Auntie Knows Native
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State guide

California

Community meetings, gatherings, classes and celebrations, and the tribes and organizations behind them, all in one place so you can find your people.

1,409,000+Native people (2020 Census)
1stin U.S. Native population
107federally recognized tribes based here
0state-recognized tribes

How we count: population is the 2020 U.S. Census count of people who are American Indian or Alaska Native alone or in combination with another race, rounded down to the nearest thousand, and rank is among the 50 states on that same count. Federally recognized tribes are those headquartered in the state. State-recognized tribes follow the state's official list, and show 0 where the state has no formal recognition process. A tribe can hold both federal and state recognition, so the two counts can overlap. The Colorado River Indian Tribes (headquartered in Arizona) and the Washoe Tribe (headquartered in Nevada) also have lands in California, for 109 tribes in all on the California Gambling Control Commission list.

Listings last reviewed October 27, 2026.

Other states
Gatherings

What's happening in California

Events appear once the host announces the date and come down after the last day. Ceremonies are never listed.

Submit an event
Watch for this season (6)

Usually held around this time of year. Dates have not been announced yet, so check with the host before you go.

Where we look: tribal and host websites, Indian Country Today and the PowWows.com California calendar.

Directory

Tribes & organizations

Each tribe and organization gets a free page with its own calendar. Tribes can claim their page to manage it.

Federally recognized tribes headquartered in California

From the California Gambling Control Commission list of 109 tribes (current February 27, 2026). Chemehuevi, Fort Mojave and Quechan are headquartered in California and listed here. The Colorado River Indian Tribes and Washoe Tribe, headquartered in Arizona and Nevada, are under Historic homelands and cross-border connections below. Many California Indian communities are not federally recognized; they will be listed as we confirm them.

State-recognized tribes

None. California has no state-recognized tribes.

Urban and intertribal organizations

Los Angeles & Southern California

Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission

Kenneth Hahn Hall, Los Angeles · evening commission meetings
Posts meetings and Native community news
Government source

American Indian Community Council

Los Angeles
Official website

Bay Area

Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirits (BAAITS)

San Francisco
Official website

Other Native community organizations

Native American Heritage Commission

Sacramento
State agency for Native heritage; public commission meetings
Government source

Governor's Office of Tribal Affairs

Sacramento
Government source

News from Native California

Statewide calendar of California Indian events
Outside calendar: News from Native California

Nations headquartered elsewhere with lands in California

These nations are headquartered in other states. Some have land here today; others have ancestral, historical, cultural or removal-era ties. Being listed here does not mean a nation is headquartered or officially recognized in California.

  • Colorado River Indian Tribes · Parker, AZ · lands in California and Arizona · Official tribal website
    Headquartered in Parker, Arizona. Its reservation reaches into California.
  • Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California · Gardnerville, NV · lands in NV and CA · Official tribal website
    Headquartered in Gardnerville, Nevada. Washoe lands include communities in California.
Help close to home

Community resources

Community centers, health and family services, elder and youth programs, and job training for Native people.

Statewide Native organizations

California Rural Indian Health Board

Statewide
Official website

California Indian Legal Services

Statewide
Official website

Los Angeles & Southern California

United American Indian Involvement

Los Angeles · (213) 202-3970
Health and social services
Official website

Southern California Indian Center

Los Angeles area · (800) 250-6393
Job, education and family services
Official website

Pukúu Cultural Community Services

San Fernando Valley · (818) 336-6105
Official website

San Diego American Indian Health Center

San Diego
Official website

American Indian Health & Services

Santa Barbara
Official website

Bay Area

Intertribal Friendship House

Oakland
One of the oldest urban Indian community centers in the country

American Indian Child Resource Center

Oakland
Official website

Native American Health Center

Oakland and San Francisco
Official website

Friendship House Association of American Indians

San Francisco
Official website

Indian Health Center of Santa Clara Valley

San Jose
Official website

Sacramento & Central Valley

Sacramento Native American Health Center

Sacramento
Official website

Native Directions

Manteca
Hosts the Three Rivers Indian Lodge Pow Wow
Official website

Fresno American Indian Health Project

Fresno
Official website

Bakersfield American Indian Health Project

Bakersfield
Official website

North Coast & Far North

United Indian Health Services

Potawot Health Village, Arcata
Official website

Northern California Indian Development Council

Eureka

Indian Action Council of Northwest California

Eureka
Learn and visit

Education & culture

Indian Education programs, tribal colleges and university programs, museums, language programs and research resources.

California Indian Education Centers

California's state-funded American Indian Education Centers offer tutoring, cultural classes and family programs. Contact details for each are in the California Department of Education directory.

  • American Indian Child Resource Center (Oakland)
  • Woodfords Indian Education Center (Woodfords)
  • Foothill Indian Education Alliance (El Dorado)
  • Four Winds of Indian Education (Chico)
  • Yurok Tribe (Klamath)
  • Northern California Indian Development Council (Eureka)
  • Fresno American Indian Health Project (Fresno)
  • Hoopa Valley Tribe NDN Center (Hoopa)
  • Indian Action Council of NW California (Eureka)
  • Bishop Indian Education Center (Bishop)
  • Kern Indian Education & Community Resource Center (Bakersfield)
  • Susanville Indian Rancheria (Susanville)
  • Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians (San Fernando)
  • Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians (Oakhurst)
  • Round Valley Indian Health Center (Covelo)
  • Resources for Indian Student Education (Alturas)
  • Roundhouse Council (Greenville)
  • Campo Band of Mission Indians (Campo)
  • Pala Band of Mission Indians (Pala)
  • Rincon Indian Education Center (Valley Center)
  • Southern California American Indian Resource Center (El Cajon)
  • Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians (Santa Ynez)
  • Ventura Indian Education Center (Ventura)

University programs

Cal State San Marcos California Indian Culture & Sovereignty Center

San Marcos
Official website

UCLA American Indian Studies Center

Los Angeles
Official website

UC Davis Native American Studies

Davis
Official website

Stanford Native American Cultural Center

Stanford University
Hosts the student-run Stanford Powwow each May
Official website

Museums & cultural centers (not all Native-run)

Agua Caliente Cultural Museum

Palm Springs
Official website

California Indian Museum and Cultural Center

Santa Rosa
Official website

Maidu Museum & Historic Site

Roseville
Government source

Autry Museum of the American West

Los Angeles · American Indian Arts Marketplace each June
Official website

Antelope Valley Indian Museum

Lancaster
Government source

Haramokngna American Indian Cultural Center

Angeles National Forest
Official website

Sherman Indian Museum

Sherman Indian High School, Riverside
Official website
Missing something? If a tribe, group, event, church, program or resource in California should be here and isn't, email hello@auntieknowsnative.com. Auntie checks every suggestion.
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Ask Auntie

Tracing Native ancestry in California

"Ay, mija, California is a special case. In 1928 the government made a roll of California Indians, and later rolls built on it. Start with your family's birth, marriage, death and census records, one generation at a time, and let the records lead you to a specific ancestor and community. Not every California Native person or family appears on these rolls, and appearing on a roll does not by itself establish present-day tribal citizenship."

Why the search matters: Gathering your family's records may or may not lead to tribal enrollment. For some families, the road back to enrollment has closed, and that loss is real. Either way, the search matters. Every name, place, document and story helps restore a piece of what was carried, hidden, scattered or lost. Sometimes belonging begins not with being admitted somewhere, but with finally understanding where you come from.
Good to know: finding a Native ancestor and being a tribal member are different things. Each tribe alone decides who its members are. If your research points to a tribe, contact that tribe's enrollment office directly.
Have a question? Send it to Ask Auntie at hello@auntieknowsnative.com. Helpful answers get shared here so the next person can find them too.