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Ethnic group in Oregon and California, US From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Karuk people (Karok: káruk va'áraaras)[3] are an indigenous people of California, and the Karuk Tribe is one of the largest tribes in California.[2] Karuks are also enrolled in two other federally recognized tribes, the Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria[4] and the Quartz Valley Indian Community.
káruk va'áraaras | |
|---|---|
Karuk leader Ron Reed collecting gooseberries (2014) | |
| Total population | |
| 2010 census: 6,115 alone and in combination[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| California (Yreka, Happy Camp, Orleans), Oregon[2] | |
| Languages | |
| English, Karuk | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity, other | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Yurok |
Happy Camp, California, is located in the heart of the Karuk Tribe's ancestral territory, which extends along the Klamath River from Bluff Creek (near the community of Orleans in Humboldt County) through Siskiyou County and into Southern Oregon.[5]
The name "káruk ," also spelled "Karok," means "upriver",[6][3] or "upstream",[7] whereas the word "yúruk" means "downriver".[3] Thus, the term "káruk va’áraaras" refers to Karuk people, literally meaning "upriver people", whereas the exonym of the Yurok people in English, is derived from Karuk language term "yúruk va’áraaras", meaning "downriver people.[3]
Historically, "káruk va’áraaras" referred to any people from upriver of a reference point or person speaking. Traditionally, Karuk people referred to themselves as "ithivthanéen’aachip va’áraaras", meaning "middle of the world people".[3]
Karuk people are called Chum-ne in the neighboring Tolowa language.[8]
The Karuk people speak the Karuk language, a language isolate.[9] The tribe has an active language revitalization program.[10]
Estimates for the population sizes of most Native groups before European arrival in California have varied substantially.[a] Alfred L. Kroeber proposed a population for the Karuk of 1,500 in 1770. Sherburne F. Cook initially estimated it as 2,000, later raising this figure to 2,700.[11][12] In 1910, Kroeber reported the surviving population of the Karuk as 800.[6]: 883
According to the 2010 census, there were 6,115 Karuk individuals, of which 3,431 were full-blooded.[1]
Since time immemorial, the Karuk resided in villages along the Klamath River, where they continue such cultural traditions as hunting, gathering, fishing, basketmaking and ceremonial dances.[5] The Karuk were the only California tribe to grow tobacco plants.[7] The Brush Dance, Jump Dance and Pikyavish ceremonies last for several days and are practiced to heal and "fix the world," to pray for plentiful acorns, deer and salmon, and to restore social goodwill as well as individual good luck.[5]
The Karuk developed sophisticated usage of plants and animals for their subsistence. These practices not only consisted of food harvesting from nature, but also the use of plant and animal materials as tools, clothing and pharmaceuticals. The Karuk cultivated a form of tobacco,[7] and used fronds of the Coastal woodfern as anti-microbial agents in the process of preparing eels for food consumption.[13]
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