The following tribes belong to the Yuman Language Family. Most linguists have settled on categorizing the Yuman Language Family into four major branches (in no particular order):
1. Pai
2. River
3. Delta-California
4. Kiliwa.
Historically, the Yuman people maintained their own systems of organizing groups of people and applied names to those groups in their respective native dialects. Modern names of tribes often do not accurately reflect indigenous languages and classifications.
Listed below are the contemporary common names, federally recognized names and alternative names used for official business. For research purposes, it would be most practical to use these terms. As you begin to research, however, you will find that each group has one or more names for itself that characterize ancient cultural identities and distinctions. Cultural identity is something altogether different from identity as a federally recognized tribe.
PAI BRANCH
The Yuman Tribes of the U.S. and Mexico
RIVER BRANCH
DELTA-CALIFORNIA BRANCH
KILIWA
Kiliwa
Villages of Baja California, Mexico:
Ejido Tribu Kiliwas