Kashia Band of Pomo Indians of the Stewarts Point Rancheria
Encyclopedia
The Kashia Band of Pomo Indians of the Stewarts Point Rancheria is a federally recognized tribe of Pomo people
in Sonoma County, California
. They are also known as the Kashaya Pomo.
The tribe conducts business from Santa Rosa, California
.
. Their name for themselves means "People From the Top of the Land," while "Kashaya" means "expert gamblers."
When Russians settled in Kashaya lands, they conscripted the tribe to work for them but did not break up the tribe or convert them to Christianity.
Essie Parrish (1902-1979) was an important Kashia Band basket weaver and the last spiritual leader of the Kashia Tribe, she strove to sustain Pomo traditions throughout the 20th century.
, also known as Southwestern Pomo. It belongs to the Hokan language family of Northern California. Several dozen elders speak the language, and younger people are learning and trying to sustain it.
Pomo people
The Pomo people are an indigenous peoples of California. The historic Pomo territory in northern California was large, bordered by the Pacific Coast to the west, extending inland to Clear Lake, and mainly between Cleone and Duncans Point...
in Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of the U.S. state of California, is the largest and northernmost of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Its population at the 2010 census was 483,878. Its largest city and county seat is Santa Rosa....
. They are also known as the Kashaya Pomo.
Reservation
The Kashia Band's reservation is the Stewarts Point Rancheria. It occupies 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) in Sonoma County and 86 tribal members reside there.The tribe conducts business from Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...
.
History and culture
The Kashaya still live in their ancestral homelands near present day Fort RossFort Ross, California
Fort Ross is a former Russian establishment on the Pacific Coast in what is now Sonoma County, California, in the United States. It was the hub of the southernmost Russian settlements in North America in between 1812 to 1841...
. Their name for themselves means "People From the Top of the Land," while "Kashaya" means "expert gamblers."
When Russians settled in Kashaya lands, they conscripted the tribe to work for them but did not break up the tribe or convert them to Christianity.
Essie Parrish (1902-1979) was an important Kashia Band basket weaver and the last spiritual leader of the Kashia Tribe, she strove to sustain Pomo traditions throughout the 20th century.
Language
The tribe traditionally speaks the Kashaya languageKashaya language
Kashaya is a name for a branch of Pomo people whose historical home is the Pacific Coastline of what is now Sonoma County, California, and also their severely endangered Pomoan language. The Pomoan languages have been classified as part of the Hokan language family, although this proposal is...
, also known as Southwestern Pomo. It belongs to the Hokan language family of Northern California. Several dozen elders speak the language, and younger people are learning and trying to sustain it.