Coast Yuki
The Coast Yuki, also known as Ukhotnom, were one of the indigenous Native American cultures located along the Mendocino Coast of California, comprising eleven distinct groups. They inhabited approximately fifty miles of coastline and were known for their unique conical dwellings made from redwood bark, along with brush huts used during the summer for privacy. Economically, Coast Yuki men engaged in hunting and fishing, while women were responsible for gathering vital plant foods. Each group operated autonomously with its own elected headman and territory, allowing for trade and resource sharing among different villages. Despite their strong connection to the marine environment, they did not utilize boats. Their diet included a variety of foods such as acorns, salmon, mussels, deer, and elk. The arrival of white settlers in the 1850s significantly disrupted their traditional lifestyle, leading to resource depletion and the establishment of reservations. By the 1970s, the distinct identity of the Coast Yuki had diminished, although some cultural practices persisted through connections with movements like the Pomo Earth Lodge cult.
Coast Yuki
Category: Tribe
Culture area: California
Language group: Yuki
Primary location: Drainage of the Eel River, northwestern California
The coast Yuki, or Ukhotnom, were shell-mound dwellers and one of the Native American cultures of California. They comprised eleven groups who occupied approximately fifty miles of the Mendocino Coast. They lived in conical redwood bark-covered dwellings; in summer they utilized brush huts for privacy and windbreaks. Native American men hunted and fished, while Native American women collected and gathered essential plant foods. Each group had its own elected headman and territory. Groups visited, traded, and had usury rights to resources of other villages. Though a marine-oriented people, they had no boats. Their diet consisted primarily of acorns, grass seeds, salmon, and mussels. Deer and elk were important for food and by-products.
In the early 1850’s, the Coast Yuki were intruded upon by white lumbermen and ranchers, whose activities destroyed many natural resources. Many Indians were interned on the Mendocino Reservation in 1856, though some continued to work on white ranches. The Coast Yuki joined the Pomo Earth Lodge cult, a derivative of the Ghost Dance religion, and revitalized some traditional ways, but by the 1970’s they were no longer considered a distinct group.