The Eel River Athabaskans include the Wailaki, Lassik, Nongatl, and Sinkyone groups of Native Americans that traditionally live in present-day Mendocino, Trinity, and Humboldt counties on or near the Eel River and Van Duzen River of northwestern California. These groups speak dialects of the Wailaki language belonging to the Pacific Coast Athabaskan group of the Athapaskan language family which is prominently represented in Alaska, western Canada, and the southwestern U.S. Other related Athapaskan groups neighboring the Eel River Athapaskans included the Hupa-Whilkut-Chilula to the north, the Mattole on the coast to the west, and the Kato to the south. The Whilkut, Nongatl and Lassik were essentially annihilated during the Bald Hills War in the 1860s.
Eel River Athapaskan Tribes
Nongatl
The Nongatl lived traditionally in the territory around the Van Duzen River, from its outlet on the Eel River to its headwaters near Dinsmore, California, and along Yager Creek and Larabee Creek. They had at least 35 villages.
Lassik
The Lassik had about 20 villages and occupied a portion of main Eel River south to Kekawaka Creek, and its east tributaries, Van Duzen River, Larrabee, and Dobbyn creeks, as well the headwaters of the North Fork Eel River and Mad River. They had for neighbors toward the north the Whilkut inhabitants of the valley of Mad River and Redwood Creek; toward the east the Wintu of South Fork Trinity River; toward the south the Wailaki, from whom they were separated by Kekawaka Creek; toward the west the Sinkyone on Southfork of Eel River. Their dialect resembles the Hupa in its morphology and the Wailaki in its phonology. The majority of them perished during the first few years of the occupancy of their country by white people, a bounty being placed on their heads and the traffic in children for slaves being profitable and unrestrained. A few families of them are still living in the neighborhood of their former homes.
Wailaki
The Wailaki or in their own language Kinist'ee lived in northwestern California, along the Eel River south of Kekawaka Creek and the North Fork Eel River in three main subdivisions: Tsennahkenne or Tsen-nah-ken-ne ; Bahneko or Bah-ne-ko keah ; and Che-teg-gah-ahng . These regional groupings were divided into several bands and contained almost 100 villages: Tsennahkenne, Tsen-nah-ken-ne or Eel River Wailaki
Daadii'schow-kaiyaah or Daadii'sdin-kaiyaah ; band on western side Eel River from opposite mouth of North Fork Eel north to Natoikot Creek
Kaikiitce-kaiyaah or Shaahnaa'ndoon'-kaiyaah ; band on western side Eel River from Pine Creek at Horseshoe Bend north to Chamise Creek
Nin'keniitc-kaiyaah or Nee'taash-kaiyaah ; band on western side Eel River from opposite mouth of North Fork Eel River extending about a mile south of there ; band on eastern side Eel River from Willow Creek north to Copper Mine Creek
Tciiskot-kaiyaah or Toos'aan-kaiyaah ; band on eastern side Eel River from Copper Mine Creek north to Boulder Creek
Bahneko, Bah-ne-ko keah or North Fork Wailaki
Kaiyeeh-kiiyaahaan ″; band on north and south side North Fork Eel River, from Seechow-kiiyaahaan boundary west of Wilson Creek eastward to boundary with Pitch Wailaki
Nee'lhtciichow-kaiyaah or Seeghaa'-kaiyaah, Shaahnaa'ntcin'chii'-kaiyaah ; band on eastern side Eel River from McDonald Creek north to mouth of North Fork Eel River
Seechow-kiiyaahaan ; band on north and south side North Fork Eel River, next group after the Seetaandoon'-kaiyaah, extending for about one mile to a little downstream from Wilson Creek
Seelhgaichow-kaiyaah, band on eastern side Eel River from McDonald Creek south to border with Yuki at Big Bend Creek
Seelhtciichow-kaiyaah, band on eastern side Eel River from mouth of North Fork Eel River north to Cottonwood Creek
Seetaandoon'-kaiyaah or Seetaandoon'chii'-kaiyaah ; band on north side North Fork Eel River from its mouth on Eel River extending about 1/2 mile upstream
Che-teg-gah-ahng or Pitch Wailaki
Ch'i'aankot-kiiyaahaan ; band on Hull's Creek and Casoose Creek
Chowkot-kiiyaahaan ; band on North Fork Eel from south of Red Mountain Creek to border with Lassik at Salt Creek
T'ohchaah-kiiyaahaan, band on both sides of North Fork Eel River from Hull's Creek north to about a mile south of Red Mountain Creek
T'ohdinin'-kiiyaahaan, band on both sides of North Fork Eel River from Hull's Creek southwest to border with North Fork Wailaki
Northern Bands
Daa'lhsow-kaiyaah, band on western side Eel River north of Chamise Creek, to Lassik border? Possibly not Eel Wailaki or Lassik, but separate people
Ilhkoodin-kaiyaah or Yoiyidee'-kaiyaah ; band on eastern side Eel River from Boulder Creek north to Lassik Border? Possibly neither Eel Wailaki or Lassik, but a separate people
K'aa'snaikot-kaiyaah or Kekawaka band
K'in'din-kaiyaah, band on Jewett Creek north to Lassik Border on Eel River
Seetaalhtciichow-kaiyaah, band north of Daa'lhsow-kaiyaah, at or near Jewett rock, close to Harris, California
Sinkyone (Sinkine)
The Sinkyone, with about 70 villages, had the land along the Eel River and South Fork Eel River, and a portion of coastline from Spanish Flat south
Population
Estimates for the pre-contact populations of most native groups in California have varied substantially. Alfred L. Kroeber proposed a 1770 population for the Nongatl, Sinkyone, and Lassik as 2,000, and the population of the Wailaki as 1,000. Sherburne F. Cook suggested a total of 4,700 for the Nongatl, Sinkyone, Lassik, Wailaki, Mattole, and Kato. Martin A. Baumhoff estimated the aboriginal populations as 2,325 for the Nongatl, 4,221 for the Sinkyone, 1,411 for the Lassik, and 2,760 for the Wailaki, or a total of 10,717 for the four Eel River Athapaskan groups. Kroeber estimated the combined population of the Nongatl, Sinkyone, and Lassik in 1910 as 100, and the population of the Wailaki as 200. Today, some Wailaki people are enrolled in the Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians of California, the Grindstone Indian Rancheria of Wintun-Wailaki Indians, and the Round Valley Indian Tribes of the Round Valley Reservation.
