recognized tribe of Lower Kalispel people, located in Washington.

Official Tribal Name: Kalispel Indian Community of the Kalispel Reservation

Address:  P.O. Box 39, Usk, WA 99180
Phone: (509) 445-1147
Fax:  (509) 445-1705
Email:

Official Website: Kalispel Tribe 

Recognition Status: Federally Recognized

Traditional Name / Traditional Meaning:

Common Name / Meaning of Common Name: Kalispell, meaning “river/lake paddlers.”

Alternate names / Alternate spellings / Misspellings:

Name in other languages:

Region: Northwest Plateau

State(s) Today: Washington

Traditional Territory: The Kalispel people are thought to have come from British Columbia. In the 18th century, Blackfeet people pushed them from the Great Plains to Pend d’Oreille River and Lake Pend Oreille. In 1809, the North West Company opened a trading post in their territory. A Roman Catholic mission was founded in the 1840s. The Upper Kalispel were forced onto an Indian reservation in Montana, while the Lower Kalispel remained on their homelands in Washington.

Confederacy: Salish 

Treaties: The Lower Kalispel tribe, except for one band,  refused to sign a treaty proposed by the US government in 1872, which would have removed them from their ancestral lands. Non-Natives claimed reservation lands under the Homestead Act, and economic opportunities for tribal members were minimal.The other band of Lower Kalispel, along with the Upper Kalispel were moved to a reservation in Montana.

Reservation: Kalispel Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land

The Kalispel Reservation was formed in 1914.
Land Area:  4,557-acres
Tribal Headquarters:  Usk, Washington
Time Zone:  Pacific

Population at Contact: By  1875, there were only 395 Lower Kalispel.

Registered Population Today:  Over 400 members. About 1/3 live on the Reservation, 1/3 live in Spokane, and 1/3 live throughout the rest of the United States.

Tribal Enrollment Requirements:

Genealogy Resources:

Government:

Charter:  
Name of Governing Body:  
Number of Council members:  
Dates of Constitutional amendments: 
Number of Executive Officers:  

Elections:

Language Classification:

Language Dialects:

Number of fluent Speakers:

Dictionary:

Origins:

Bands, Gens, and Clans

Related Tribes: Upper Kalispel of Montana

Traditional Allies:

Traditional Enemies:

Ceremonies / Dances:

Modern Day Events & Tourism:

Legends / Oral Stories:

Art & Crafts:

Animals:

Clothing: They traditionally made clothing from rabbit pelts and deer hides. They embellished the hides with dyes, paints, beads, and porcupine quills.

Housing: In the summer, they sometimes used tipis. In winter they lived in tule mat huts.

Subsistance: The Kalispel Indians were semi-nomadic hunters, diggers and fishermen.

Economy Today:

Religion & Spiritual Beliefs:

Burial Customs:

Wedding Customs

 
Radio:  
Newspapers:  

Famous Salish Chiefs and Leaders:

Catastrophic Events:

Tribe History:

In the News:

Further Reading:

Karuk Tribe Index

The Karuk tribe is the second largest indigenous tribe in the state of California. Most Karuk people are enrolled in the Karuk Tribe; however, some are enrolled in the Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria, located in Humboldt County, California. The Quartz Valley Rancheria of Karok, Shasta, and Upper Klamath Indians is also a federally recognized tribal entity.

Official Tribal Name: Karuk Tribe

Address:  64236 Second Avenue, Happy Camp, California 96039
Phone: (530) 493-1600
Fax: (530) 493-5322
Email:

Official Website: http://www.karuk.us/karuk2/home 

Recognition Status: Federally Recognized

Traditional Name / Traditional Meaning:

Karuk means “upriver people”, or “upstream” people. They were one of three tribes living along the Klamath River. The other two were the Modok and Yurok tribes.

Common Name: Karuk Tribe 

Meaning of Common Name: Same as traditional.

Alternate names:

Formerly known as the Karuk Tribe of California, Tolowa: chum-ne

Alternate spellings / Mispellings: Karok

Name in other languages:

Region: California

State(s) Today: California

Traditional Territory:

Since time immemorial, the Karuk have resided in villages along the Klamath River in California and what is now Southern Oregon, where they continue such cultural traditions as hunting, gathering, fishing, basket making and ceremonial dances. 

Confederacy:

Treaties:

Reservation: Karuk Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land

The Karuk do not have a legally designated reservation, but do have a number of small tracts held in trust by the federal government as well as tracts owned by the tribe in fee-simple status. These small non-contiguous parcels of land are primarily located along the Klamath River in western Siskiyou County and northeastern Humboldt County in California. There are also a number of tracts located within the city of Yreka.

Land Area:  2.908 km² (1.123 sq mi, or 718.49 acres)

Tribal Headquarters:
 Happy Camp, California located in the heart of their ancestral territory, which extends along the Klamath River from Bluff Creek (near the community of Orleans in Humboldt County) through Siskiyou County and into Southern Oregon.

Time Zone:
Pacific 

First Contact:

Contact with outsiders was largely avoided until 1850 and the great gold rush. At that time miners, vigilantes, soldiers, and assorted Anglos seized Karuk lands, burned their villages, and massacred their people. Diseases for which they had no immunity also decimated their population. Many Karuk remnants were removed to the Hoopa Valley Reservation during that era.

Population at Contact:

Estimates for the pre-contact populations of most native groups in California have varied substantially.Alfred L. Kroeber proposed a population for the Karuk of 1,500 in 1770. Sherburne F. Cook initially estimated it as 2,000, later raising this figure to 2,700. Kroeber reported the surviving population of the Karuk in the year 1910 as 800.

Registered Population Today:

 As of Fall 2007, the Karuk Tribe of California had 3,507 enrolled members.

Tribal Enrollment Requirements:

Contact:

Dolores Voyles, Enrollment Officer, E-Mail Dolores here
Marsha Jackson Enrollment/Census Specialist E-Mail Marsha here.
Phone number is (800)505-2785 Dolores Voyles ext. 2028, Marsha Jackson ext. 2039.

If you have any questions please feel free to call Dolores Voyles or Marsha Jackson. Office hours are 8:00 to 5:00 Monday through Friday.

Tribal Enrollment Application ||  Back Page of Enrollment Application

Genealogy Resources:

Government:

Charter:  
Name of Governing Body:  Tribal Council
Number of Council members:   9
Dates of Constitutional amendments: 
Number of Executive Officers:  

Elections:

Language Classification: Hokan -> Karuk

Karuk is an endangered language, and most Karuk people now speak English as their first language.

Language Dialects:

Karuk is a language isolate, sharing few if any similarities with other nearby languages. Historically, the American linguist Edward Sapir proposed it be classified as part of the Hokan family he hypothesized. However, little evidence supports this proposal. The Karok language is not closely or obviously related to any other in the area, but has been classified as a member of the northern group of Hokan languages, in a subgroup which includes Chimariko and the Shasta languages, spoken in the same general part of California as Karok itself, along with  Chimariko, Esselen, the Palaihnihan languages (Achumawi and Atsugewi), the Pomoan languages (Central Pomo, Eastern Pomo, Kashaya, Northeastern Pomo, Northern Pomo, Southeastern Pomo, and Southern Pomo), Salinan, the Shastan languages (Konomihu, New River Shasta, Okwanuchu, and Shasta), Washo, Yana, and the Yuman languages (Cocopa, Kiliwa, Kumeyaay, Maricopa, Mojave, Pai, Paipai, and Quechan).

Karuk is a polysynthetic language known for its method of arranging old and new information. Skilled Karuk speakers use separate words to communicate new, salient detail, or to underscore known detail, while using affixes for background details so that a listener’s attention is not diverted.

Number of fluent Speakers:

William Bright documented the Karuk language and produced a grammar of it in 1957. Limited revitalization of the language followed. According to the 2000 Census, there are 55 people between the ages of 5 and 17 who can speak Karuk, including 10 with limited English proficiency.

Dictionary:

Origins:

The Kurok say they were created along the Klamath River and have always been there.

Bands, Gens, and Clans

Related Tribes:

Traditional Allies: Modok, Yurok, Hupa

Traditional Enemies:

Ceremonies / Dances:

The Brush Dance, Jump Dance and Pikyavish ceremonies last for several days and are practiced to heal and “fix the world,” to pray for plentiful acorns, deer and salmon, and to restore social good will as well as individual good luck.

On the first of September, the great Dance of Propitiation, at which all the tribe are present, together with tribal members from the Yurok, the Hupa, and others. They call it sif-san-di pik-i-a-vish which signifies, literally, “working the earth”. The object of it is to propitiate the spirits of the earth and the forest, in order to prevent disastrous landslides, forest fires, earthquakes, drought, and other calamities.

Unlike some public events conducted at other Native American ceremony demonstrations, it is particularly critical for Karuk ceremonialists to maintain their solitude and not be observed or interrupted by non-participants. Karuk ceremonial activities include prayers, meditation, fasting, cultural ceremonial dancing and arrow shoots.

Karuk river ceremonial observances are part of the Karuk World Renewal events which enhance and provide for the well being of the Karuk and the natural world. Interruptions to the ceremonies are thought to create negative impacts on the world.

Modern Day Events & Tourism: 

Legends / Oral Stories:

 The Great Flood

Art & Crafts:

Women wove vegetable fiber baskets, containers, cradles, and caps. The Karuk are best known for their conical basket hats and tightly woven baskets.

Animals:

The following were never eaten: dog, coyote, wolf, fox, wildcat, gopher, mole, bat, eagle, hawk, vulture, crow, raven, owl, meadowlark, blue jay, snake, lizard, frog, caterpillar, and grasshopper. 

Clothing:

Hides, usually from deer, and furs were the basic clothing materials. Women wore hides with the hair on to cover their upper bodies, and they wore a double apron of fringed buckskin. They also had three vertical lines tattooed on their chins.

Men wore a buckskin breechclout or nothing at all. Both sexes wore buckskin moccasins with elkhide soles and perhaps leggings for rough traveling. Both sexes also wore basketry caps and ear and nose ornaments. They decorated their ceremonial clothing with fringe, shells, and pine nuts. Snowshoes were of hazelwood with iris-cord netting and buckskin ties.

Entertainment:

Games included gambling with a marked stick, shinny, cat’s cradle, archery, darts, and the women’s dice game.

Housing:

Dwelling structures (family houses and sweat houses) were made of planks, preferably cedar. Family houses were rectangular and semisubterranean, with an outside stone-paved porch and a stone-lined firepit inside. Doors were small and low. Males from about three years of age slept, sweat, gambled, and passed the time in sweat houses, which women, except for shaman initiates, could not enter.

Today, many people live in extended families. Most children attend public schools, and the tribe provides some scholarship money for those who attend college. Several villages have been inhabited since precontact times.

Subsistance:

The Karuk were hunter gatherers. They foraged for edible plants and medicines, and were known for their wide range of medicinal cures. The Karuk diet consisted mostly of salmon, deer (caught in snares or by hunters wearing deer head masks), and acorns (as soup, mush, and bread). The people also hunted bear, elk, and small game. Meat and fish were usually roasted, although salmon and venison could be dried and stored. Meat and bulbs were usually roasted in an oven of hot stones.

The only cultivated crop was tobacco, and they were the only tribe in California to grow it.

To catch fish, Karuks stood on fishing platforms holding large dip nets (the platforms were privately owned but could be rented). They also used harpoons and gaffs. They cut planks with stone mauls and horn wedges.

The Karuks purchased Yurok boats made from hollowed-out redwood logs. Wooden implements included seats, storage boxes, spoons (for men; women used mussel-shell spoons), and hand drills for making fire. Bows were made of yew wood, with sinew backings and strings. Arrows were obsidian-tipped, and elk hide or rod armor vests were often worn.

Economy Today:

The tribe employed about 80 people in 1995. It operates three health clinics and owns a hardware store. Tribal members also work for the U.S. Forest Service. The Karuk Community Development Corporation maintains formal development plans.

Religion & Spiritual Beliefs:

 According to Stephen Powers, an amateur ethnographer who visited the Kurok in 1871 and 1872, “there were two classes of healers — the root doctors and the barking doctor. It is the province of the barking-doctor to diagnose the case, which she (most doctors are women) does by squatting down before the patient, and barking at him for hours together. After her comes the root-doctor, who with numerous potions, poultices, etc., seeks to medicate the part where the other has discovered the ailment resides.”

Woman doctors also cured by sucking out the cause of a disease with the help of a “pain,” an object, recoverable at will, that she kept within her body. Other kinds of doctors of both sexes cured by using medicinal plants. Medicine men and women usually receive their authority from an elder.

The Karuks observed many daily magical practices and taboos. They also underwent extensive ritual preparations for the hunt, including sweating, bathing, scarification, bleeding, smoking their weapons with herbs, fasting, and sexual abstinence.

Burial Customs:

Corpses were buried in a family plot, along with shell money and valuables. Clothing and tools were hung on a fence around the grave. After five days, the soul was said to ascend to a place in the sky (the relative happiness of the afterlife was said to depend on the level of a person’s wealth). Speaking a dead person’s name remained taboo until or unless given to a child.

Wedding Customs

The Kuruk had especially close marriage and ceremonial ties with the Yurok. They considered sex to be an enemy of wealth and did not often engage in it except during the fall gathering expeditions. Sex and children outside of marriage were acceptable in this scheme: “Legitimacy,” like almost everything else, had a price. Marriage was basically a financial transaction, as was divorce. A couple lived with the man’s parents.

Radio:  
Newspapers:  

Famous Karuk Chiefs and Leaders:

Catastrophic Events:

 Massacres during the Gold Rush Era

Tribe History:

In the News:

There is a pending land claim against the United States. Important contemporary issues include health care, water rights, proper natural resource management, and land acquisition.

Further Reading:

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Kaw Nation
Kewa Pueblo
Keweenaw Bay Indian Community
Kialegee Tribal Town
Kickapoo Traditional Tribe of Texas
Kickapoo Tribe of Indians of the Kickapoo Reservation in Kansas
Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma
Kiowa Indian Tribe of Oklahoma
Klamath Tribes
Koi Nation of Northern California
Kootenai Tribe of Idaho
La Jolla Band of Luiseno Indians
La Posta Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the La Posta Indian Reservation
Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin
Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of the Lac du Flambeau Reservation of Wisconsin
Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Michigan
Las Vegas Tribe of Paiute Indians of the Las Vegas Indian Colony
Little River Band of Ottawa Indians
Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians
Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Tribe
Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians
Lovelock Paiute Tribe of the Lovelock Indian Colony
Lower Brule Sioux Tribe of the Lower Brule Reservation
Lower Elwha Tribal Community
Lower Sioux Indian Community in the State of Minnesota
Lummi Tribe of the Lummi Reservation
Lytton Rancheria of California
Makah Indian Tribe of the Makah Indian Reservation
Manchester Band of Pomo Indians of the Manchester Rancheria
Manzanita Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the Manzanita Reservation
Mashantucket Pequot Indian Tribe
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe
Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians of Michigan
Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria
Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin
Mesa Grande Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the Mesa Grande Reservation
Mescalero Apache Tribe of the Mescalero Reservation
Miami Tribe of Oklahoma
Miccosukee Tribe of Indians
Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California
Minnesota Chippewa Tribe
Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians
Moapa Band of Paiute Indians of the Moapa River Indian Reservation
Modoc Tribe of Oklahoma
Mohegan Tribe of Indians of Connecticut
Mooretown Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California
Morongo Band of Mission Indians
Muckleshoot Indian Tribe
Muscogee Creek Nation