Maidu

Maidu Tribe

Maidu Indians (‘man’, Indian’ ). A tribe formerly dwelling in Sacramento valley and the adjacent Sierra Nevada in California. This single tribe constitutes the entire Pujunan linguistic family of Powell, all the divisions of which called themselves Maidu, and distinguished themselves one from another by their local names only. The Maidu proper, comprising the divisions north of Bear river valley, were formerly considered a different stock from the Nishinam, who are now recognized as the southern branch of the family. The names of the Maidu villages and of the inhabitants were usually local place names. It maybe doubted if, in … Read more

Maidu Indians

The Maidu, whose name means “person,” were an indigenous group native to the drainage areas of the Feather and American Rivers in California. Once thought to be an independent linguistic stock, the Maidu have been classified as part of the Penutian language family. The Maidu were divided into three main dialectic groups: the Southern Maidu (Nishinam), the Northeastern Maidu, and the Northwestern Maidu, each occupying distinct geographic regions. Their villages were spread across areas including present-day Sacramento, Chico, and Oroville. The Maidu population, estimated at around 9,000 in the late 18th century, drastically declined over time, with only 93 recorded individuals by 1930. Despite their reduced numbers, the Maidu left a significant cultural legacy in the region.