Patwin is the native language of the Wintun people. Ancestors of these people arrived in Central Valley and Northern California around 1400 BCE. The Patwin had similar language with the Nomlaki and Wintu. The Patwin are the most southern of these groups and are sometimes called the Southern Wintun. (Patwin) The Patwin tribe were broken into two groups; the Hill Patwin that lived in the coastal ranges and the River Patwin that resided in the Sacramento Valley. (Quail) These people like most Native Americans during this time took advantage of their surroundings. Traded fish and sea shells and other goods with other local tribes. They were hunter, gatherers, and extremely productive fisherman, taking advantage of the nearby river and
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This area was also very popular to hunters and trappers due to the amount of fur-bearing animals. Unfortunately, these invaders brought disease with them; such as Small Pox’s, and Malaria and epidemics swept through the land (West, Quail, Yocha.) “By the time the epidemics had been contained, the Native American population in the Sacramento Valley had dropped from 60,000 to 20,000 people” (West.) By the 1800’s the remaining Patwin people had become employed or enslaved, or left their ancestral home, thus bringing an end to the Patwin culture (West.) The gold rush, abuse, and disease left the Patwin people to the brink of exciton (Yocha.) They were all required to move onto reservations in the early 1900’s. This area, like most reservations, was a barren and non- irrigate able land and the people became dependednt on Governmental subsidies. (Yocha.) Today there are about 2500 Patwin people living outside of Sacramento …show more content…
They have designed programs to help preserve their historic landmarks, they are reintroducing the traditional ways of life, and revitalizing the language. “Keeping our language and wisdom alive is central to our survival as a Tribe. It reflects the promise we have made to generations of culture keepers, the promise we will carry the knowledge of our traditions on into perpetuity, to preserve the core of who we are as a Native people” (Yocha.) The Patwin language is a dialect of the Wintun language. Both the Patwin and Wintun languages are considered to be from the Penutian linguistic family. In 1997 there was only one documented speaker. At this time it is unclear how many people can actually speak the Putwin language thanks to the revitalization efforts.
This area was also very popular to hunters and trappers due to the amount of fur-bearing animals. Unfortunately, these invaders brought disease with them; such as Small Pox’s, and Malaria and epidemics swept through the land (West, Quail, Yocha.) “By the time the epidemics had been contained, the Native American population in the Sacramento Valley had dropped from 60,000 to 20,000 people” (West.) By the 1800’s the remaining Patwin people had become employed or enslaved, or left their ancestral home, thus bringing an end to the Patwin culture (West.) The gold rush, abuse, and disease left the Patwin people to the brink of exciton (Yocha.) They were all required to move onto reservations in the early 1900’s. This area, like most reservations, was a barren and non- irrigate able land and the people became dependednt on Governmental subsidies. (Yocha.) Today there are about 2500 Patwin people living outside of Sacramento …show more content…
They have designed programs to help preserve their historic landmarks, they are reintroducing the traditional ways of life, and revitalizing the language. “Keeping our language and wisdom alive is central to our survival as a Tribe. It reflects the promise we have made to generations of culture keepers, the promise we will carry the knowledge of our traditions on into perpetuity, to preserve the core of who we are as a Native people” (Yocha.) The Patwin language is a dialect of the Wintun language. Both the Patwin and Wintun languages are considered to be from the Penutian linguistic family. In 1997 there was only one documented speaker. At this time it is unclear how many people can actually speak the Putwin language thanks to the revitalization efforts.