Tolowa
Encyclopedia
The Tolowa are a Native American
tribe. They still reside in their traditional territories in northwestern California and southern Oregon. Tolowa are members of the federally recognized Smith River Rancheria, Elk Valley Rancheria
, Confederated Tribes of Siletz
, as well as the unrecognized Tolowa Nation.
basin and vicinity in northwestern California
and southwestern Oregon
in the United States
. The area was bounded by Port Orford, Oregon
to the north and Wilson Creek, north of the Klamath River
, in California to the south. They lived in approximately eight permanent villages in what is now California and Oregon, including on Crescent Bay, Lake Earl, and the Smith River. The name "Tolowa" is an Algonquian
name given to them by the Yurok people. Their autonym is Xus, meaning "person."
They have traditionally spoken the Tolowa language
, one of the Athapaskan languages. Their subsistence was oriented around riverine and marine resources and acorns. Their society was not formally stratified, but considerable stress was put on personal wealth.
Tolowa villages were organized around a headman and usually consisted of related men. The men brought wives in from neighboring tribes. The brides were usually related (sisters), in order for the wealth to remain in the paternal families.
Epidemics hit the Tolowa before face-to-face contact with non-natives. Jedediah Smith
and his exploration party were the first known non-native to contact the Tolowa in 1828. During the 1850s, over half of the Tolowa people died from disease and mass murders by Anglo-Americans, such as the Yontoket Massacre
and the Achulet Massacre
. In 1860, after the Chetco/Rogue River War, 600 Tolowas were forcibly relocated to Indian reservation
s in Oregon. Later, some were moved to the Hoopa Valley Reservation in California. The tribe embraced the Ghost Dance
religion from 1872 to 1882.
estimated the 1770 population of the Tolowa was 1,000. Sherburne F. Cook
initially reduced this to 450, but subsequently raised his estimate to 2,400, with which Martin A. Baumhoff also agreed. The 1920 census listed 121 Tolowa left in Del Norte County, California
. Kroeber reported the population of the Tolowa in 1910 as 150.
Today there are approximately 1,000 Tolowa Indians.
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
tribe. They still reside in their traditional territories in northwestern California and southern Oregon. Tolowa are members of the federally recognized Smith River Rancheria, Elk Valley Rancheria
Elk Valley Rancheria
The Elk Valley Rancheria is a rancheria and federally recognized tribe of Tolowa and Yurok people. It is located in Del Norte County, California.-External links:*...
, Confederated Tribes of Siletz
Confederated Tribes of Siletz
The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians in the United States is a federally recognized confederation of 27 Native American tribal bands that once inhabited a range from northern California to southwest Washington.-Tribes:...
, as well as the unrecognized Tolowa Nation.
History
The Tolowa traditionally lived in the Smith RiverSmith River (California)
The Smith River is a river on the Pacific coast of northern California in the United States, approximately long. It drains a rugged area of the Pacific Coast Ranges west of the Siskiyou Mountains just south of the Oregon border and north of the watershed of the Klamath River. The catchment area is...
basin and vicinity 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...
and southwestern 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...
. The area was bounded by Port Orford, Oregon
Port Orford, Oregon
Port Orford is a city in Curry County, Oregon, United States. It is on the southern Oregon Coast, at the northern end of what coastal Oregonians call the Banana Belt, because the weather from Port Orford south is noticeably warmer than the weather north of nearby Cape Blanco...
to the north and Wilson Creek, north of the Klamath River
Klamath River
The Klamath River is an American river that flows southwest through Oregon and northern California, cutting through the Cascade Range to empty into the Pacific Ocean. The river drains an extensive watershed of almost that stretches from the high desert country of the Great Basin to the temperate...
, in California to the south. They lived in approximately eight permanent villages in what is now California and Oregon, including on Crescent Bay, Lake Earl, and the Smith River. The name "Tolowa" is an Algonquian
Algonquian languages
The Algonquian languages also Algonkian) are a subfamily of Native American languages which includes most of the languages in the Algic language family. The name of the Algonquian language family is distinguished from the orthographically similar Algonquin dialect of the Ojibwe language, which is a...
name given to them by the Yurok people. Their autonym is Xus, meaning "person."
They have traditionally spoken the Tolowa language
Tolowa language
The Tolowa language is a member of the Pacific Coast subgroup of the Athabaskan language family. It is spoken by Tolowa Indians in southern Oregon and northern California. There are only a handful of remaining fully fluent native speakers...
, one of the Athapaskan languages. Their subsistence was oriented around riverine and marine resources and acorns. Their society was not formally stratified, but considerable stress was put on personal wealth.
Tolowa villages were organized around a headman and usually consisted of related men. The men brought wives in from neighboring tribes. The brides were usually related (sisters), in order for the wealth to remain in the paternal families.
Epidemics hit the Tolowa before face-to-face contact with non-natives. Jedediah Smith
Jedediah Smith
Jedediah Strong Smith was a hunter, trapper, fur trader, trailblazer, author, cartographer, cattleman, and explorer of the Rocky Mountains, the American West Coast and the Southwest during the 19th century...
and his exploration party were the first known non-native to contact the Tolowa in 1828. During the 1850s, over half of the Tolowa people died from disease and mass murders by Anglo-Americans, such as the Yontoket Massacre
Yontoket Massacre
The Yontoket Massacre or Burnt Ranch Massacre was an 1853 massacre of Tolowa people at the village of Yontocket, California. One Tolowa man said that more than 450 people were killed in the attack. The massacre was conducted by a "company" organized by American citizens of Crescent City. At the...
and the Achulet Massacre
Achulet Massacre
The Achulet Massacre was an 1854 massacre of more than 65 Tolowa people by settlers at the village of Achulet, near Lake Earl in California.The attack was instigated in response to the theft of a white man's horse by an Indian. The party involved hid in the brush near the village at night,...
. In 1860, after the Chetco/Rogue River War, 600 Tolowas were forcibly relocated to Indian reservation
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
s in Oregon. Later, some were moved to the Hoopa Valley Reservation in California. The tribe embraced the Ghost Dance
Ghost Dance
The Ghost Dance was a new religious movement which was incorporated into numerous Native American belief systems. The traditional ritual used in the Ghost Dance, the circle dance, has been used by many Native Americans since prehistoric times...
religion from 1872 to 1882.
Population
Estimates for the pre-contact populations of most native groups in California have varied substantially.. Alfred L. KroeberAlfred 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...
estimated the 1770 population of the Tolowa was 1,000. 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...
initially reduced this to 450, but subsequently raised his estimate to 2,400, with which Martin A. Baumhoff also agreed. The 1920 census listed 121 Tolowa left in Del Norte County, California
Del Norte County, California
Del Norte County is a county located at the far northwest corner of the U.S. state of California on the Pacific adjacent to the Oregon border. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 28,610. The county seat is Crescent City, the county's only incorporated city. Del Norte is the abbreviated...
. Kroeber reported the population of the Tolowa in 1910 as 150.
Today there are approximately 1,000 Tolowa Indians.
Further reading
- Collins, James. 1996. Understanding Tolowa Histories: Western Hegemonies and Native American Responses. London: Routledge.
- Cook, Sherburne F. 1943. The Conflict between the California Indian and White Civilization I: The Indian Versus the Spanish Mission. Ibero-Americana No. 21. University of California, Berkeley.
- Cook, Sherburne F. 1956. "The Aboriginal Population of the North Coast of California". Anthropological Records 16:81-130. University of California, Berkeley.
- Drucker, Philip. 1937. "The Tolowa and their Southwest Oregon Kin". University of California Publications in American Archaeology and Ethnology 36:221-300. Berkeley.
- Gould, Richard A. 1978. "Tolowa". In California, edited by Robert F. Heizer, pp. 128-136. Handbook of North American Indians, William C. Sturtevant, general editor, vol. 8. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.