Tolowa Dee-ni'
The Tolowa are a Native American tribe primarily located in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon, with a population of approximately 1,900 as of 2024. They are part of the Athabaskan language group and traditionally inhabited eight permanent villages along the Smith River. Their society, characterized by a lack of social stratification, was based on a patrilineal structure that valued wealth for prestige. The Tolowa people were adept at utilizing their rich environment, relying on sea and land mammals, fish, and a variety of plant foods, particularly acorns, while controlling access to local clamming beaches and berry patches.
European American contact began in 1828 and led to significant disruptions in their population due to diseases and subsequent settlement activities. The establishment of the Smith River Rancheria in 1908 provided some land for displaced Indigenous peoples. In modern times, the Tolowa maintain a connection to their cultural heritage through traditional practices, including woodworking, while also participating in various local industries. They are represented by several recognized entities, including the Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation and Elk Valley Rancheria, and continue to focus on honoring their history, protecting their culture, and serving their community in the twenty-first century.
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Tolowa Dee-ni'
- CATEGORY: Tribe
- CULTURE AREA: California
- LANGUAGE GROUP: Athabaskan
- PRIMARY LOCATION: Northwest California
- POPULATION SIZE: 1,900 (2024 Tolowa Dee-Ni' Nation)
Though the patrilineal Tolowa acquired wealth to gain prestige, their society lacked social stratification. They lived in eight permanent river villages in what is today northwestern California and southwestern Oregon, with houses of square horizontal-set split redwood planks with sloping roofs. They exploited sea mammals, fish, land mammals, and numerous plant foods, particularly acorns. Each village controlled clamming beaches, sea stacks, berry patches, and adjacent wooded areas.
The first documented European American contact with the Tolowa was in 1828 by Jedediah Smith, though diseases like smallpox and cholera had been introduced earlier through indirect contact. By 1850, White settlement had increased through gold mining, logging, and farming, resulting in a drastic reduction in the Indigenous American population. In 1908, a tract of land on the mouth of the Klamath River was acquired by the government for displaced California Indigenous Americans; it became the Smith River Rancheria. The Tolowa were influenced by the Ghost Dance movement of 1870 and the Indian Shaker Church in 1929. In the twenty-first century, some Tolowa pursue traditional woodworking skills. Many Tolowa work in local lumber businesses as well as in clerical and administrative jobs. The Tolowa are spread across the federally recognized Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation, Elk Valley Rancheria, Confederated Tribes of Siletz, Trinidad Rancheria, and the unrecognized Tolowa Nation. In the 2020s, the Tolowa continued to live by its mission statement, including honoring its past, protecting its culture, and serving its community.
Bibliography
"About Us." Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation, www.tolowa-nsn.gov/35/About-Us. Accessed 7 Dec. 2024.
Collins, James. Understanding Tolowa Histories: Western Hegemonies and Native American Responses. Routledge, 1998.
“Our Lands.” Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation, www.tolowa-nsn.gov/246/OUR-LANDS. Accessed 7 Dec. 2024.
Pritzker, Barry M. A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples. Oxford University Press, 2000.
Thornton, Russell. "Social Organization and the Demographic Survival of the Tolowa." Ethnohistory, vol. 31, no. 3, 1984, pp. 187–196.
"The Tolowa." Del Norte County Historical Society, delnortehistory.org/tolowa/. Accessed 7 Dec. 2024.