Josh Campbell-Special to the Sun

The Tubatulabal Indians have lived in the Kern Valley area for centuries, but this month marks the one year anniversary of their Tribal Government office. Headed by Tribal Chairwoman Donna Begay, the primary goal of the office is to gain federal recognition of the Tubatulabals (pronounced Too-botta-la-bulls) as an Indian Tribe. There are 200 tribe members living in Bakersfield, Kern Valley, Ridgecrest and other parts of California. Right now there are no federally recognized tribes in Kern County, but being recognized by the federal government will give the Tubatulabals access to grants that will be used to make needed repairs and update water, power and septic facilities on allotted lands.

To meet the necessary requirements for federal recognition, the tribal office has to prove several facts. First, they must show that their people have had treaty relations with the federal government or have been treated as having collective rights in tribal lands, even though not expressly designated as a tribe. Secondly, they must show that they have been treated as a tribe by other tribes and lastly, they must show that they have exercised political authority over its members by a tribal council. Donna Begay has compiled and summarized a huge amount of historical literature to support their campaign and the Tule River Indian Reservation Tribe is supporting the Tubatulabals in their quest for recognition.

Tubatulabal tribal office and Pakanapul language center in Mt. Mesa.

Aside from their legal battles, the tribal council is proudest of their Pakanapul language program. This program has been in place for four years and recently has made great strides in preserving their language for future generations. The director of the program is Betsy Johnson. 'The only person left who can fluently speak the Pakanapul dialect is Jim Andreas,' Johnson said. 'That’s what makes this program so important.' The language team meets on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at their office in Mt. Mesa to study with Andreas.

The program has also received outside assistance from linguists to help preserve their native language. Linsay Marean, an employee of the Owens Valley Career Development Center, has helped put together a new alphabet and writing system for use with the Pakanapul language. 'The program is going so well we are being used as a model for other language programs across the country,' said Johnson.

The name Tubatulabals means Pinon Gathering People. The Tubat is a pinon or pine nut. The traditional territory of the Tubatulabals is the North and South fork of the Kern River. According to the Handbook of North American Indians, their presence here can be dated as far back as 1 A.D. In 1863 between thirty and forty men were killed by the U.S. Calvary after some local white ranchers complained that their milk cows were being stolen by the Tubatulabals. This coming April there will be a remembrance ceremony in honor of the men who died in the massacre.

In the 1890’s, the Dawes’ Act was passed. This divided Native tribes and split families up on to allotment lands, which many of the Tubatulabals still live on. Here in the Kern River Valley there are four Tubatulabal Tribal Allotments, the Miranda Allotment in Weldon, the White Blanket Allotment in Onyx, the Weldon Allotment off of Kelso Valley Rd. and the Paiute Mountain Allotment, which is located off of Walker Basin Rd. These lands are in desperate need of basic water, septic and electric utilities, which is why the work being done by Begay, Johnson and all the other members of the tribal council so important.

Anyone who wishes to donate or volunteer their time to the Tubatulabals of Kern Valley can call 760-379-4590, or visit www.tubat.org.