Francis A. Riddell Keepsake

The term Maidu as used here refers to those people also known as the Mountain maidu or Northeastern Maidu, while the term Konkow refers only to the Northwestern Maidu.

 Maidu was spoken with little dialect differentiation by people living in the high mountain meadows lying between Lassen Peak and the town of Quincy some 50 miles to the south and east.

 Konkow, however was spoken in a number of dialects along the lower reaches of the Feather River Canyon, in the surrounding hills, and in the adjacent parts of the Sacramento Valley. The

Nisenan occupied the remainder of the area generally north of the south fork of the American River and east of the Sacramento River.

Within the Maiduan area, the dialects, in general, were quite closely related. However, the above-mentioned three forms of speech were mutually unintelligible at first contact.

Francis A Riddell &endash; The Maidu and the Konkow

The Konkow were divided into several village communities: Kewsayoma'a, Yunoma'a and Totoma'a. The latter two, along with several others now forgotten, composed a larger unit called Tie . (page 5)

 Differences recognized by the people themselves stem from language and locational considerations. All people have an ability to see themselves as the center of the universe and different from their neighbors. To an outsider, however, the differences are difficult to perceive when the life style and cultural inventory are essentially the same. (page 6)

 A settlement pattern of "village communities" (Kroeber 1925:398) served as the only political organization of the Maidu. A village community was recognized as an autonomous unit and consisted of several adjacent villages. (page 7)

 Among the Maidu and the Konkow, this headman was primarilly an advisor and spokesman (Dixon 1905:224) The separate villages were self sufficient and not under any strict political control by the community headman. (page 7)

 A village community owned and defended a known territory which was a common hunting and fishing ground for all members of the community. Because the Konkow, in the northwestern foothills, settled in a more widely dispersed pattern along river canyons, the territory of a single community was less obvious (Kroeber 1925:397-398) (page 7)

 Sociopolitical organization

The group headman played a relatively minor role in village community organization and was not selected by inheritance. Rather , he was chosen through the aid of a shaman who conveyed the choice of the spirits to the people. The chief was chosen for his maturity, wealth, ability, and generosity. He could also be removed by the word of the shaman, again a messenger of the spirits (Dixon 1905:223-224). (page 21)

 The Konkow chief was primarilly an advisor and he was responsible to a council composed of elder members of the Kuksu Cult. (Voegelin 1949:106) (page 21)

 The shaman was an important figure in the Maidu and Konkow society. Since there was no complete political organization, the shaman, with his mysterious powers and spiritual communication provided a sense of unity among the village community. He functioned in the festivals, Kuksu Cult, ceremonies and dances, political relations with other tribes, and served as medical doctor, capable of healing the sick or causing sickness to fall upon an individual or entire village. (page 35)

 Among the Konkow there was a tendency towards hereditary shamanism, although there were defined methods for a person to become a shaman without ancestral lines. The Konkow distinguished between dream shamans who held assemblies in the dance house which were primarilly clairvoyant proceedings and the doctor shamans who possessed the greater powers of healing or of causing sickness. (page 35)

 Among the Konkow there was also the Kuksu Cult , the leader of which was also a powerful shaman. The Cult functioned primarilly as a ceremonial and dance organization rather than as a group involved in tribal politics or warfare. The Kuksu Cult had spirit impersonations and followed a dance cycle in which dances were representative of the different spirits. The dances began with the Hesi dance which was celebrated in Late September or early October. This feast lasted three to four days and only men were allowed to participate. (page 36).

Indian &endash;White Relations

Maidu and Konkow life was little affected by white contact until after the gold discovery at Coloma.in 1849. (page 39)