Summary of Native American Tribes – X-Z

This article provides a summary of several Native American tribes whose names begin with the letters X, Y, and Z. These summaries offer a glimpse into the history, culture, and geographic locations of these diverse groups, many of whom faced significant challenges due to European colonization. These summaries of Summary of Native American Tribes – X-Z will explore their traditions, languages, and the impact of historical events on their existence.

Yahi

The Yahi, meaning "person" in their language, represented the southernmost group of the Yana people, belonging to the Hokan linguistic family. These hunter-gatherers lived in small, egalitarian bands without a centralized political structure, primarily along Mill and Deer Creeks in Northern California. Known for their reclusive nature, the Yahi fiercely defended their territory against encroaching white settlers.

The tragic story of Ishi, considered the "last wild Indian," encapsulates the Yahi’s struggle for survival. After his family perished, Ishi emerged from the Sierra Nevada wilderness near Oroville, California, in 1911. Having lived his entire life isolated from European-American culture, Ishi was taken to the University of California, Berkeley, for study and protection. There, he shared invaluable insights into his culture and language before succumbing to tuberculosis in 1916. Ishi’s legacy remains a poignant reminder of the Yahi’s resilience and the devastating impact of colonization. The exploration of Ishi’s tribe is an essential section for understanding Summary of Native American Tribes – X-Z.

Yahooskin

The Yahooskin, also known as Yahuskin, were a Shoshonean band that roamed and hunted alongside the Walpapi near Goose, Silver, Warner, and Harney Lakes in Oregon before 1864. In that year, they signed a treaty with the U.S. Government, ceding their lands and being placed on the Klamath Reservation. The Yahooskin, along with the Walpapi and some Paiute, were assigned land in the southern part of the reservation, where they adopted agriculture, built willow lodges and log houses, and gradually abandoned their nomadic ways.

By the turn of the century, their population was reported to be over 100. However, the Klamath Termination Act of 1954 stripped federal recognition from the Klamath, Modoc, and Yahooskin tribes living on the Klamath Reservation, resulting in the loss of 1.8 million acres of their land. The Klamath Indian Tribe Restoration Act of 1986 restored their federal recognition, but their land was not returned. Today, the Yahooskin are scattered primarily throughout Klamath County, Oregon, and the history of their land loss is important for Summary of Native American Tribes – X-Z.

Yakama

The Yakama, a Shahaptian tribe, inhabited the banks of the Columbia, Wenatchee, and Yakima Rivers when Lewis and Clark arrived in 1806. Numbering around 1,200, they called themselves Waptailmim ("people-of-the-narrows") or Pakintlema ("people of the gap"), referring to their village’s location near Union Gap on the Yakima River. Their diet consisted primarily of salmon, roots, berries, and nuts.

In 1855, the Yakama and 13 other tribes ceded territory from the Cascade Mountains to the Snake and Palouse Rivers and from Lake Chelan to the Columbia River, forming the Yakima Reservation under Chief Kamaiakan. However, the Yakima War erupted before the treaty could be ratified, and its provisions were not enacted until 1859. Today, the majority of the over 8,000 tribal members reside on the Yakama Reservation in south-central Washington. In 1994, the tribe officially changed the spelling of their name from Yakima to Yakama to reflect the native pronunciation.

Yakonan Family

The Yakonan were a linguistic family occupying territory in western Oregon, along the coast from the Yaquina River south to the Umpqua River. Comprising the Yaquina, Alsea, Siuslaw, and Kuitsh tribes, they were known for the practice of artificial head deformation. Their mythology and traditions resembled those of the Washington Coast tribes but showed influences from California tribes to the south.

Though they lacked a totemic clan system, they tended to segregate into blood-related groups and preferred marriage outside the tribe. Slavery was prevalent until the tribes came under U.S. control. In 1855, they were removed to the Siletz Reservation in Oregon, where their numbers rapidly declined due to tuberculosis and intermarriage with other tribal members. By the early 1900s, a specific census of Yakonan members was no longer possible.

Yamasee

The Yamasee were a prominent tribe of the Muskogean family, primarily associated with early South Carolina history but originally inhabiting the coastal region and islands of southern Georgia and extending into Florida. Their proximity to the Savannah River often led to confusion with the Shawnee and Yuchi tribes. The section of the Yamasee is an important section to understand Summary of Native American Tribes – X-Z.

Spanish missions were established in their territory around 1570, and they lived under Spanish jurisdiction until 1687. When the Spaniards attempted to transport some of their people to the West Indies as laborers, the Yamasee revolted, attacking mission settlements and peaceful Indian tribes before fleeing north to South Carolina. They were allowed to settle in present-day Beaufort County, where they established villages and aided in the fight against the Tuscarora tribe in 1712.

In 1715, dissatisfied with traders, the Yamasee organized with other tribes to fight against the English, resulting in numerous trader deaths and a general massacre of settlers along the Carolina frontier. Governor Craven defeated the Yamasee at Salkechuh on the Combahee River and drove them back to Florida, where the Spaniards welcomed them and settled them in villages near St. Augustine. From then on, they allied with the Spanish and raided English settlements.

In 1727, the English attacked and destroyed their village near St. Augustine, killing many inhabitants. By 1761, only about 20 Yamasee men remained in camps near St. Augustine and Pensacola. The Seminole tribe eventually decimated the tribe, and the survivors were enslaved. As late as 1812, a small band retained the name among the Seminole, but by the turn of the century, they had disappeared entirely.

Yamhill

The Yamhill were a Kalapuyan family who formerly lived on Yamhill Creek, a tributary of the Willamette River in Oregon. By 1910, their numbers had dwindled to just five. Any descendants of the Yamhill today are part of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon.

Yampa

The Yampa were a division of Ute Indians who lived in eastern Utah on and around the Green and Grand Rivers. By 1849, they occupied 500 lodges. Bands of the Yampa included the Akanaquint and Grand River Ute. They eventually merged with the White River Ute.

Yana

The Yana, possessing their own distinct language, formerly occupied the territory from the Round Mountains near the Pit River in Shasta County to Deer Creek in Tehama County, California. Their western boundary was about 10 miles east of the Sacramento River, which was held by the Wintun tribe, with whom the Yana were often at war. They subsisted by hunting wild game, fishing for salmon, and collecting fruits, acorns, and roots.

The California Gold Rush brought prospectors, ranchers, and businessmen to their territory, diminishing their food supply and leading to conflict. In 1865, miners attacked a Yana camp, killing all but about 30 people. The remaining tribe members retreated into the mountain wilderness, and by 1902, only about six remained.

Yankton

The Yankton are a subgroup of the Nakota people, a branch of the larger Sioux Nation.

Yaquina

The Yaquina were a small tribe on the Oregon coast who spoke the Alsean or Yakokna language, now extinct. They lived on the Yaquina River and bay near present-day Newport, Oregon. Early explorers classified them as Salishan tribes, but they were later found to be linguistically independent. They were coastal and river people who survived as fishermen, primarily hunting seals.

Contact with white trading vessels in the late 18th century reportedly found them numbering as many as 5,000. The tribe began to decline as white settlers moved in, hastened by the activities of the Hudson’s Bay Company, miners, and the Rogue Wars of the 1850s. The remaining Yaquina people live on the Siletz Reservation in Oregon and are primarily of mixed blood.

Yatasi

The Yatasi were a tribe of the Caddo Confederacy, closely affiliated in language with the Natchitoch. In 1690, their village was located on the Red River of Louisiana, northwest of the Natchitoch, where they lived with the Natasi and Choye Indians. The Yatasi allied with French explorers in 1701 and remained steadfast in their support, refusing Spanish demands to close the road frequented by travelers from the Spanish province to the French settlements.

During the Chickasaw wars along the Red River in the early 1700s, the Yatasi suffered, with some seeking refuge with the Natchitoch and others joining the Kadohadacho, Nanatsoho, Nasoni, and Caddo tribes. By 1800, diseases brought by white settlers had reduced their population to just over 30 people. Today, the tribe is extinct, with descendants living with the Caddo on the Wichita Reservation in Oklahoma.

Yazoo

The Yazoo formerly lived on the lower Yazoo River in Mississippi and were always closely associated with the Koroa tribe. In 1729, in imitation of the Natchez tribe, the Yazoo and Koroa rose against the French and destroyed a fort, but both tribes were eventually expelled. They likely united with the Chickasaw and Choctaw tribes. Whether this tribe had any connection with the West Yazoo and East Yazoo towns among the Choctaw is unknown. Today, the tribe is extinct.

Yodok

Yodok was a former Maidu village on the east bank of the American River, just below the junction of South Fork in Sacramento County, California.

Yojuane

The Yojuane, also known as the Diujuan, Lacovane, Iojuan, Joyvan, Yacavan, Yocuana, and Yujuane, were a Tonkawan people who ranged over a large area in east-central Texas. Their territory initially extended from the Colorado River east of present-day Austin northward to the Red River. However, as more white settlers arrived in the 18th century, they were primarily confined to the southern portion of this range.

Throughout the 18th century, the Yojuane shared the Tonkawan hatred for the Apache Indians. They were at the San Francisco Xavier de Horcasitas Mission near present Rockdale between 1748 and 1756. By the mid-1800s, they were generally included among the Tonkawa bands on the Brazos Indian Reservation in present-day Young County. In 1859, they were moved to a reservation in Indian Territory. After the Civil War, some Tonkawa returned to northern Texas until 1884, when they were forced back onto the reservation in Oklahoma. Today, the Tonkawa Indians are extinct as an ethnic group.

Yokuts Family

The Yokuts, also called Mariposan, lived on the floor of the San Joaquin Valley from the mouth of the San Joaquin River to the foot of the Tehachapi Mountains and the adjacent lower slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, from the Fresno River south. Comprised of as many as 50 separate hunter-gatherer tribes, they had numerous dialects. This section of Yokuts is an important section to understand Summary of Native American Tribes – X-Z.

Yoncalla

The Yoncalla were the southernmost Kalapuyan tribe, formerly living on Elk and Calapooya Creeks, tributaries of the Umpqua River in Oregon. There were two bands of the group: Chayankeld and Tsantokau. The tribe is extinct today.

Yscanis

The Yscanis, also called the Yxcani Indians, were a tribe of the Wichita Confederacy who first made their home along the lower Canadian River in present-day Oklahoma. They were first encountered by the French explorer Jean Baptiste Bénard de la Harpe in 1719. Under pressure from the Comanche and Osage, they moved to Texas by the mid-18th century.

In 1772, Athanase de Mézières visited them on the east bank of the Trinity River below present-day Palestine, describing their village as consisting of 60 warriors and their families. They lived in a scattered agricultural settlement, raising maize, beans, melons, and calabashes, and were closely allied with the other Wichita tribes. The name "Yscanis" was last used in 1794, but later records mention the Waco, a name previously unknown in Texas, possibly indicating that the Waco were the Yscanis under a new name.

Yuchi

The Yuchi, also spelled Euchee and Uchee, previously lived in the eastern Tennessee River Valley in Tennessee, northern Georgia, and northern Alabama. They called themselves Tsoyaha, meaning "Children of the Sun." Their language never closely resembled any other Native American language, suggesting a long period of isolation.

The first descriptions of the Yuchi suggested that they were the same people as the Westo. A large Yuchi camp known as "Uche Town" existed on the Chattahoochee River during the mid-1700s. In the early 19th century, the Yuchi were forcibly removed along with the Muscogee to Oklahoma. Today, most Yuchi are of multi-tribal descent, and many are citizens of the Muscogee Creek Nation and other tribes, including the Shawnee and the Sac and Fox. Efforts are underway to preserve the distinctive Yuchi language through language classes.

Yufera

The name Yufera was applied to a town or group of towns reported to have been situated somewhere inland from Cumberland Island in present-day Georgia. The name was derived from the Timucuan people but may have referred to a part of the Muskogee tribe called Eufaula.

Yui

The Yui were once located on the mainland, 14 leagues inland from Cumberland Island and probably in the southeastern part of present-day Georgia. They were described as having five villages and were Christianized early in the 17th century. At one time, missionaries estimated them to number more than 1,000 in 1602. However, they soon lost sight of their history, becoming that of the other Timucua tribes.

Yuki

The Yuki were a tribe from the Round Valley of Mendocino County in northern California, whose name means "alien" or "enemy." They were of a much more warlike character than most California Indians. In the 1850s, they were forced onto a reservation in Round Valley, where conditions led to the "Mendocino War" revolt in 1859, which further decimated the tribe. Today, there are but a hundred Yuki, only a dozen of whom speak the language.

Yuma

The Yuma, of the Yuman Family, traditionally lived in the Colorado River Valley and nearby areas in southern California and Arizona. They lived in loose bands led by skilled warriors and economic leaders. The Yuma were not nomadic and seldom left their villages, which were filled with homes made of logs and poles with a thatch covering. These houses were built partially underground to keep out the extreme heat.

The Yuma were farmers, raising corn, beans, pumpkins, and melons. They were first visited by the Spanish explorer Juan de Oñate in 1604-05 and were described as a fine people. For centuries, they battled the Papago, Apache, and other tribes for control of the fertile flood plains of the Colorado River. By 1853, their numbers were estimated to be about 3,000. Today, many tribal members live on the Fort Yuma-Quechan Reservation, which is located along both sides of the Colorado River near Yuma, Arizona. The reservation’s nearly 2,500 members prefer to be called the Quechan and continue to be an agricultural tribe, operating several businesses and counting on tourism as a large part of their economy.

Yuman Family

The Yuman Family is an important linguistic family whose tribes occupied extensive territory in the extreme southwest portion of the United States and lower California, including much of the Colorado River Valley and the lower valley of the Gila River.

Their social groups were well-defined, living in communal huts, practicing agriculture, and making fine basketry and pottery. However, they did not borrow the art of irrigation from the Pueblo peoples, resulting in crops often suffering from drought. They cremated their dead and all articles of personal property. The climate favored nudity, with men wearing only the breechcloth, and not always that, while women generally wore short dresses made of strips of bark. Important tribes of the northern Yuman area were the Cocopa, Diegueño, Havasupai, Maricopa, Mohave, Tonto, Walapai, Yavapai, and Yuma. The population of the Yuman tribes within the United States numbered about 3,700 in 1909.

Yurok

The Yurok tribe, meaning "downriver people," have lived near the Pacific Ocean coast of northern California and southern Oregon for as many as 10,000 years. The Yurok language is Algonquin, the farthest west in which the language has been found. The nomadic bands lived on hunting and fishing and gathering nuts, roots, and berries. In the winter, they concentrated in villages, living in rectangular houses with slanted cedar roofs. Social status was determined by wealth, and unlike other Native Americans, they practiced owning and selling land. After the gold rush of 1849, the Yurok lost most of their land; however, they now own several ranches in California, flourishing with hotels and gaming resorts. They are the largest Indian tribe in California, with nearly 5,000 enrolled members.

Yustaga

Located between the Aucilla and Suwannee Rivers near the Florida Coast, the Yustaga belonged to the Timucuan branch of the Muskhogean linguistic stock. They were first mentioned by Luys Hernandez de Biedma, a chronicler for Hernando De Soto, who named Yustaga a "province" through which the Spaniards marched just before arriving at Apalachee. Their history soon merged with the Timucuan people. The last mention of the name appears to be in 1659. They were estimated to have numbered as many as 1,000 in 1600, but by 1675, they had already been reduced to about 350.

Zuni

The Zuni Indians of today are one of 19 original tribes that once inhabited the area that is now called New Mexico and Arizona. The Zuni tribe is said to have originated from the ancient Ancient Puebloans. The Zuni people are known for their beautiful artwork, sculpture, and dishware. The Zuni are one of the few tribes who have managed to keep their ways of life the same throughout the years, despite the westward push of the European immigrant settlers, the Mexican-American war, and the rough treatment they endured during all of the conflicts that they dealt with.