By Clyde Prout III, CTVCT Tribal Chairman
The Colfax-Todds Valley Consolidated Tribe (CTVCT) is a State recognized tribe located in Placer County, CA. The Tribe is comprised of primarily of Nisenan, Maidu, and Miwok people, and has deep ancestral ties to Placer County and its history.
Before the formal reorganization of the tribe in its current state as “CTVCT,” the Native population was vast and carried a balance and emotional connection to the land, water, plants, and animals. With the thought of never taking more than was needed and giving as much as was being taken.
For CTVCT, much of our ancestral lands slowly became inaccessible, and lands we were given by the government were hard to access and not in an area that was fit for development (this property being known as The Colfax Rancheria). Still, the early tribal people persist and attempt to forge forward.
The Colfax Rancheria, although being allotted to Colfax tribal people, was surrounded by private owned property, and access was from an adjoining county. The property itself was on a hillside and a rough terrain. Still, tribal people inquired about living on the property, with the government deterring them from moving onto the property or offering no help if they attempted to do so.
In 1964, the US Government terminated The Colfax Rancheria, but the tribe in its current form still existed. Tribal people gathered, took care of our accessible lands and tribal cemeteries, and practiced gathering of medicinal plants, hunting, and prayers to the river. The people persisted. The heartbeat of resilience carried on.
For generations, tribal people pushed forward, carrying traditions and connections to the land.
As times changed, work became harder to find and members and families moved to better sustain themselves and their families. But tribal families remained connected.
In late 1999, tribal families reconnected to discuss the formal reorganization of the tribal government of what once was The Colfax Rancheria, and what could be as a restored and recognized tribe. The formal reorganization of The Colfax Rancheria happened in March 2000, with the name now being Colfax-Todds Valley Consolidated Tribe, to show that even though families had moved and times had changed we are still one.
Since 2000, the tribe has strived for the betterment of its people and preservation of its lands, sacred places, language, and its traditional practices.
In April 2021, in a historic moment, CTVCT made history by receiving a piece of the original Colfax Rancheria property back from a long time donor and supporter of the tribe.
Then in April 2022, the historic moment of the land transfer of Yo’Dok’im Pakan – Gerjuoy North Fork Preserve happened. This land transfer amplified CTVCT’s voice as an unrecognized tribe, and set forth a movement for other tribes – recognized and unrecognized – to come forward and work with their local land trusts for a better future.
Yo’Dok’im Pakan gave the tribe a place to gather and a place of our own to practice traditions with no fear of rejection or trespassing, and to be free to practice openly and freely.
Colfax-Todds Valley Consolidated Tribe continues to work towards preserving the practices that were handed down through traditional knowledge, finding ways to balance traditional practices in this current world.
Above left: CTVCT members at the Yo’Dok’im Pakan – Gerjuoy North Fork Preserve dedication in 2022. Above right: Clyde Prout III performs a traditional song at the dedication ceremony.
All archival photos courtesy CTVCT.
Clyde Prout III is the Tribal Chairman of the Colfax-Todds Valley Consolidated Tribe. Thanks to Clyde for sharing some of CTVCT’s history with us! Learn more about the Tribe here at their website.
Join us in September for Conservation Celebration Week as we honor the Colfax-Todds Valley Consolidated Tribe as 2025 Conservator of the Year! Learn more >>
