Miwok
The Miwok are a group of Indigenous Americans who historically inhabited western-central California, divided into four primary groups: the Plains and Sierra Miwok, Coast Miwok, Lake Miwok, and Bay Miwok. Traditionally, they engaged in hunting, gathering, fishing, and trading, utilizing various techniques and tools, including nets, spears, and bows and arrows. Miwok culture is characterized by their elaborate basketry, used for both practical purposes and ceremonial functions. They lived in large, multifamily long houses made from natural materials, and their clothing typically consisted of deerskin garments.
In their spiritual practices, shamans played a crucial role as healers and leaders, employing various rituals to promote health and well-being. The arrival of Spanish explorers in the late 16th century marked the beginning of significant challenges for the Miwok, including forced conversion, land dispossession, and devastating disease outbreaks. Despite these adversities, eleven Miwok nations are federally recognized today, along with several unrecognized groups. The Miwok culture and language continue to persist, and they have also influenced modern pop culture, notably inspiring the Ewok species in the Star Wars franchise. Today, Miwok communities strive to maintain their traditions while navigating contemporary life.
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Subject Terms
Miwok
- CATEGORY: Tribe
- CULTURE AREA: California
- LANGUAGE GROUP: Miwok-Costanoan
- PRIMARY LOCATION: Western-central California
- POPULATION SIZE: The Miwok make up eleven federally-recognized nations, as well as seven unrecognized nations, so population numbers vary
Miwok Indigenous Americans (also rendered as Miwuk, Mi-Wuk, or Me-Wuk) historically lived in western central California. They are divided into four groups: the Plains and Sierra Miwok, Coast Miwok, Lake Miwok, and Bay Miwok. The Miwok traditionally hunted, gathered, fished, and traded for food. Both men and women fished using nets, baskets, spears, and their bare hands. Men used bows and arrows to kill waterfowl and large game such as deer, elk, and bear. Surplus meat and fish were mixed with salt and dried for winter use. Men and women made Indigenous American baskets, which were used in ceremonies and for gathering, storing, and preparing food. The Miwok harvested numerous types of acorns, nuts, berries, roots, and other vegetation for food, medicine, and basket weaving materials.
The Miwok Indigenous Americans lived in large, permanent multifamily homes covered with brush, leaves, tule, and dirt. A basket was set over the small doorway opening at night. Like many Indigenous American women in similar climates, Miwok women wore deerskin apron skirts; men wore loincloths of the same material. Animal skins were cut into strips and sewn together for winter robes.
In traditional Miwok culture, the shaman was the tribal doctor and a ceremonial and religious leader. There were two kinds of shamans: power (or singing) shamans and sucking shamans. Sucking shamans sucked on the skin to extract foreign bodies that were believed to cause illness. Power shamans danced and prayed to guardian spirits for cures. Many superstitions and taboos were observed to ensure health and good luck.
In 1595, Spanish explorers met the Coast Miwok. By the early 1800s, missions were established, and Miwok Indigenous Americans were forcibly taken there for conversion. Many ran away but were captured and returned by Spanish soldiers. Disease epidemics and warfare with the Spanish decimated and weakened the Indigenous people. When White settlers arrived in California, hostilities were aimed at the ranchers seeking to take over tribal lands. In 1850, federal troops from Sonoma killed numerous Miwok individuals. In the early 1900s, the US federal government purchased land for a small reservation. Many Miwok members found seasonal work on local ranches.
In the twentieth century, the federal government officially recognized eleven nations belonging to the broader Miwok language family. Several other unrecognized Miwok nations existed as well. The Miwok also left a mark on pop culture as the inspiration for the name of the forest-dwelling Ewok species in the Star Wars franchise. Star Wars creator George Lucas's Skywalker Ranch complex is located in the ancestral homeland of the Miwok. Miwok communities continue to preserve traditions into the twenty-first century, while being largely integrated into the modern economy.
Bibliography
"BFC Partners with Coast Miwok Tribe." Buffalo Field Campaign, 16 Apr. 2024, www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/bfc-partners-with-coast-miwok-tribe. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.
Loomis, Alison. "Honoring Miwok Heritage: Echoes of Autumn Tradition." Marin Magazine, 27 Aug. 2024, marinmagazine.com/community/history/honoring-miwok-heritage-echoes-of-autumn-tradition. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.
"Miwok." Intercontinental Cry Magazine, intercontinentalcry.org/indigenous-peoples/miwok. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.
"Miwok History." Angel Island Conservancy, angelisland.org/history/miwok-history. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.
"The Miwok People." California State Parks, www.parks.ca.gov/?page‗id=935. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.
"Ohlones and Coast Miwoks - Golden Gate National Recreation Area." US National Park Service, 29 Dec. 2015, www.nps.gov/goga/learn/historyculture/ohlones-and-coast-miwoks.htm. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.
Treuer, Anton. Atlas of Indian Nations. National Geographic Books, 2017.