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The Karuk Tribe is a Native American group in California with approximately 3,300 members. They traditionally lived along the Klamath River and were hunters and gatherers who depended on salmon fishing. The tribe has no formal political structure and their beliefs include sweating, bleeding, and fasting. The California Gold Rush had a devastating impact on the tribe, but many still engage in traditional pursuits such as hunting and fishing. The tribe has a language committee to preserve their language, which is part of the Hokan language family.
The Karuk Tribe, also called the Karok, is a Native American group with tribal headquarters off State Route 96 in Happy Camp, California. The tribe has approximately 3,300 members and holds tribal council meetings in the cities of Yreka, Happy Camp and Orleans in California. The tribal government has more than 100 employees and the tribal council consists of nine members.
The tribe does not have a reservation, but does have several parcels of land held in federal government trusts and others owned by the tribe. These parcels total just over one square mile (2.9 km). The federal government has recognized the Karuk Tribe of California since 1979. In 1985, the tribe adopted a constitution.
Traditionally occupying the lands along the Klamath River, the Karuk tribe name translates to “upstream people.” The Karuk were hunters and gatherers, and depended on salmon fishing. Fishing was done using large platform dive nets. Harpoons and crampons were also sometimes used.
The Karuk tribe traditionally had no formal political structure or leadership. There were no crimes against society, only against an individual. Those who committed crimes had to give back to the injured party. The tribe’s traditional beliefs depended on rituals that included sweating, bleeding, and fasting. The Karuk were the only tribe in California to grow tobacco.
Continuing with their traditional way of life and having little contact with Europeans until the 1850s, the California Gold Rush changed that forever. The Karuk tribe have burned their villages, confiscated land and disease ravaged the population. Some Karuks have been relocated to the Hoopa Valley Reservation, others have moved away from traditional lands, and some have remained.
Many in the tribe continue to engage in traditional pursuits such as hunting, storytelling and fishing. Ceremonial dance is also part of the Karuk tradition and includes the brush dance, leap dance and Pikyavish. Pikyavish, known as the ceremony of world renewal, has been revived and is held at the end of summer. The ceremony includes priestly rituals, dances and songs.
With only eight fluent speakers of its language known to be alive as of 2002, the Karuk tribe has begun an effort to preserve its traditional language. The tribe has a language committee that works to teach members the language and has updated and distributed a 1940s dictionary of the language. The Karuk language is part of the Hokan language family.
