Pre-Contact Tribal Territories

Ethnographic data depict the traditional lands of Native American groups in the OVSES and adjacent parts of Inyo County. These data are based on maps derived from the Californian Indian Library Collection and have been digitized by HELIX for the purpose of this study. These data are for informational purposes only and may not be spatially accurate.

Modern Native American groups are either federally recognized tribes or unrecognized tribes. A federally recognized tribe can be defined as “an American Indian or Alaska Native tribal entity that is recognized as having a government-to-government relationship with the US, with the responsibilities, powers, limitations, and obligations attached to that designation, and is eligible for funding and services from the Bureau of Indian Affairs” (BIA 2014). Federally recognized tribes possess the right to self-governance and are afforded various federal benefits, services, and protections because of their unique relationship with the United States. Unrecognized tribes may operate in similar ways to federally recognized tribes, but they do not have the right to government-to-government consultation or federal assistance. There are both federally recognized tribes and unrecognized tribes with traditional territories and use areas that include portions of the OVSES.