Last Updated on September 12, 2011 by
Yana Indians. A tribe, constituting a distinct linguistic family, formerly occupying the territory from Round mountains near Pit river, Shasta County, to Deer creek, Tehama County, California. The west boundary was about 10 miles east of Sacramento river, both banks of that stream being held by the Wintun, with whom the Yana were frequently at war. The east boundary extended along the spurs running out to the north and south from Lassen Butte. In August 1864 the neighboring miners organized a massacre of the whole tribe, then numbering about 3,000, of whom all but about 50 were slaughtered in the course of a few days. In 1902 Dixon reported only about half a dozen remaining. A number of their myths have been recorded by Curtin.