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Konkow Valley Band of Maidu granted land in traditional homeland - Chico Enterprise-Record

After 150 years without land ownership, the Konkow Valley Band of Maidu now has its own land to practice traditions.

In December last year, the Konkow Valley Band of Maidu, a federally unrecognized tribe, was granted 10.72 acres of land in an agreement with Konkow Partners and are now beginning to work on their newly acquired land.

The beginnings of traditional bark houses called Hubo are seen at the site, and some overgrown brush and trees have been removed.

Cultural Resource Director Matthew Williford said the tribe is the aboriginal indigenous people of Concow Valley and has their own unique dialect, songs and traditional dances that are different from other local tribes that they plan to teach on the new land.

  • The frame of a bark house stands Thursday, March 10, 2022 on the new land of Konkow Valley Band of Maidu in Concow, California.(Michael Weber/Enterprise-Record)

  • A traditional native bark house built by Konkow Valley Band of Maidu seen Thursday, March 10, 2022 in Concow, California.(Michael Weber/Enterprise-Record)

  • Cuttings of vegetation are seen piled up Thursday, March 10, 2022 on the new land of Konkow Valley Band of Maidu in Concow, California. (Michael Weber/Enterprise-Record)

“This is our traditional territory. Scholars usually label all of the local tribes as Concow. But we, the Concow Valley, are the aboriginal indigenous human beings from the Concow area,” Williford said. “We don’t have a migration story; our creation story says we were made right here in Concow Valley.”

Williford said the tribe has plans to build traditional bark houses where they can teach future generations about the culture. In 2012, Williford said there were only two fluent speakers left in their tribal community and now estimates about eight people to be fluent.

Currently, the tribe conducts cultural lessons at elders’ houses that are owned privately, where they teach agriculture on land owned by their partners.

“All of our gathering areas are either overgrown or have been taken over or are privately owned,” Williford said. “We even have to ask permission today from agencies if we could go onto their land together. You have to get a letter that you’re approved.”

Williford said the tribe has always lived in the Concow area but was never granted a ranch or housing assistance like other tribes because they aren’t federally recognized.

“We’ve been here this whole time; we just went up higher into the mountains and where miners didn’t want to go. And since that time our land was taken, we didn’t have ownership,” Williford said. “For 150 years, we have had no land. None. We were strangers or trespassers in our own homeland.”

Now, Williford said, the tribe can use the land to immerse tribal members and community back into the culture through language teaching; traditional making of regalia such as capes and flicker masks. They can teach members how to take care of local plants and possibly, traditional burning.

The Konkow Valley Band community members are now working on clearing out invasive brush, setting up initial structures, and creek restoration to clear debris from recent fires to bring back more newts.

Williford said the tribe was denied federal status in 2017 but will reapply for federal recognition this year. He said he hopes that the land grant will help them achieve recognized status now that they have an official space they can practice on.

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Konkow Valley Band of Maidu granted land in traditional homeland - Chico Enterprise-Record
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