Tututni
The Tututni are a Native American group from the Northwest Coast cultural area, specifically known for their unique societal structure and lifestyle. This group includes several divisions: Kwatami, Yukichetunne, Khwaishtunnetunne, Chetleshin, Mikonotunne, Chemetunne, and Tututni. They are distinct in having a matrilineal society, which contrasts with the more common patrilineal structures seen in neighboring tribes. The Tututni primarily relied on land-based resources for sustenance, gathering food such as roots, berries, nuts, and small animals, while also engaging in trade and intermarriage with nearby tribes.
Historically, the Tututni first came into contact with European settlers in 1792, and significant changes occurred due to disease, gold rushes, and conflicts like the Rogue River War in the mid-19th century. The population decline during this period led to some Tututni being relocated to reservations, where they later participated in movements like the Ghost Dance in the late 1800s. Understanding the Tututni's rich cultural heritage and historical challenges provides insight into their resilience and adaptation over time.
Tututni
Category: Tribe
Culture area: Northwest Coast
Language group: Athapaskan
Primary location: Lower Rogue River and southwest Oregon coast
The Tututni language group includes Upper Coquille, Tututni, Chasta Costa, and Chetco. All these tribes were typical of the Northwest Coast culture area with stratified societies, winter plank houses, extensive overland and water trade, and traditional forms of wealth. Only the Tututni were matrilineal. The Tututni comprised seven divisions: Kwatami, Yukichetunne, Khwaishtunnetunne, Chetleshin, Mikonotunne, Chemetunne, and Tututni. Though they were oriented toward the sea and rivers, they gained most of their food from land animals, small animals, roots, tubers, seeds, berries, nuts, and insects. Differential food and utilitarian resources encouraged trade and intermarriage.
Robert Gray first contacted and traded with these people in 1792. In 1826 the botanist David Douglas visited the Upper Umpqua. The population for these groups was greatly reduced by disease, gold seekers, and the Rogue River War of 1855-1856. Some people were settled on the Siletz and Grand Ronde Reservations and became adherents to the Ghost Dance movement after its introduction in the late 1800s.