Kashia Old Roundhouse in March 2012.
|
|
Total population | |
---|---|
86+ | |
Regions with significant populations | |
United States ( California) | |
Languages | |
English, Kashaya Pomo | |
Religion | |
Roundhouse religion, Christianity, Kuksu | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Pomo tribes |
Stewarts Point Rancheria | |
---|---|
Indian reservation | |
Country | United States |
State | California |
County | Sonoma |
Elevation | 13 ft (4 m) |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 78 |
Time zone | PST (UTC-8) |
• Summer (DST) | PDT (UTC-7) |
ZIP code | 95480 |
Area code(s) | 707 |
The Kashia Band of Pomo Indians of the Stewarts Point Rancheria is a federally recognized tribe of Pomo people in Sonoma County, California. They are also known as the Kashaya Pomo.
The reservation, Stewarts Point Rancheria, is located in Stewarts Point in Sonoma County. As of 2010, 78 people live on Stewarts Point Rancheria.
The Kashia Band's reservation is the Stewarts Point Rancheria. It is located along Skaggs Springs Road in the Stewarts Point community in rural northern Sonoma County. It occupies 550 acres (2,200,000 m2) in Sonoma County and 78 people live on it. According to the 2010 United States Census 72 of the 78 residents are Native American, and an additional three residents consider themselves to be both Native American and of another race or ethnicity. The reservation has one elementary school, Kashia Elementary School, a community center with a tribal office and medical examination room and two ceremonial Round Houses.
The tribe conducts business from two offices, one in Santa Rosa and the other on the Stewarts Point Rancheria. The nearest outside community is Sea Ranch, which lies to the northwest along the Pacific coast.
The Kashaya still live in their ancestral homelands near present-day Fort Ross. Their name for themselves, wina·má· bakʰe yaʔ is alternately translated as "Person who belongs on the land" or "People From the Top of the Land," or "Kashaya" means "expert gamblers."
When Russians settled in Kashaya lands, they conscripted the tribe to work for them but did not break up the tribe or convert them to Christianity.
Essie Parrish (1902–1979) was an important Kashia Band basket weaver and a spiritual leader of the Kashia Tribe, she strove to sustain Pomo traditions throughout the 20th century. The current spiritual leader of the Kashaya Pomo is Lorin Smith, (born 1935). As a Kashaya Pomo elder and medicine man, Lorin has welcomed non-Indians to visit the round house and take part in the ceremonies.