About Us

We are the Wintu Tribe of Northern California and operate the Toyon-Wintu Center, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. We represent the direct descendants of the historical indigenous people known as the Wintu.

Our tribe has a council which holds monthly council meetings, biennial elections and we remain involved with community events throughout the year. We continue to exercise some of our native rights, while many more remain otherwise unattainable under current policies.

Despite the setback our tribe suffered when our federal recognition status was lost after the BIA made exceptions to indigenous peoples throughout California, we were able to acquire a building we use as a Museum and Cultural Resource Center. The building was obtained through Community Development Block Grant funds in a partnership with the City of Shasta Lake.

This created a government to government relationship with both the State of California and the City of Shasta Lake and put us a step closer to receiving government to government acknowledgement from the federal government.

The Museum and Cultural Resource Center has given us a stable base to regularly gather for social services and other functions such as classes, receptions and other gatherings. Our museum and gift shop provide hand-crafted work done by Native people. As we continue to grow, we are looking forward to featuring museum displays of cultural artifacts and local attractions. Additional plans are underway to partner with other museums and exchange displays for the benefit of offering a variety of Native cultural displays.