INDIAN TRIBES OF THE LASSEN AREA
Lassen Peak with an elevation of 10,453 feet above sea level is the
central high point of a somewhat topographically isolated mountain mass
of volcanic origin. The slopes descending in all directions from Lassen
Peak are clothed in coniferous forests, dotted with small lakes of
glacial origin, and drained by a few fish bearing streams flowing
radially from the mountain. There are also a few hot spring areas and
some barren expanses where recent eruptions have produced mudflows and
lavas. For the most part, game abounds in the Lassen highland, but the
winters are snowy and severe, making it unsuitable for Indians to live
there the year around.
As shown on the map, parts of the lands of four distinct tribes of
Indians lay within what are today the boundaries of Lassen Volcanic
National Park. Permanent homes and villages of Atsugewi, Yana, Yahi and
mountain Maidu tribes were at lower elevations in the Ponderosa Pine and
Digger Pine belts, and situated near streams. There food was relatively
easily available and winters were the least severe within the limits of
the respective tribal territories.
Each summer when deer migrated to higher elevations, the Indians also
moved toward Lassen Peak to hunt and to fish trout, spending the whole
summer in temporary camps.
There was some contact between the four tribes during their sojourns in
the uplands of the park area, but the activities of each Indian group
were pretty well confined to its own territory. The four Lassen tribes
did on occasion engage in small battles, but this was the exception
rather than the rule—generally speaking they lived harmoniously as
neighbors, and there was even occasional inter-marriage between tribes.
These tribes all had simple hill or mountain cultures which, in spite of
some difference of custom, were surprisingly alike. It is believed that
this is due to the fact that the four tribes all lived under very
similar conditions of environment—the same type of country in many
respects. The similarity of their cultures is all the more interesting
in that the Atsugewi were of the Hokan Family, speaking a Shastan
language. Yana and Yahi, also of Hokan stock spoke Yana languages. The
mountain Maidu were of the Penutian Family, speaking a Maidu language.
According to the best available figures, some of which are only
reasonable guesses, populations of the local tribes were probably about
as follows:
[Illustration: INDIAN TRIBAL AREAS OF THE LASSEN REGION
after A. L. Kroeber and T. R. Garth—note the boundaries of Lassen
Volcanic National Park dashed in above and left of center of the
map. Lassen Peak is at the junction of the Atsugewi, Yana, and Maidu
territories.]
ACHOMAWI
SHASTAN
OKWANUCHU
NORTHERN WINTUN
CENTRAL WINTUN
S. E. WINTUN
CENTRAL YANA
NORTH (YANA)
SOUTHERN YANA
ATSUGEWI
ATSUGE
APWARUGE
NORTHERN PAIUTE
NORTHEASTERN MAIDU
NORTHWESTERN MAIDU
SOUTHERN MAIDU
WASHO
1770 1910 1950
Atsugewi 1,000 250 75
Yana (north, central, s) 750 25 10
Yahi 275 5 none
Maidu (mountain) 2,000 800 300
Totals 4,025 1,080 385
Garth states that: “The Atsugewi are divided into two major groups,
the Atsuge or pinetree-people, who occupy Hat Creek Valley, and the
Apwaruge—from Apwariwa, the name of Dixie Valley—who live to the east
in and around Dixie Valley. Sometimes the Apwaruge are called
Mahoupani, juniper-tree-people, a name which reflects the dry and
barren nature of their territory....
“... certain cultural differences (existed) between the eastern and
western Atsugewi, who in most aspects of nonmaterial culture and in
language are one people. In the western area there was more abundant
rainfall and a fairly luxuriant growth of pines, oaks, and other
trees. Here the Atsuge subsisted largely on acorns and fish; made
twined basketry, using willow, pine root, _Xerophylum_ grass, and
redbud materials; and had bark houses and numerous other structures of
bark. On the contrary, in the eastern area, which is comparatively
arid and lacking in trees, the Apwaruge depended on the acorn less
than did the Atsuge and fishing was less important, to judge by the
scarcity or lack of nets, fish hooks, and harpoons; made inferior
twined baskets of twisted tule with a different twist to the weave; as
a rule had their houses covered with tule mats rather than with bark;
and were much poorer than the Atsuge. This cultural distinction
between the eastern and western areas is also found to the north among
the Achomawi.”
Dixon’s studies have revealed that the Maidu had no general name for
themselves, remarkable as this may seem. The name Maidu was first used
by Stephen Powers in 1877 in his volume “TRIBES OF CALIFORNIA”, a name
he arbitrarily applied to these Indians since the word meant “Indian” or
“man” in their language. The adjectives northwest or valley, northeast
or mountain, and southern or foothill are applied to identify the three
different cultures corresponding to the three distinct geographic
provinces inhabited by the Maidu Indians as a whole. In a number of
respects the culture of the mountain or northeast Maidu was more like
that of their northern neighbors, the Atsugewi, than it was like that of
the closely related southern and northwestern Maidu peoples. Obviously
the factor of environment or characteristics of the land occupied is of
extreme importance in creating such a situation.