Aviva Directory » People & Daily Life » Ethnicity » American Indians » Maidu

The Maidu are an American Indian people of northeastern California, particularly in the central Sierra Nevada region.

The Maidu people are dispersed into several subgroups or bands who reside in the watershed area of the Feather and American rivers, and in the Humbug Valley. There are four main groupings of Maidu.

The Nisenan, or Southern Maidu, occupied the whole of the American, Bear, and Yuba River drainages, inhabiting lands that were previously home to the Martis. However, some of the Nisenan people claim today that they have been misidentified or mislabeled as Southern Maidu, claiming a separate identity with their own culture, religion, language, and geographic territory.

Another major group of Maidu is the Northeastern, or Mountain Maidu, sometimes known as the Yamani Maidu, who lived on the Feather River's upper north and middle forks.

The Northwest Maidu, also known as Konkow (Koyom'kawi), occupied a valley between what is now Cherokee and Pulga, along the north fork of the Feather River and its tributaries.

The Mechupda (Mechoopda) are a tribe of Maidu people near Chico, where they are currently enrolled in the Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria, a federally recognized tribe.

Estimates of Maidu populations ranged from 9,000 to 10,00 in 1770. However, in 1910, there were 1,100, and by 1930, there were only 93, the decline attributed to decimation by infectious diseases and social disruption following European contact. Today, it is estimated that their numbers have recovered to somewhere between 3,000 and 4,000.

Federally recognized tribes with substantial numbers of Maidu people include the Berry Creek Rancheria of Maidu Indians, the Enterprise Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California, the Greenville Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California, the Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria, the Mooretown Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California, the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians (Shingle Springs Rancheria), the Susanville Indian Rancheria, and the United Auburn Indian Community of the Auburn Rancheria. Additionally, there are several organized groups of Maidu who have not yet achieved federal recognition. These include the Honey Lake Maidu Tribe, the KonKow Valley Band of Maidu Indians, the Nisenan of Nevada City Rancheria, the Strawberry Valley Band of Pakan'yani Maidu (Strawberry Valley Rancheria), the Tsi Akim Maidu Tribe of Taylorsville Rancheria, the United Maidu Nation, and the Colfax-Todds Valley Consolidated Tribe of the Colfax Rancheria.

Before Europeans arrived, the Maidu lived in the mountains and nearby valleys of northern California. They often exchanged goods with the Wintun tribe, who lived next to them. Their lands were taken over by white settlers who came through the Oregon and California trails, and more of them came after gold was found in California. The settlers also spread disease, which killed many of the Maidu.

White settlers also cut the oak trees to build homes, making acorns, a staple of their diet, difficult to obtain, as were edible roots, bulbs, fruits, and other nuts. Additionally, mining activities interfered with the salmon runs, and wild game was depleted as more people hunted for food.

Before their lands were taken over by white settlers, the Maidu were semi-nomadic, living in tipis made from cedar bark during the summer, and in more permanent pit houses in the winter. These were semi-subterranean homes built up to fifteen feet into the ground, with earth and brush sidewalls, wood end walls, and a pitched roof that was completely covered in earth. There would be a central fire pit, with an opening in the roof to allow the smoke to escape and to let light and air in. Access to the homes was by a ladder on top of the roof.

The traditional weapons used by the Maidu were spears, stone ball clubs, knives, and bows and arrows. The Maidu built rafts by tying logs together with plant fiber, and made canoes from hollowed logs.

The Maidu language is believed to be related to the Penutian family, and there were four variations or dialects of the Maidu language: Northeastern (Yamonee) Maidu, Southern (Nisenan) Maidu, Northwestern (Konkow) Maidu, and Valley (Chico) Maidu. Although English is the most commonly used language today, Maidu is still spoken among members of the tribe.

The focus of this portion of our guide is on the Maidu people. Websites representing Maidu governments, businesses, industries, healthcare facilities, schools, individuals, or events are appropriate for this category.

Categories

Nisenan

 

 

Recommended Resources


Search for Maidu on Google or Bing