Miwok Indians of Northern California: More Than Just Yosemite
Ever heard of the Miwok? If you’ve been to Yosemite, you’ve been on their land. These Native American groups, spread across Northern California, have a fascinating story. Let’s dive in and get to know them a little better.
Who Are the Miwok, Anyway?
The Miwok aren’t just one big group. Think of them as a family with different branches, each with their own unique flavors. They all spoke languages from the same "Utian" family, and the name "Miwok" itself comes from a word meaning "people."
Anthropologists usually break them down into four main groups:
-
Plains and Sierra Miwok: These folks were all about the western side of the Sierra Nevada mountains, the Sacramento Valley, and the San Joaquin Valley. Imagine rolling hills and rivers – that was their backyard.
-
Coast Miwok: Picture Marin County and the southern part of Sonoma County. They were the beach bums of the Miwok world, hanging out near the coast.
-
Lake Miwok: These guys chilled around Clear Lake in Lake County. Lake life, anyone?
-
Bay Miwok: Contra Costa County was their stomping ground.
Life in Miwok Country
Most Miwok lived in the Sierra foothills, going up into the mountains but staying below the heavy snow line. The Plains and Bay Miwok, further north, made their homes along the Sacramento River and its delta.
Villages were small, usually housing 100 to 500 people. Before Europeans showed up in 1769, there wasn’t a central government. Each village was pretty much its own boss. The Sierra Miwok were the most numerous, with over 100 villages when the Europeans arrived.
Each village had a headman, kind of like the mayor. This position usually passed down from father to son. The headman settled arguments and organized hunting and gathering. He had helpers, like speakers and messengers, to get things done.
Homes Sweet Homes
Miwok homes were built to suit their environment. In the mountains, they used bark slabs leaning against each other in a cone shape. Down in the foothills and on the plains, they built houses with a frame of poles covered with grass, tule reeds, or woven mats.
Inside, there was a fireplace and an earth oven for cooking. Pine needles covered the floor, and people used tule reed mats and animal skins for sitting and sleeping. Cozy!
Every community had a big assembly house for dances and gatherings. These were built partly underground, with a hole dug three to four feet deep. The roof beams were held up by center posts and the edge of the hole, creating a room 40 to 50 feet across. The roof was covered with branches, pine needles, and earth. A smoke hole in the center and a door on one side completed the picture.
There was also a sweathouse, built like a smaller version of the assembly house.
What’s on the Menu?
The Miwok were hunter-gatherers. They grew tobacco, but mostly relied on what they could find in nature.
The Sierra Miwok were big fans of acorns, especially from the California Black Oak. In fact, some of the Black Oak forests in Yosemite today are partly thanks to the Miwok, who used fire to manage the undergrowth and encourage oak growth. They also ate just about any other edible plant they could find, including bulbs, seeds, and fungi.
For meat, they hunted animals with arrows, clubs, or snares. Deer were the main source of meat for the Sierra Miwok. The Plains Miwok had easier access to elk and antelope. Sometimes, the different groups would travel to each other’s areas to hunt.
Black and grizzly bears were hunted in the Sierras, but the Plains Miwok didn’t eat bears, foxes, or wildcats. Smaller animals like rabbits, beavers, squirrels, and woodrats were also on the menu. The Plains Miwok caught salmon and sturgeon in the Sacramento delta, while the Sierra Miwok fished for trout in mountain streams. Grasshoppers were a delicacy, and mussels were popular for those living near the Stanislaus River. The Coastal Miwok got most of their food from the inland side of the Marin Peninsula, but they also dove for abalone in the Pacific.
They stored food for later, mostly in flat-bottomed baskets.
Tools of the Trade
Bows and arrows were used for hunting and warfare. The Sierra Miwok made bows from cedar wood, reinforced with layers of sinew. Antlers were used to shape arrowheads. They also used spears with obsidian tips. They didn’t use shields or body armor.
Crafts and Clothing
The Sierra and Plains Miwok were skilled basket makers, using twining and coiling methods. Young willow branches were the foundation for both types of baskets. Redbud fibers were wrapped around the willow coils in the coiled baskets.
Tule reeds were woven into mats for the floors of houses. The Plains Miwok used bundles of tules tied together around a frame of willow poles to make canoes. Wooden paddles were used to move the canoes. In the mountains, they used rafts made from two logs tied together with vines to cross streams. String and cord were used to make nets for catching fish, birds, and small animals.
Clothing varied depending on the location. Northern Sierra Miwok women wore deerskin wrap-around dresses. Central Miwok and Plains Miwok women wore two-piece apron-type skirts made of deerskin, grasses, or shredded tule reeds. Miwok men wore a piece of deerskin around their hips. Both men and women used blankets or robes made from animal skins for warmth. Deer, bear, mountain lion, coyote, and rabbit skins were used to make robes.
Kids had their ears and noses pierced and wore flowers as ornaments. Adults wore beads, shells, bones, and feathers as ornaments. Both men and women had tattoos, usually with three lines running from the chin down the body. Hair nets were worn only by village leaders, except during special ceremonies.
Money and Trade
Clamshell disks were used as money, but they weren’t as valuable to the Miwok as they were to their neighbors to the north. Pieces of clamshell were shaped into small circles, holes were drilled in them, and they were strung on strings. Miwok men and women wore strings of clamshells as necklaces to show off their wealth. Olivella shells and stone cylinders were also strung on strings and used in trade. The Sierra Miwok got salt and obsidian from groups east of the Sierras, and shells from those living on the coast. Baskets, bows, and arrows were traded between groups.
Ceremonies and Beliefs
Some Miwok ceremonies were connected with religious practices. Special robes and feather headdresses were used for these. Other dances were held just for fun. Some Miwok dances included clowns called Wo’ochi, who were painted white and represented coyotes. They also had a grizzly bear ceremony, where the dancer pretended to be a bear, with pieces of obsidian attached to his fingers as claws.
The Miwok creation story and narratives are similar to those of other natives of Northern California. Miwok had totem animals associated with land and water. Personal names were often related to which group the person belonged to. Geese, frogs, salmon, clouds, ice, deer, antelope, coyote, rock, and sand were related to water. The land side included bears, foxes, lizards, bluejays, fire, and drums. These totems influenced kinship and politics, regulating descent, marriage, and relations with other tribes. These totem animals weren’t thought of as literal ancestors, but rather as predecessors.
Language
The Miwok spoke seven different languages, all part of the Penutian family. These languages were spoken in central California, from the Bay Area to the Sierra Nevada. Sadly, many of these languages are endangered. There are only a few dozen speakers of the three Sierra Miwok languages, and in 1994, there were only two speakers of Lake Miwok. The best-documented language is Southern Sierra Miwok, which is where the name Yosemite comes from.
The Miwok Today
Back in 1770, it’s estimated there were about 500 Lake Miwok, 1,500 Coast Miwok, and 9,000 Plains and Sierra Miwok, for a total of about 11,000 people. That’s probably a low estimate because it doesn’t include the Bay Miwok.
By 1910, the Census reported only 671 Miwok total, and in 1930, 491. Today, there are about 3,500 Miwok.
Despite the challenges they’ve faced, the Miwok people are still here, working to preserve their culture and traditions.
Federally Recognized Tribes
Several Miwok tribes are recognized by the federal government, including:
- Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians
- California Valley Miwok Tribe
- Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians
- Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria
- Ione Band of Miwok Indians
- Jackson Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians
- Middletown Rancheria
- Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians
- Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians
- United Auburn Indian Community
- Wilton Rancheria Indian Tribe
There are also several tribes that are not federally recognized.
The Miwok’s story is a reminder of the rich history and culture of California’s Native American people. Next time you’re in Yosemite or anywhere in Northern California, take a moment to remember the Miwok and their connection to the land.