Chilula
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Chilula (
Yurok language Yurok (also Chillula, Mita, Pekwan, Rikwa, Sugon, Weitspek, Weitspekan) is an Algic language. It is the traditional language of the Yurok people of Del Norte County and Humboldt County on the far north coast of California, most of whom now sp ...
term: Chueluela' / Chueluelaa' , ''Tsulu-la'', "People of Tsulu, the Bald Hill", locally known as the "Bald Hills Indians") were a Pacific Coast Athabaskan
tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confli ...
speaking a dialect similar to the Hupa to the east and
Whilkut The Whilkut (variants: ''Whiylqit, Hwil'-kut, Hoilkut, Hoilkut-hoi'') also known as "(Upper) Redwood Creek Indians" or "Mad River Indians" were a Pacific Coast Athabaskan tribe speaking a dialect similar to the Hupa to the northeast and Chilula ...
to the south, who inhabited the area on or near Lower Redwood Creek, in Northern
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, some 500 to 600 years before contact with Europeans. Upstream and northwest of the
Whilkut The Whilkut (variants: ''Whiylqit, Hwil'-kut, Hoilkut, Hoilkut-hoi'') also known as "(Upper) Redwood Creek Indians" or "Mad River Indians" were a Pacific Coast Athabaskan tribe speaking a dialect similar to the Hupa to the northeast and Chilula ...
along the Lower Redwood Creek lived the Chilula; they established their more than 20 villages only along the eastern shore, because there the mountains were broken by valleys irrigated by small streams, while the western shore was difficult to access. The Chilula (together with Whilkut) were called by the neighboring Hupa-speaking peoples Xwiy¬q'it-xwe / Xwe:yłq'it-xwe ("Redwood Ridge / Bald Hills People"), the
Karuk The Karuk people are an indigenous people of California, and the Karuk Tribe is one of the largest tribes in California. Karuks are also enrolled in two other federally recognized tribes, the Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad ...
also called them Vitkirik'áraar ("People of Viitkírik/Viitkírak (Bald Hills)"), therefore they were also known as ''Bald Hills Indians'' or ''Lower Redwood Indians''. Because of their close Hupa kin they are also called Lower Redwood Creek Hupa or Downstream Redwood Creek Hupa. Sometimes they are also considered another fourth tribelet (subgroup) of the Whilkut and are called the Chilula Whilkut. Chilula descendants have since been incorporated into the Hupa: * Hoopa Valley TribeHoopa Valley Tribe
/ref> ( Hoopa, Humboldt County, Population 2013: 3.139) (Hupa, Tsnungwe, Chimalakwe, Chilula, Whilkut) * Moon Creek Corporation ( Redwood Creek Descendants)


Historic villages

Groups of Chilula Indians lived in small villages scattered throughout the area, each containing about thirty people. The Chilula originally had at least 20 villages. Alfred Kroeber identified the locations and names of 18 of these; his spellings are in parenthesis. * k'ina'-xontah-ding (Kinahontahding) * kinyiq'i-kyoh-mingwah (Kingyukyomunga) * łich'iwh-'inahwh-ding (Hlichuhwinauhwding) * mis-me' (Misme) * noleh-ding (Noleding) * q'a: xis-tah-ding (Kahustahding) * q'ayliwh-tah-ding (Kailuhwtahding) * q'ung'-kyoh-lay' (Kingkyolai) * sikinchwin-mitah-ding (Sikinchwungmitahding) * to:n'-dinun-ding (Tondinunding) * ts'in-sila: -ding (Tsinsilading) * xontehł-me' (Hontetlme) * xowuni-q'it (Howunakut) * yinuqi-no:mitse'-ding (Yinukanomitseding) * yitse'ni-ning'ay-q'it (Yisining'aikut) * (Kailuhwchengetlding) * (Tlochime) * (Tlocheke) Most of these settlements were on the east side of Redwood Creek. It was sunnier there and the trees less dense. The Chilulas also had temporary camps on Bald Hills, where they stayed during the summer and fall. They usually chose sites high on a ridge near a cool brook or stream. The Chilula's permanent homes in Redwood Creek basin were square structures made of redwood slabs. Small pieces of leftover wood were used to make drum frames, medicine boxes, and other items. The houses were built over dug-out pits. A notched plank served as a stairway leading down to them. Near the pit's center, a scooped-out area bordered by stones was used for fire.


Legacy

A 205' Cherokee-class
US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
oceangoing
tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, su ...
was christened the in 1945, and recommissioned in 1958 as the
United States Coast Guard Cutter United States Coast Guard Cutter is the term used by the U.S. Coast Guard for its commissioned vessels. They are or greater in length and have a permanently assigned crew with accommodations aboard. They carry the ship prefix USCGC. Histor ...
''Chilula'' (WMEC-153), serving until 1991.


See also

*
Population of Native California The population of Native California refers to the population of Indigenous peoples of California. Estimates prior to and after European contact have varied substantially. Pre-contact estimates range from 133,000 to 705,000 with some recent schol ...
*
Native Americans in California The indigenous peoples of California (known as Native Californians) are the indigenous inhabitants who have lived or currently live in the geographic area within the current boundaries of California before and after the arrival of Europeans. ...


References


Chilula Bibliography
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* * Goddard, Pliny Earle
Notes on the Chilula Indians of Northwestern California
University of California Publications in American Archaeology and Ethnology, vol. 10, no. 6. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1914. * Lake, Robert G. ''Chilula: People from the Ancient Redwoods.'' Washington, D.C.: University Press of America, 1982. ---- Hupa Native American tribes in California Native Americans in Humboldt County, California Bald Hills War {{NorthAm-native-stub