Description
Hupa, North American Indians who lived along the lower Trinity River in what is now the state of California and spoke Hupa, an Athabaskan language. Culturally, the Hupa combined aspects of the Pacific Northwest Indians and the California Indians. Their red cedar-planked houses, dugout canoes, basket hats, and many elements of their oral literature identify them with their northern origin; however, some of their customs, such as the use of a sweat house for ceremonies and the manufacture of acorn bread, were adopted from surrounding indigenous peoples of California. Hupa people had limited contact with non-native peoples until the 1849 Gold Rush brought an influx of miners onto their lands. In 1864, the United States government signed a treaty that recognized the Hupa tribe's sovereignty to their land.
Language
Hupa "language of the Hoopa Valley people") is an Athabaskan language
Culture
Hupa people migrated from the north into northern California around 1000 CE and settled in Hoopa Valley, California. Their heritage language is Hupa, which is a member of the Athabaskan language family. Their land stretched from the South Fork of the Trinity River to Hoopa Valley, to the Klamath River in California. Hupa villages were traditionally located on the riverbank and included dwellings for women and children, separate semisubterranean buildings where men slept and took sweat baths, and small menstrual lodges for women. The Hupa economy was based on elk, deer, salmon, and acorns, all of which were readily available in the region. Fine basketry was made by twining segments of certain roots, leaves, and stems around prepared shoots.