Maidu

The Maidu Native American people historically occupied northeastern and central parts of present-day California. The Maidu consisted of three groups: the Maidu or Mountain Maidu, Concow, and Nisenan. The Maidu Native American peoples spoke various dialects of the Penutian language family. The term Maidu, or Maida, came from their Native word meaning both “person” and “being.” To them, humans, plants, animals, and rocks were all maidu. The term Concow comes from an Anglicization of the Concow word for “meadowland” or “garden,” referring to the area these indigenous peoples historically inhabited. The Mountain Maidu and Concow inhabited the drainages of the American and Feather Rivers; areas around present-day Plumas, Lassen, Butte, and Yuba counties in California. The Nisenan traditionally occupied the drainages of the Yuba, Bear, American, and Feather rivers around present-day El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, and Yuba counties in California. Prior to the arrival of gold miners in 1846, the Maidu indigenous people numbered around 9,000. By 1910 the population had dropped to 1,100, although today that number has increased to over 2,500. Currently the descendants of the Maidu are living in areas around their traditional homeland and are reviving their culture.

Name: Maidu, from the Mountain Maidu term for “person” and “being.”

Location: Northern and Central California.

Population: Over 9,000 in 1846 to around 2,500 presently.

Language Family: Penutian.

First Contact by Euroamericans: In 1848 by James Marshall, a gold miner.

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