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• As the Cultural Anthropologist, you will research the language. and religion of your tribe.  You will need to have examples of written and spoken language.  Be creative and assign a name in your tribe’s language for each person in the group for the Powwow.
• Some general information from a fourth grade project can get you started.  Go to the Central Valley portion of the site (at the top) and click on your subject http://www.cuca.k12.ca.us/la/tribes.html .
• A good book available from the American River Natural History Center and the Effie Yeaw Nature Center about the Nisenan Maidu is Ooti: A Child of the Nisenan. (ISBN: 1-887815-C2-3).  It is a diary-like book about their daily life from the perspective of a child.

LANGUAGE: Penutian

A language family spoken by a number of central and northern California Indian peoples, including the Wappo, Yuki, Yokuts, and Wintun Indians. This language family extends all the way from coastal Canada to New Mexico, the Gulf of Mexico, and on to the Yucatan Peninsula. (CALIFORNIA INDIANS AND THEIR RESERVATIONS: An Online Dictionary http://libweb.sdsu.edu/sub_libs/pwhite/calinddictmp.html )

•To find out more about the Penutian language go to Britannica.com at the following site.  Read the entry and write you findings in your journal.  http://www.britannica.com/seo/p/penutian-languages/

RELIGION /CEREMONIES: In the Maidu conception, the country swarmed with spirits, called "Kakeni", each with its abode at some particular rock, peak, cave, lake, or cataract. Their were also spirit counterparts of all animals, and various fabulous or semi-fabulous creatures.

The Nisenan were followers of the Kuksu ceremony. This religion originated among the Patwin people and spread throughout the entire Central Valley. Partially because of the abundance of food sources, the Nisenan had the time to develop and practice a very elaborate and intricate form of this religion. The ceremonies consisted of dressing up in elaborate costumes and impersonating gods by performing ceremonial dances. Death released a person's soul to travel west. A spirit might enter a coyote, an owl, a snake, a lizard or perhaps become a whirlwind and be transported to the final resting place. If someone died in a home, the dwelling was abandoned, and the name of the deceased was never mentioned again. The Nisenan cremated their dead and performed yearly mourning ceremonies to honor those who had died. http://www.middlemountain.org/indians.htm

MAIDU STORY OF CREATION -- http://www4.hmc.edu:8001/humanities/indigenous/maidu.htm

 

Last Revised: 01/03/01