Indigenous Peoples of California: Related Resources at The Bancroft Library: Resources by Language Family

Athabaskan

Languages included in the Athabaskan language family are spoken across North America, with traditional concentrations in western Canada, Alaska, the southwestern, and coastal Pacific regions (Southern Oregon and Northern California) of the United States. This language family includes Hupa, Kato, Mattole, and Tolowa speaking peoples. Traditionally, the Tolowa lived along the Northern California coast from just north of the Oregon border to the mouth of Wilson Creek near present-day Crescent City. The Hupa lived along the Trinity River, the Klamath River's main tributary, close to the Karok and Yurok tribes who lived along the Klamath river. Just north east of Humboldt Bay, the Mattole controlled the Mattole River drainage area in the Pacific Ocean to the Upper North Fork River. The Kato (also spelled Cahto) traditionally lived in the Upper South Fork Eel River area of Northern California (Survey of California and Other Indian Languages, UC Berkeley & Handbook of the North American Indians, Vol. 8: California, Robert F. Heizer, Vol. Ed., Smithsonian Institution, 1978. pp. 128, 164, 190-191).

Map sources (left to right): Map G 04361.E1 1925 .S6 Case C Bancroft, "Indians of California by stocks and tribes" (cropped); Map G 04361.E1 1939 .T32 Case C Bancroft, "Indian stocks and tribes of northern California : based on original maps, manuscripts and field journals of C. Hart Merriam, M.D. / by Zenaida M. Talbot" (cropped); Google maps.

Language

Lifeways

Mythology & Narratives

Worldview

General

Chimariko

The Chimariko language is an isolate language within the hypothesized "Hokan" language family. Chimariko was traditionally spoken along the Trinity River in Western Trinity County in Northern California, from its confluence with the South Fork Trinity River to the east, as well as in the upland valley of New River to the north and at the confluence of the South Fork Trinity River and Hayfork Creek to the south. The Chimariko people lived closely to the Hupa (to the west) the Whilkut (to the northwest) and the Wintu to the south and east. (Survey of California and Other Indian Languages, UC Berkeley & Handbook of the North American Indians, Vol. 8: California, Robert F. Heizer, Vol. Ed., Smithsonian Institution, 1978. p. 205).

Map sources (left to right): Map G 04361.E1 1925 .S6 Case C Bancroft, "Indians of California by stocks and tribes" (cropped); Google maps.

Language

Lifeways

Worldview

General

Chumashan

The Chumashan language family encompasses the Barbareño, Ineseño, Interior Chumash, Island Chumash, Obispeño, Purisimeño, and Ventureño peoples and languages. Traditionally, they occupied the geographic area from San Luis Obispo to Malibu Canyon and from the Channel Islands in the Pacific as far east as the western edge of the San Joaquin valley. According to the Smithsonian Institution, "Chumash" was a word arbitrarily chosen by American ethnologist John Wesley Powell from the word "mi-tcú-mac" used by the Coastal Chumash for Santa Cruz Island and its inhabitants, or "Tcú-mac" also used by the Coastal Chumash for the Santa Rosa Indians. As it were, each regional group in the Chumashan language family had their own names for themselves (Survey of California and Other Indian Languages, UC Berkeley & Handbook of the North American Indians, Vol. 8: California, Robert F. Heizer, Vol. Ed., Smithsonian Institution, 1978. pp. 504-507).

Map sources (left to right): Map G 04361.E1 1925 .S6 Case C Bancroft, Kroeber's "Indians of California by stocks and tribes" (cropped); Google maps.

Language

Lifeways

Mythology & Narratives

Worldview

General

Esselen

The Esselen language was an isolate language of the hypothesized Hokan language family. Traditionally, Esselen was spoken in the northern Santa Lucia Range, a thickly-wooded mountain region in present-day Monterey County, with an approximate area of 580 square miles. According to the Handbook of the North American Indians, the Esselen people are one of the least known about groups of peoples in the California area (Survey of California and Other Indian Languages, UC Berkeley & Handbook of the North American Indians, Vol. 8: California, Robert F. Heizer, Vol. Ed., Smithsonian Institution, 1978. pp. 496).

Map sources (left to right): Map G 04361.E1 1925 .S6 Case C Bancroft, Kroeber's "Indians of California by stocks and tribes" (cropped); Google maps.

Language

General

Karuk

Karuk, sometimes written as "Karok," people traditionally lived along the Klamath River in Northern California, from Seiad in present-day Siskiyou County, just 15 miles south of the Oregon border, down to Bluff Creek, just north of Weitchpec, which is 35 miles northeast of Eureka in Humboldt County. The Karuk language is an isolate and part of the hypothesized Hokan language family (along with the Pomoan, Shastan and Yuman languages, as well as others). (Survey of California and Other Indian Languages, UC Berkeley & Handbook of the North American Indians, Vol. 8: California, Robert F. Heizer, Vol. Ed., Smithsonian Institution, 1978. p. 180).

Map sources (left to right): Map G 04361.E1 1925 .S6 Case C Bancroft, Kroeber's "Indians of California by stocks and tribes" (cropped); Google maps.

Language

Lifeways

Mythology & Narratives

Worldview

General

Maiduan

The Maiduan language family consists of Maidu (also known as Northeastern Maidu or Mountain Maidu), Nisenan, and Konkow speaking peoples. The Maiduan language family also makes up one branch of the hypothesized Penution language family, which also includes Modoc, Miwokan, Wintuan, Ohlone, and Yokuts languages. Maidu speaking peoples traditionally lived in the valleys of the Sierra Nevada between Lassen Peak and the town of Quincy, the Sierra Valley (including Big Meadows, Mountain Meadows, Butt Valley, Indian Valley, Genesee Valley, and American Valley), and on the high plateau to the northeast along the Susan River from Susanville to Honey Lake. Nisenan speaking peoples lived nearby throughout the American, Bear, and Yuba River drainages, from where those rivers met the Sacramento River to their headwaters in the Sierra Nevada. Konkow speaking peoples traditionally lived along the Feather River and surrounding areas from 20 miles south of Oroville into the Sierra Nevada foothills, including the lower part of the Feather River Canyon (Survey of California and Other Indian Languages, UC Berkeley & Handbook of the North American Indians, Vol. 8: California, Robert F. Heizer, Vol. Ed., Smithsonian Institution, 1978. pp. 370-397).

Map sources (left to right): Map G 04361.E1 1925 .S6 Case C Bancroft, Kroeber's "Indians of California by stocks and tribes" (cropped); Google maps.

Language

Lifeways

Mythology & Narratives

Worldview

General

Miwok (Miwok-Ohlone)

The Miwokan language family consists of the Central Sierra Miwok, Coast Miwok, Lake Miwok, Northern Sierra Miwok, Southern Sierra Miwok, Plains Miwok, and Saclan speaking peoples. The Miwokan language family is part of the hypothesized Penutian language family, which also includes Modoc, Maiduan, Wintuan, Ohlone, and Yokuts languages. Lake Miwoks traditionally dwelled just south of Clear Lake and South Lake, approximately 60 miles north of Santa Rosa in present-day California. Coast Miwok languages were traditionally spoken from the Marin Peninsula in the south up the coast to Bodega Bay to the north. The Saclan speaking group (Bay Miwok) traditionally lived in present-day Walnut Creek and eastern parts of Contra Costa County to the Sacramento Valley. The Plains Miwok lived along the lower Mokelumne and Calaveras River drainages down to present-day Stockton and both sides of the Sacramento River from Rio Vista to Freeport. Northern Sierra Miwok lived in the foothills and mountains of the Mokelumne and Calaveras rivers, Central Sierra Miwok in the foothills and mountains of the Stanislaus and Tuolumne River drainages, and the Southern Sierra Miwok along the upper drainages of the Chowchilla and Merced Rivers in Merced County, east of present-day Yosemite National Park (Survey of California and Other Indian Languages, UC Berkeley & Handbook of North American Indians, Vol. 8: California, Robert F. Heizer, Vol. Ed., Smithsonian Institution, 1978. pp. 264-273, 398-425).

Map sources (left to right): Map G 04361.E1 1925 .S6 Case C Bancroft, "Indians of California by stocks and tribes" (cropped); Google maps.

Language

Lifeways

Mythology & Narratives

Worldview

General

Modoc

Modoc language, sometimes called Klamath-Modoc, was traditionally spoken in both Northern California and across the state border in southern Oregon (although in Oregon, referred to as Klamath), southeast of Klamath Falls and Klamath and Tule Lakes, as well as along the Lost River. Before contact, there may have been many hundreds of speakers of this language. According to the Survey of California and Other Indian Languages, there are currently no first-language speakers of Modoc. Modoc (Klamath-Modoc) is part of the hypothesized Penutian language family (along with Maiduan, Wintuan, Miwokan, Ohlone, and Yokuts language families) (Survey of California and Other Indian Languages, UC Berkeley & Handbook of North American Indians, Vol. 12: Plateau, Walker, Deward E., Jr., Vol. Ed., Smithsonian Institution, 1978. pp. 446-466).

Map sources (left to right): Map G 04361.E1 1925 .S6 Case C Bancroft, "Indians of California by stocks and tribes" (cropped); Google maps.

Language

Lifeways

Worldview

General

Numic (Uto-Aztecan)

The Numic (Uto-Aztecan) language family consists of Chemehuevi, Kawaiisu, Mono, Northern Paiute, and Panamint languages. Chemehuevi was traditionally spoken by the Maricopa people near the Colorado River in Chemhuevi valley. Kawaiisu was spoken in the southern Sierra Nevada in the Tehachapi and Piute Mountains. Mono was spoken from Mono Lake in eastern California near present-day Yosemite National Park, south to the Owens River Valley and west to the San Joaquin River, Kings River, and Kaweah River watersheds near present-day Fresno County. Northern Paiute was spoken from Mono Lake north through eastern California, western Nevada, Oregon and Idaho. The Panamint (also called Coso, Timbisha or Tümpisa) language was spoken around Owens Lake, west of Death Valley, in Death Valley, and east to Beatty, Nevada. The other Uto-Aztecan languages spoken in California are Tubatulabal and the Takic languages (Survey of California and Other Indian Languages, UC Berkeley & Handbook of the North American Indians, Vol. 10: Southwest, Alfonso Ortiz, Vol. Ed., Smithsonian Institution, 1983. pp. 55-98, Handbook of the North American Indians, Vol. 11: Great Basin, Warren L. d'Azevedo, Smithsonian Institution, 1986. pp. 398-465).

Map sources (left to right): Map G 04361.E1 1925 .S6 Case C Bancroft, "Indians of California by stocks and tribes" (cropped); Google maps.

Language

Lifeways

Numic (Uto-Aztecan)

The Numic (Uto-Aztecan) language family consists of Chemehuevi, Kawaiisu, Mono, Northern Paiute, and Panamint languages. Chemehuevi was traditionally spoken by the Maricopa people near the Colorado River in Chemhuevi valley. Kawaiisu was spoken in the southern Sierra Nevada in the Tehachapi and Piute Mountains. Mono was spoken from Mono Lake in eastern California near present-day Yosemite National Park, south to the Owens River Valley and west to the San Joaquin River, Kings River, and Kaweah River watersheds near present-day Fresno County. Northern Paiute was spoken from Mono Lake north through eastern California, western Nevada, Oregon and Idaho. The Panamint (also called Coso, Timbisha or Tümpisa) language was spoken around Owens Lake, west of Death Valley, in Death Valley, and east to Beatty, Nevada. The other Uto-Aztecan languages spoken in California are Tubatulabal and the Takic languages (Survey of California and Other Indian Languages, UC Berkeley & Handbook of the North American Indians, Vol. 10: Southwest, Alfonso Ortiz, Vol. Ed., Smithsonian Institution, 1983. pp. 55-98, Handbook of the North American Indians, Vol. 11: Great Basin, Warren L. d'Azevedo, Smithsonian Institution, 1986. pp. 398-465).

Map sources (left to right): Map G 04361.E1 1925 .S6 Case C Bancroft, "Indians of California by stocks and tribes" (cropped); Google maps.

Mythology & Narratives

Numic (Uto-Aztecan)

The Numic (Uto-Aztecan) language family consists of Chemehuevi, Kawaiisu, Mono, Northern Paiute, and Panamint languages. Chemehuevi was traditionally spoken by the Maricopa people near the Colorado River in Chemhuevi valley. Kawaiisu was spoken in the southern Sierra Nevada in the Tehachapi and Piute Mountains. Mono was spoken from Mono Lake in eastern California near present-day Yosemite National Park, south to the Owens River Valley and west to the San Joaquin River, Kings River, and Kaweah River watersheds near present-day Fresno County. Northern Paiute was spoken from Mono Lake north through eastern California, western Nevada, Oregon and Idaho. The Panamint (also called Coso, Timbisha or Tümpisa) language was spoken around Owens Lake, west of Death Valley, in Death Valley, and east to Beatty, Nevada. The other Uto-Aztecan languages spoken in California are Tubatulabal and the Takic languages (Survey of California and Other Indian Languages, UC Berkeley & Handbook of the North American Indians, Vol. 10: Southwest, Alfonso Ortiz, Vol. Ed., Smithsonian Institution, 1983. pp. 55-98, Handbook of the North American Indians, Vol. 11: Great Basin, Warren L. d'Azevedo, Smithsonian Institution, 1986. pp. 398-465).

Map sources (left to right): Map G 04361.E1 1925 .S6 Case C Bancroft, "Indians of California by stocks and tribes" (cropped); Google maps.

Worldview

General