This article's lead section contains information that is not included elsewhere in the article. (May 2022) |
Total population | |
---|---|
6,273 alone and in combination[1] (2010) | |
Regions with significant populations | |
United States ( California) | |
Languages | |
English, Yokuts language[2] | |
Religion | |
traditional tribal religion, Christianity, Kuksu religion,[3] previously Ghost Dance[3] | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Maidu, Miwok, Ohlone, and Wintu peoples |
The Yokuts (previously known as Mariposas[4]) are an ethnic group of Native Americans native to central California. Before European contact, the Yokuts consisted of up to 60 tribes speaking several related languages. Yokuts is both plural and singular; Yokut, while common, is erroneous.[5] 'Yokut' should only be used when referring specifically to the Tachi Yokut Tribe of Lemoore. Some of their descendants prefer to refer to themselves by their respective tribal names; they reject the term Yokuts, saying that it is an exonym invented by English-speaking settlers and historians. Conventional sub-groupings include the Foothill Yokuts, Northern Valley Yokuts, and Southern Valley Yokuts.[6]