The Nomlaki (also Noamlakee, Central Wintu, Nomelaki) are a Wintun people native to the area of the Sacramento Valley, extending westward to the Coast Range in Northern California. Currently one person speaks Nomlaki. Currently, only 2 elder tribal members of the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians are said to remain who speak adequately; 1 younger tribal member currently championing the language revitalization efforts.
The Nomlaki were bordered by the Wintu (Wintun) in the north, the Yana in the northeast and east, the Konkow (Maiduan) in the east, the Patwin (Wintun) in the south, and the Yuki in the west.
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Nomlaki groups [link]
There are two main groups:
- The River Nomlaki lived in the Sacramento River region of the valley.
- The Hill Nomlaki lived west of the River Nomaki. Their territory is now within Glenn and Tehama counties and the River Nomlaki region.
Language [link]
The Nomlaki spoke a Wintuan language known as Nomlaki. It was not extensively documented, however, some recordings exist of speaker Andrew Freeman and Sylvester Simmons.[1]
Population [link]
Estimates for the pre-contact populations of most native groups in California have varied substantially. (See Population of Native California.) Alfred L. Kroeber (1925:883) put the combined 1770 population of the Nomlaki, Wintu, and Patwin at 12,000. Sherburne F. Cook (1976:180-181) estimated the combined population of the Nomlaki and northern Patwin as 8.000. Walter Goldschmidt (1978:341) thought that the pre-contact population of the Nomlaki was probably more than 2,000.
Kroeber estimated the population of the Nomlaki, Wintu, and Patwin in 1910 as 1,000.
Today [link]
The Federal Government restored the Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians to full tribal status in 1994. They were able to acquire land and establish the Rolling Hills Casino outside of Corning, California. Their tribal office is located in Orland, California
Famous tribal members [link]
Kyle Lohse - Major League Baseball (MLB) Pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals[2]
Cody Pata - Hawaiian entertainer and winner of the Na Hoku Hanohano 2008 Haku Mele Award. Last speaker of Nomlaki.
See also [link]
Bibliography [link]
- ^ "UC Berkeley, BLC Audio Archive of Linguistic Fieldwork". mip.berkeley.edu. https://www.mip.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/blc_lang_disp.pl?10103. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
- ^ Mallozzi, Vincent M. "The American Indians of America’s Pastime", The New York Times, published June 8, 2008, accessed June 10, 2008.
- Cook, Sherburne F. 1976a. The Conflict between the California Indian and White Civilization. University of California Press, Berkeley.
- Goldschmidt, Walter. 1978. "Nomlaki". In California, edited by Robert F. Heizer, pp. 341–349. Handbook of North American Indians, William C. Sturtevant, general editor, vol. 8. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
- Goldschmidt, Walter Rochs. Nomlaki Ethnography. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1951.
- Kroeber, A. L. 1925. Handbook of the Indians of California. Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin No. 78. Washington, D.C.
- Mithun, Marianne. 1999. The Languages of Native North America. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-23228-7 (hbk); ISBN 0-521-29875-X.
- Smythe, Charles W., and Priya Helweg. Summary of Ethnological Objects in the National Museum of Natural History Associated with the Nomlaki Culture. Washington, D.C.: Repatriation Office, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, 1996.
- https://www.mip.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/blc_cont_disp.pl?LA_113+10026 closely related Wintun dialect directly north of the Nomlaki, the Wintu
External links [link]
- Native Tribes, Groups, Language Families and Dialects of California in 1770 (map after Kroeber), California Pre-History
- Nomlaki language overview at the Survey of California and Other Indian Languages
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