Description
The Wintu (also Northern Wintun) are Native Americans who live in what is now Northern California. They are part of a loose association of peoples known collectively as the Wintun (or Wintuan). Historically, the Wintu lived primarily on the western side of the northern part of the Sacramento Valley, from the Sacramento River to the Coast Range. The first recorded encounter between Wintu and Euro-Americans dates from the 1826 expedition of Jedediah Smith, followed by an 1827 expedition led by Peter Skene Ogden. Between 1830 and 1833, many Wintu died from a malaria epidemic that killed an estimated 75% of the indigenous population in the upper and central Sacramento Valley.
Language
Wintu is a Wintuan language; the other Wintuan languages are Nomlaki and Patwin
Culture
The Wintu tribes had close ties to the natural resources in the region they occupied. More specifically, The Winnemem Wintu tribe translates to "Middle Water people" in their language. As a whole, hunting, fishing, and gathering plants are all part of their culture and cultural use. They use unique customs, traditional art, and independent spiritual beliefs within their way of life.The Wintu people used to live in small semi-permanent homes that could be found along waterways.