California Valley Miwok Tribe facts for kids
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 43 people reported as being part of the California Valley Miwok Tribe (some in combination with other ethnicities) in the 2010 census 5 enrolled citizens were recognized by the federal government as of August 2011 |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
 United States ( California) |
|
| Languages | |
| English, historically Northern Sierra Miwok language, Central Sierra Miwok language, and Southern Sierra Miwok language | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| other Miwok tribes |
The California Valley Miwok Tribe is a federally recognized tribe of Miwok people in San Joaquin County and Calaveras County, California. They were previously known as the Sheep Ranch Rancheria or the Sheep Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indian of California. The California Valley Miwok are Sierra Miwok, an indigenous people of California.
Government
The tribe conducts business from Stockton, California. The current tribal administration is:
- Silvia Burley, Chairperson
- Anjelica Paulk, Vice-Chairperson
- Rashel Reznor, Secretary/Treasurer
According to the tribe's website, it is currently governed by a tribal/general council that meets monthly. Officers are elected for six-year terms, with the tribe electing a vice chairperson in 2015 and both a chairperson and a secretary/treasurer in 2017.
History
Membership of the tribe was very low throughout the 20th century. In 1916, the federal government purchased 0.92 acres (0.37 ha) at Sheep Ranch, California for the benefit of 12 named members of the tribe. They were described by the Indian agent who arranged the purchase as "the remnant of once quite a large band of Indians in former years living in or near the old decaying mining town known and designated on the map as 'Sheepranch' ". In 1935, the only Indian recorded as living on the ranchería was Jeff Davis. Davis was recorded as voting in favor of the Indian Reorganization Act on June 8, 1912.
By 1966, Mabel Hodge Dixie was identified as the only adult member of the tribe living on the ranchería. The Bureau of Indian Affairs developed a plan to distribute the tribe's assets to her that year under the 1958 California Rancheria Act, but never declared the tribe terminated or treated it as such. In 1994, Mabel's son Yakima Dixie identified himself as "the only descendant and ... recognized member of the Tribe."
