PEOPLES OF CALIFORNIA The California cultural region was the traditional home of many American Indian nations This map shows the areas where some of them lived before Europeans arrived in the region Tolowa Tolowa Hupa Yurok Yurok Wiyot Wiyot Karuk Karuk Modok Modok Modoc Wintu Wintu PaiuPaiute Paiu Maidu Maidu CULTURAL AREAS Northwest Coast California Southwest Great Basin Cultural area border International border State border Yuki Yuki Pomo Pomo Wappo Wappo Miwok Miwok WaWasho Wa Miwok Miwok Ohlone Ohlone Miwok Miwok Paiu PaiuPaiute Miwok Miwok Yokut Yokut Yokut Yokut Chumash Chumash Serrano Serrano Serrano Serrano Chumash ChChemehuevi Ch Tongva Tongva Mojave Tongva Luiseño Luiseño Cahuilla Cahuilla Kumeyaay Kumeyaay Yuma 66
settled Some believe the earliest settlers came from Asia Nomadic hunters may have crossed a land bridge to North America and gradually moved south One theory is that early American Indians traveled down the Pacific coast by boat California peoples have their own beliefs about their origins Many California Indians believe their ancestors have always lived in the region However they arrived American Indians spread out across what would later become California Their homes stretched from the Sierra Nevada in the east to the Pacific coast in the west Redwood and fir forests covered the northwestern part of the region The Mojave Desert spanned the southeast In the middle was a vast area of woods and grasslands later called the Central Valley Each group of people adapted to the area where they lived Many California Indians settled along the Pacific coast Many Miwok groups settled in the Central Valley Other Miwok groups lived near the Washo WAH-show people in the mountains Some groups including the Modoc MOH-doc lived at the most northern point of what became California The Hupa HOO-puh the Pomo POH-moh the Tolowa TAHL-ah wah the Yuki YOO-kee and the Wiyot WEE-yot lived on the northern coast by the Pacific Ocean The Chumash and the 7
Tongva TONG-vah also called Gabrielino or Gabrieleño settled farther south along the Pacific and the islands off the coast Many Peoples California Indians had many things in common But the region’s landscape kept different groups apart Communities were spread out with few nearby neighbors Mountain ranges and dry desert lands could make long-distance travel difficult Since groups lived separately they developed different ways of life They spoke nearly one hundred languages from six main language groups A single language could also have different versions or dialects Members of each cultural group generally spoke the same language and shared many other traits By the time European explorers arrived in the 1500s California was home to more than three hundred thousand American Indians There may have been as many as one million Explorers reported that they met five hundred distinct cultural groups After California Indians came into contact with Europeans their lives began to change dramatically Spain claimed California as part of its empire Later Mexico took control of the region In 1850 California became part of the United States Every change in power affected California Indians Europeans carried germs that were new to the California Indians Thousands died from contagious diseases such as smallpox and measles Thousands more died from starvation or in violent conflict with Europeans By 1900 only about fifteen thousand California Indians were left alive Some groups were gone with no survivors Most had been driven off their lands and forced onto reservations Despite this most California Indian groups have survived into the 88
LANGUAGE FAMILIES OF CALIFORNIA PEOPLES LANGUAGE FAMILY MAJOR CULTURAL GROUPS Algic Wiyot Yurok Athabascan Hupa Tolowa Hokan Chumash Karuk Kumeyaay also called Diegueño Mojave Pomo Washo Yuma Penutian Maidu Miwok Modoc Ohlone Wintun Yokut Uto-Aztecan Cahuilla Chemehuevi Paiute Luiseño Serrano Tongva Yukian Yuki Wappo twenty-first century Many have gradually begun to thrive again They have set up their own governments and businesses They teach their children traditional skills and spiritual beliefs and they hold ceremonies to celebrate their heritage Languages poetry songs dances dressmaking basketmaking and canoeing are among the many traditions that California peoples still practice and pass on 9
