Yuki

The Yuki were four distinct groups of Indigenous peoples who historically inhabited the Coast Ranges and coastal areas of northwestern California. They spoke unique languages unrelated to any other known languages, though the Wappo, who lived south of the other Yuki groups, shared a linguistic link with them. The Yuki-proper, Huchnom, and Coast Yuki lived along the Eel River and its tributaries and the redwood coast, respectively.1

Traditionally, the Yuki organized into tribelets, with each settlement having its own chief. Their economy was based on gathering acorns, fishing, and hunting. They lived in different types of houses depending on their location, with interior groups using domed earth-covered houses and coastal groups using conical bark-covered houses. Trade was common, with clamshell beads serving as currency. Early 21st-century estimates indicated around 600 Yuki descendants.1