The Nisenan people are indigenous to the Northern California region from the Yuba and American River watersheds, and the California Central Valley.
The U.S. federal government classifies the Nisenan people as part of the larger group of American Indians known as the Maidu, but some organized groups of Nisenan people disagree, insisting that the Nisenan are a separate tribe with its own history, leaders, cultural pathways, spirituality, language, and geographic territory.
Whether the Nisenan can be classified as Southern Maidu, as some do, or as a distinct group of American Indians is not a question that we can determine here. However, since there is a perceived relationship between the two people groups, and an official one on the part of the United States government, we will include the Nisenan in a separate category, but place it within the Maidu category.
In any respect, the Nisenan and the Maidu inhabited areas near one another but did not occupy the same geographical areas.
The Nisenan previously held federal recognition through the Nevada City Rancheria, which still exists as an entity although it is not currently recognized as a tribe. Some Nisenan people are enrolled in the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, which is a federally recognized tribe.
The Nisenan were indigenous to Northern California. Their territory spanned from the Sacramento River in the west to the Sierra Mountains in the east. To the south, their lands extended to the Cosumnes River, while to the north, they reached an area between the northern fork of the Yuba River and the southern fork of the Feather River.
Neighboring tribes included the Valley and North Sierra Miwok to the south, the Washoe to the east, the Konkow and Maidu to the north, and the Patwin to the west.
Up until the early 19th century, their encounters with the Spanish and the Americans were relatively uneventful. However, in 1833, a malaria epidemic killed many of the Nisenan people, along with the populations of neighboring tribes.
The Gold Rush in the late 1840s brought many incidences of land appropriation, violence, mass murder, disease, and decimation of necessary resources. Many of the Nisenan people were killed, while others died of starvation. By 1895, only a fraction of the surviving Nisenan remained in the Sierra Nevada foothills, as they were required to seek low-paying jobs in order to feed themselves.
Prior to European or American influences, The Nisenan people were decentralized, residing in small groups who shared a common language, and there were as many as thirteen Nisenan dialects, including Valley Nisenan, Northern Hill Nisenan, Central Hill Nisenan, and Southern Hill Nisenan. They lived in self-sufficient autonomous communities, each speaking a different variation of the Nisenan language.
Acorns provided a significant source of food for the Nisenan. Using long poles, they would forage for acorns in the fall, storing them in a granary. The acorns were ground and made into mush, gruel, or cakes. They also collected pine nuts, berries, and other edible wild vegetation, such as Tule root, which was boiled or roasted over a fire. Nisenan men hunted deer, elk, and rabbits, and bears were sometimes taken while they were hibernating in the winter. Those who lived near rivers added salmon, sturgeon, and trout to their diets. Grubs, earthworms, and other insects were sometimes smoked over a fire and consumed.
Today, from a hundred and fifty to two hundred Nisenan are enrolled in an unrecognized tribe in Nevada City. The Nevada City Rancheria was federally recognized until sometime in the 1950s or 1960s when the California Rancheria Termination Acts terminated the tribe's status. The Rancheria land was obtained by Chief Charley Cully in 1887, and, upon his death in 1911, the land was converted into the Nevada City Rancheria. Although many other Northern California tribes were restored in 1983, the Nevada City Rancheria was not, and they are still struggling for recognition.
Topics related to the Nisenan people, Nisenan tribal organizations, recognized or not, and other entities related to the Nisenan people, are appropriate for this category, including informational websites and businesses owned by Nisenan individuals.
Recommended Resources
California Heritage Indigenous Research Project
CHIRP is an organization created to preserve, protect, and perpetuate the culture and history of the Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan Tribe, and, ultimately, to press for the re-establishment of federal recognition for the Nisenan Tribe, and for its acquisition of a 232-acre site on a historic Nisenan village site known as Yulića near Nevada City. Information about the organization's plans for a return to their homeland is provided, and contributions are solicited.
https://chirpca.org/
Situated on Cement Hill in Nevada City, California, the Nevada City Rancheria was the federally recognized land and name of the Nisenan American Indian people in Northern California. The land was obtained in 1887 by Chief Charley Cully; when he died in 1911, it was converted by President Wilson into the Nevada City Rancheria, which was terminated as part of the Indian termination policies in the 1950s. While several other tribes were restored by court action in 1983, this one was not included.
https://nevadacityrancheria.org/
Nevada County Library: Nisenan Heritage
The Nevada County Library website highlights a book created by Shelly Covert and Dr. Sheri Tatsch that presents a history of the Nisenan people and the Nisenan Tribe of the Nevada City Rancheria from the time of the Gold Rush to contemporary times. A curriculum and lesson plan for educators is provided, along with illustrations, photographs, and maps, including an interactive map showing Nisenan cultural sites in the Sierra Nevada. Links to additional resources are available.
https://nevadacountyca.gov/2862/Nisenan-Heritage
The Nisenan are a group of American Indians in Northern California, between the Sacramento River and the Sierra Mountains. The Nisenan are classified as part of a larger group known as the Maidu, although the maintainers of this site dispute that classification. The site presses for the restoration of federal recognition for the Nevada City Rancheria, representing the Nisenan Tribe, which was terminated in the 1950s. Videos, press coverage, a newsletter, and a calendar of events are featured.
https://www.nisenan.org/
Shelly Covert is the spokesperson for the Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan Tribe. She sits on the tribal council and is the community outreach liaison and the executive director of the tribally-guided, non-profit CHIRP, whose mission is to preserve, protect, and perpetuate Nisenan culture. In that position, she works closely with the elders, tribal council, and tribal members to identify the areas of greatest need and then guides CHIRP to develop and implement projects that address them.
https://www.shellycovert.net/
The Uba Seo Gallery is a California Heritage: Indigenous Research Project (CHIRP) project intended to bring visibility to the history and culture of the Nisenan Tribe. Opened in 2021, curators Shelly Covert and Mira Clark use art to create visibility, advocacy, healing, and community education opportunities. Its history and mission are outlined, and its exhibitions are highlighted. Uba Seo also has a theater with a curved screen, and film schedules are posted.
https://www.ubaseo.org/
