1 Dollar Mohawk Carved Ceremonial Masks

The Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeño Indians, based in Warner Springs, California, gained federal recognition in 1971 after decades of administrative neglect. Their sovereign minting activity — like that of many smaller recognized nations — falls outside U.S. Mint jurisdiction entirely, a legal reality that has produced a sprawling secondary market of tribally issued silver rounds with nominal dollar denominations that carry no obligation for acceptance anywhere.

The Mohawk attribution here is geographically incongruous: the Mohawk are a northeastern Haudenosaunee people with no cultural connection to the Southern California Cahuilla-Cupeño community issuing this piece.