Yahi
The Yahi were an Indigenous people of California, primarily located in the Upper Sacramento Valley. They were divided into multiple subnations, each centered around major villages situated along east-west streams, and governed by a chief who inherited leadership. The Yahi relied heavily on deer as their primary source of food, with a diverse diet that also included various land mammals and plant products, which women gathered collectively. The first European contact with the Yahi occurred in 1821, leading to significant changes in their way of life, marked by the introduction of new diseases and the encroachment of settlers. By 1884, the Yahi population drastically declined from approximately 1,800 to just 35 individuals due to violence and illness. Ishi, a notable figure, was the last known member of the Yahi and died in 1916. In contemporary times, it is believed that some descendants of the Yahi community are part of the Redding Rancheria, a federally recognized Indigenous nation in California.
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Yahi
- CATEGORY: Tribe
- CULTURE AREA: California
- LANGUAGE GROUP: Hokan
- PRIMARY LOCATION: Upper Sacramento Valley
The Northern, Central, and Southern Yahi had numerous subnations, each constituting a major village located on an east-west stream. A village had a major chief who inherited his position. Deer was the most important animal for food and by-products, but all other land mammals were hunted and trapped. The Indigenous American women in the group were responsible for gathering and collecting a wide variety of plant products for food and utilitarian use. Many of these subsistence-getting activities were collective, particularly acquiring smaller animals and insects.
In 1821, Captain Luis Argüello and approximately fifty-five soldiers became the first Europeans to contact the Yahi. The Hudson’s Bay Company, from 1828 to 1846, occupied much of the Yahi territory. In 1837, cattle herders entered the region, and by 1845, the first permanent White settlement was established. The Mexican government granted leases to settlers and ranchers. The Whites introduced new diseases to the Yahi, whose population of 1800 was reduced to thirty-five by 1884. Numerous massacres of Yahi continued until the late 1800s. Ishi, a Yahi Yana, was the last survivor in 1911. He died in 1916. In the twenty-first century, it is believed that some descendants of the Yahi live in California as members of Redding Rancheria federally-recognized Indigenous nation.
Bibliography
Alexander, Kathy. “Summary of Native American Tribes – X-Z.” Legends of America, May 2024, www.legendsofamerica.com/tribe-summary-x-z. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.
Brekke, Dan. “The Last Yahi Indian.” Read the Plaque, readtheplaque.com/plaque/the-last-yahi-indian#gsc.tab=0. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.
Dadigan, Marc. "Native History: Ishi Emerges from Mountains and Enters the White World." ICT News, 13 Sept. 2018, ictnews.org/archive/native-history-ishi-emerges-from-mountains-and-enters-the-white-world. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.
“Hokan Language Family.” Native Americans, native-americans.com/category/native-american-tribes-by-language/hokan-language-family. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.
Rockafellar, Nancy. "The Story of Ishi: A Chronology." University of California San Francisco, history.library.ucsf.edu/ishi.html. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.