Whilkut
Encyclopedia
The Whilkut were an Athapaskan tribe
, speaking a dialect similar to the Hupa
and Chilula
, who inhabited the area on or near the upper Redwood Creek
and along the Mad River
except near its mouth, up to Iaqua Butte, and some settlement in Grouse Creek in the Trinity River drainage in Northwestern California
, before contact with Europeans
.
Little is known of the Whilkut culture beyond its similarity to that of the Hupa and that they were considered by the Hupa and Chilula as a poorer, backward, less settled hill people. Following the gold rush in Northwestern California, routes of pack trains between Humboldt Bay
and Weaverville, California
, lay through their territory, and their population, never large, was drasticly reduced in the 1858-1864 Bald Hills War
. The survivors were taken to the Hupa reservation soon after its establishment. After 1870 they drífted back to their traditional homes where they continued to live. Only 50 remained in the 1910 census. In 1972 only a remnant was left, perhaps only 20 to 25 individuals.
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Tribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
, speaking a dialect similar to the Hupa
Hupa
Hupa, also spelled Hoopa, are a Native American tribe in northwestern California. Their autonym is Natinixwe, also spelled Natinookwa, meaning "People of the Place Where the Trails Return." The majority of the tribe is enrolled in the federally recognized Hoopa Valley Tribe; however, some Hupa are...
and Chilula
Chilula
The Chilula were an Athapaskan tribe who inhabited the area on or near lower Redwood Creek, in Northern California, some 500 to 600 years before contact with Europeans...
, who inhabited the area on or near the upper Redwood Creek
Redwood Creek (Humboldt County)
Redwood Creek is a river in Humboldt County, California. The river's headwaters are in the Coast Range at about and it flows roughly northwest until it empties into the Pacific Ocean near the small town of Orick, the only development in the -watershed....
and along the Mad River
Mad River (California)
The Mad River is a river in upper Northern California. It flows for in a roughly northwest direction through Trinity County and then Humboldt County, draining a watershed into the Pacific Ocean north of the college town of Arcata near Arcata-Eureka Airport in McKinleyville...
except near its mouth, up to Iaqua Butte, and some settlement in Grouse Creek in the Trinity River drainage in Northwestern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, before contact with Europeans
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
.
Little is known of the Whilkut culture beyond its similarity to that of the Hupa and that they were considered by the Hupa and Chilula as a poorer, backward, less settled hill people. Following the gold rush in Northwestern California, routes of pack trains between Humboldt Bay
Humboldt Bay
Humboldt Bay is a natural bay and a multi-basin, bar-built coastal lagoon located on the rugged North Coast of California, United States entirely within Humboldt County. The regional center and county seat of Eureka and the college town of Arcata adjoin the bay, which is the second largest enclosed...
and Weaverville, California
Weaverville, California
Weaverville is a census-designated place and the county seat of Trinity County, California. The population was 3,600 at the 2010 census, up from 3,554 at the 2000 census.-History:Founded in 1850, Weaverville is a historic California Gold Rush town...
, lay through their territory, and their population, never large, was drasticly reduced in the 1858-1864 Bald Hills War
Bald Hills War
Bald Hills War was a war fought by the forces of the California Militia, California Volunteers and soldiers of the U. S. Army against the Chilula, Lassik, Hupa, Mattole, Nongatl, Sinkyone, Tsnungwe, Wailaki, Whilkut and Wiyot Native American peoples.The war was fought within the boundaries of the...
. The survivors were taken to the Hupa reservation soon after its establishment. After 1870 they drífted back to their traditional homes where they continued to live. Only 50 remained in the 1910 census. In 1972 only a remnant was left, perhaps only 20 to 25 individuals.
See also
- Population of Native CaliforniaPopulation of Native CaliforniaEstimates 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...
- Native Americans in California
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