Hupa History- Hoopa Valley Tribe

The People of Hoopa Valley are one of California's first cultures. The first American trappers and gold miners entered Hoopa in 1828. They came up the Trinity River into the rich valley which has always been the center of the Hupa World, the place where the trails return. Legends say this is where the people came into being. Our treaty was signed providing the whole Hoopa Valley as a reservation. In 1876 an executive order was signed acknowledging this treaty. Since first European contact the culture and traditions remain to this day.

In 1864, a Peace and Friendship Treaty was negotiated with the United States. In 1896, the Department of the Interior began preparing a land allotment list and in 1909 a Proclamation was handed down by President Theodore Roosevelt. This list was not completed and approved until 1923. The Hupa People successfully avoided the physical destruction of their valley homeland, and in modern times created one of the first successful Self-Governance Tribal structures in the nation.

Our traditional language belongs to the Athabascan Language family, which relates us to other peoples in the region and, more remotely, to the Athabascans from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada, as well as to the Navajos and Apaches Tribes of the Southwest. Our traditional way of life was based on the semiannual king salmon runs that still occur on the Trinity River, which flows through the center of the Hoopa Valley Reservation. In addition, we made use of other indigenous foods, especially acorns. Both these resources remain important as ceremonial foods. Today some 2500 Hupa people live on the Hoopa Valley Reservation, in the heart of our traditional territory.

The Hupa people traditionally occupied lands in the far northwestern corner of California. The boundaries of the reservation were established by Executive Order on June 23, 1876 pursuant to the Congressional Act of April 3, 1864. The boundaries were expanded by Executive Order in 1891 to connect the old Klamath River (Yurok) Reservation to the Hoopa Valley Reservation. Further confirmation of the ownership by the Hupa Tribe of the Hoopa Valley Reservation came on October 31, 1988 with President Ronald Regan's signature on Public Law 100-580, the Hoopa/Yurok Settlement Act.

The Hupa People have occupied their lands since time immemorial, and the past century has really been the shortest in our history. However up until the late 1800's there is little or no written record on the rich history and culture that is now the Hoopa Valley Tribe. Much of the tradition and lore that still exists today has been passed along between generations via an extensive oral tradition. The ceremonies and traditions continue in the similar manners as they have since the beginning, and will continue in this custom.

Information on the Local Northwest Tribes

The Little River is the boarder between the homelands of the Wiyot and Yurok peoples. Other Tribes remaining today in this region are the Karuk, Hupa, and Tolowa Tribes. While sharing a similar cultural framework, each of these Tribes had a wholly distinct Tribal language. In California, the Tolowa lived along the extreme northern coast, from the southwestern corner of Oregon to approximately fifteen miles south of Crescent City. The Yurok lived along the coast, from this point south to just below Trinidad Bay, and up the Klamath River, extending about 45 miles and somewhat past the junction with the Trinity River as well as a short distance south along the Trinity. The Wiyot lived south along the coast from Trinidad past Eureka to Ferndale, encompassing Arcata and Humboldt Bays, the lower Mad River, and the lower Eel River. The Karuk lived on Klamath above Yurok territory further up river to beyond Happy Camp, and along the Salmon River; the Hupa inhabited the Trinity Just before the junction with the Klamath, especially through the long north-south section called Hoopa Valley and south to Grouse Creek. The Chilula and Whilkut were smaller groups that inhabited interior valleys associated with Redwood Creek and the Mad River.

The natural environment, the rivers, mountains and oceans forged the cultural backbone of these people. Living on the abundance of foods, such as acorns, salmon, deer meat and berries life here was remarkably untouched by contact with western society until the discovery of gold in 1849. The quest for gold did not last long and these peoples live in one of the few areas that remain cultural intact and for the most part were separated from the influence of America until the early 1900’s. These Tribes have a connection to their homelands, language and ceremonies that, unfortunately, is not the norm for a majority of Native peoples.

RELIGION AND CEREMONIES

The religion of the local people was based on individual effort through ritual cleanliness and ceremonies including the entire tribe. The Tribes of this region practice the annual World Renewal Ceremonies, such as the Karuk Pikyavish, the Tolowa Nee-dash, the Hupa and Yurok White Deerskin Dance and most Tribes perform the Sacred Jump Dance. The purpose of the rituals is to renew the world or “firm the earth”, as one tribe described it. This ceremony includes songs and dances that have been preserved for countless generations. Most of these rituals are considered to have connection with medicine. Medicine included not only that which was administered to cure sickness, but anything; root, herb, stick, or bark that is used to promote both physical and spiritual health. The Brush Dance is a both a social event and a healing ceremony in which the People of the local Tribes dance, sing, make medicine and pray to bless a particular sick child or infant. The dance takes place in the Brush Dance pit, and it involves men, boys and young girls. The herbal healing ceremony includes singing, chanting, rhythmic movement and jumping center. The spectators, seated on benches around the pit, also pray and help in the spiritual treatment of the child.

BASKETRY

Indian people from this region excelled in basketry. Weaving and use of baskets has always been a main element of the cultures of California tribes. Our baskets are of the twined, woven type and are tight enough that they could hold water for cooking. These tribes make a wide variety of baskets from daily use such as Baby baskets, collecting vessels, food bowls, cooking items, ceremonial items and we also made basket caps, which were worn by both women and also men if open weave .

GAMBLING & STICK GAME

Gambling was the most popular recreational activity for Local Native people. Men would gamble each evening in the sweathouse, which served as their lodgings (men and women slept separately). In the most popular game, players would hide sticks, one specially marked, behind their backs. The opponents would attempt to guess which hand held the marked stick. Gambling, like many activities, was spiritually based and being “lucky” was more a reflection of the quality of your character than an association with random chance. Our peoples also played an endurance and strength game in which men used sticks to try to throw a "tossel" (two wooden blocks attached by a cord) across opposing goal lines despite the very physical interference of the other team.

This paper presented by André Cramblit, Karuk Tribe. For more in-depth information please see www.ncidc.org