Description
The Wiyot Tribe, California is a federally recognized tribe of Wiyot people. They are the aboriginal people of Humboldt Bay, Mad River and lower Eel River of California. Prior to European contact, Wiyot people numbered approximately 2,000. They first encountered Europeans in 1802. Non-native settlers overran Wiyote lands during the California Gold Rush that started in 1849. Wiyots were killed in the Rogue River Indian War in 1852. On 26 February 1860, as the Wiyote people were celebrating their world renewal ceremony, European-American people ambushed Wiyot elders, women, and children.
Language
Soulatluk
Culture
Wiyot settlements were located on streams or bays, fairly close to the ocean. Villages consisted of 4 to 12 plank houses; there were also scattered hamlets of one or two houses. Before colonization the Wiyot were mainly fishers, catching salmon and other fish. They also collected mollusks, especially clams, and trapped land mammals. Houses and canoes were made of coast redwood. The Wiyot economy used dentalium shells, long obsidian knives, woodpecker scalps, and white deerskins as symbols of wealth.