Pomo

The Pomo Native American peoples historically occupied the Russian River Valley area in northern California, ranging from Clear Lake in the north to the coast in present-day Lake, Mendocino, and Sonoma counties. The Pomo indigenous peoples are part of the Hokan linguistic family, broken into seven different groups that historically spoke mutually unintelligible languages: Northern Pomo, Central Pomo, Southern Pomo, Southwestern Pomo or Kashaya, Eastern Pomo, Southeastern Pomo, and Northeastern Pomo. The Kashaya are believed to have been the only group to have a name for itself; otherwise individual groups were historically identified by the village or community from which they came. Prior to Euroamerican contact, the Pomo Native American peoples are estimated to have numbered between 13,000 and 20,000; as of the 1990 US Census there were 4,766 registered Pomo.

Name: Pomo, including the seven linguistic groups: Northern Pomo, Central Pomo, Southern Pomo, Southwestern Pomo or Kashaya, Eastern Pomo, Southeastern Pomo, and Northeastern Pomo.

Location: Northern California near Clear Lake and the Russian River in present-day Lake, Mendocino, and Sonoma counties.

Population: Prior to Euroamerican contact between 13,000 and 20,000; today there are around 4,770 registered Pomo Native Americans.

Language Family: Hokan.

First Contact by Euroamericans: In 1811 with the establishment of the Russian Fort Ross in Kashaya territory.

Current Tribal Status: Only a handful of Pomo rancherias are federally recognized, others are currently fighting for “untermination” status.

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