Maidu Indians

Long before our family or other pioneers arrived, the Maidu people called this area home.  On a modern map of California, the Maidu’s lived in the counties of Lassen, Butte, Plumas, Yuba, Sutter, Sierra, Nevada, Placer and El Dorado.

The Maidu people were not a large group and estimates give them not more than a few thousand among the various camps at the time that the first whites came among them.  The Maidu people have no written record of their past.  It is believed that their occupancy dates back at least a couple of thousand years.

The Maidu people were of medium height and their heads and faces were broad with noses narrow and lips thin.   Both men and women had dark eyes and usually straight black hair.  

The clothing of the Maidu people varied depending on the weather.  During the summer, very little clothing was worn.  The men wore a buckskin apron, which covered their front and backside.  The women and children wore various kinds of buckskin skirts.  For colder seasons, both would add layers of buckskins to keep warm.

were a part of diet of the Maidu people.  Acorns had to be shelled, cleaned and grounded into meal.  Pounding them with a pestle on a hollowed-out stone did this.

The Maidu women also made beautiful baskets, which were used for various household duties.  Some of these duties include: storage, cooking, and transporting of food.

The homes of the Maidu people where made of natural materials.  These homes varied depending on location and weather conditions. 

The Maidu people were very conscience of nature.  Conservation of mother earth was always practiced and nothing was ever wasted.