Maidu, << MY doo, >> are a group of Native American tribes in north-central California who speak related languages. A Maidu tribe traditionally consisted of about three to five villages. The tribal center was the village with the largest kum, a structure that served as both a house and a place for religious worship. In summer, the Maidu traveled through their territory to fish in the rivers, hunt deer, and gather acorns and other foods. In winter, they returned to their villages and lived on the food gathered during summer. The Maidu depended heavily on their basket-weaving skills, which they used in making food containers, fish traps, clothing, sleeping mats, and many other items.
Between 1848 and 1910, the Maidu population dropped from about 9,000 to about 1,000. This dramatic decrease resulted from disease as well as from the Maidu being driven off their lands by gold miners and ranchers and being moved by the United States government to distant reservations. Today, about 2,700 Maidu live in the United States. Maidu traditions are kept alive in religious ceremonies and in the work of modern Maidu artists.
