Patwin

The Patwin are an Indigenous people from the Sacramento Valley in California. They are also known as a Copehan language spoken by the Patwin people. The Patwin are sometimes classified as a subdivision of the larger Wintun group, specifically the southern Wintun, which included the Hill and River Patwin.12

The Patwin had a community chief with significant power. Their economy, like other Wintun groups, relied on wild foods such as acorns, fish, and waterfowl. The southern Wintun, including the Patwin, were influential in the development of the Kuksu cult, a religion involving secret societies and rituals aimed at strengthening young men, promoting fertility, and warding off disasters.2