Atsugewi << at SOO gay wee >> are a native people of what is now northern California. They speak a language in the Hokan language family. Their language is similar to that of the closely related Achumawi, also known as the Pit River tribe. The Atsugewi are usually divided into two main groups: the Atsuge people and the Apwaruge people. The Atsuge people traditionally lived in the lands around Mount Lassen. The name Atsuge means pine-tree people in the Atsugewi language. The Apwaruge people lived on the plains around Eagle Lake. Their name means juniper-tree people.
Traditionally, the Atsugewi lived by hunting and fishing and by gathering wild plant foods. During the summer, small nomadic family groups hunted deer and other animals and fished in mountain streams. Acorns and other seeds formed an important part of the Atsugewi diet. Families dried meat, fish, and acorn meal and stored them for winter. In winter, the Atsugewi settled in small villages, mainly in the Hat Creek Valley. Today, the Atsugewi are also called Hat Creek Indians.
Archaeological evidence shows that the Atsugewi have lived in the region for thousands of years. European fur traders first encountered Atsugewi in the late 1820’s. Their population at the time was estimated as high as 1,000. Conflicts with gold miners and settlers, who arrived in great numbers after 1849, nearly drove the Atsugewi to extinction. Today, only about 100 Atsugewi remain in the region. The last native speaker of the Atsugewi language died in 1988.
