Shasta (tribe)
Encyclopedia
The Shasta are an indigenous people of Northern California
and Southern Oregon
in the United States
. They spoke one of the Shastan languages
.
The Shasta people were originally located in the greater Shasta Valley area of Siskiyou County near such modern communities as Yreka, California
.
Generally included with the Shasta tribe proper, are a number of adjacent smaller tribes who spoke a related Shastan language. These related tribes include the Konomihu, New River Shasta and the Okwanuchu
tribes.
The Shasta tribe is not a federally recognized tribe, though the Chasta of Oregon are part of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon
. Many former members of the Shasta tribe have since been inducted into the Karuk
and Alturas tribes. Current members are petitioning the government to again recognize their tribal status.
.) Alfred L. Kroeber
(1925:883) put the 1770 population of the Shasta proper as 2,000 and the New River, Konomihu, and Okwanuchu groups, along with the Chimariko, as 1,000. In the 1940s, Sherburne F. Cook
arrived at a similar estimate of about 3,300, but he subsequently raised the figure to 5,900 (Cook 1976a:177, 1976b:6).
Kroeber estimated the population of the Shasta proper in 1910 as 100.
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
and Southern Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. They spoke one of the Shastan languages
Shastan languages
The Shastan family consisted of four languages, spoken in present-day northern California and southern Oregon.-Family division:# Konomihu # New River Shasta # Okwanuchu # Shasta ...
.
The Shasta people were originally located in the greater Shasta Valley area of Siskiyou County near such modern communities as Yreka, California
Yreka, California
Yreka is the county seat of Siskiyou County, California, United States. The population was 7,765 at the 2010 census, up from 7,290 at the 2000 census.- History:...
.
Generally included with the Shasta tribe proper, are a number of adjacent smaller tribes who spoke a related Shastan language. These related tribes include the Konomihu, New River Shasta and the Okwanuchu
Okwanuchu
The Okwanuchu were one of a number of small Shastan-speaking tribes of Native Americans in Northern California, who were closely related to the adjacent larger Shasta tribe...
tribes.
The Shasta tribe is not a federally recognized tribe, though the Chasta of Oregon are part of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon
Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon
The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon consists of twenty-seven Native American tribes with long historical ties to present-day Western Oregon between the western boundary of the Oregon Coast and the eastern boundary of the Cascade Range, and the northern boundary of...
. Many former members of the Shasta tribe have since been inducted into the Karuk
Karuk
Karuk is an indigenous people of California in the United States.The tribal headquarters, located off State Route 96, is in the town of Happy Camp, California. Currently the tribe has three tribal board meeting places, in Yreka, Happy Camp, and Orleans...
and Alturas tribes. Current members are petitioning the government to again recognize their tribal status.
Population
Estimates for the pre-contact populations of most native groups in California have varied substantially. (See Population of Native CaliforniaPopulation of Native California
Estimates of the Native Californian population have varied substantially, both with respect to California's pre-contact count and for changes during subsequent periods. Pre-contact estimates range from 133,000 to 705,000 with some recent scholars concluding that these estimates are low...
.) Alfred L. Kroeber
Alfred L. Kroeber
Alfred Louis Kroeber was an American anthropologist. He was the first professor appointed to the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, and played an integral role in the early days of its Museum of Anthropology, where he served as director from 1909 through...
(1925:883) put the 1770 population of the Shasta proper as 2,000 and the New River, Konomihu, and Okwanuchu groups, along with the Chimariko, as 1,000. In the 1940s, Sherburne F. Cook
Sherburne F. Cook
Sherburne Friend Cook was a physiologist by training, and served as professor and chairman of the department of physiology at the University of California, Berkeley...
arrived at a similar estimate of about 3,300, but he subsequently raised the figure to 5,900 (Cook 1976a:177, 1976b:6).
Kroeber estimated the population of the Shasta proper in 1910 as 100.
See also
- Shasta traditional narrativesShasta traditional narrativesShasta traditional narratives include myths, legends, tales, and oral histories preserved by the Shasta people of northern California and southern Oregon....
- State of Jefferson, an historical region with significant overlap with the lands of the Shasta.