The name Nisenan, derives from the ablative plural pronoun nisena·n,.
The Nisenan have been called the Southern Maidu and Valley Maidu. While the term Maidu is still used widely, Maidu is an over … See more

The Nisenan live in Northern California, between the Sacramento River to the west and the Sierra Mountains to the east. The southern reach went to about Cosumnes River but … See more

The Nisenan language encompasses 13 dialects that are as extensive as the language itself. The language is spoken in the Sierra Nevada, between the Cosumnes River and Yuba River, as well as in the Sacramento Valley between the American River and … See more

Housing
The Nisenan made two distinct living structure known as Hu, and K’um. Hu was the common … See more

Gold Rush
The Nisenan were initially unaffected by European influence. In the early nineteenth century, … See more

Birth customs
Documented history about customs can be contradictory and not always reliable, as early … See more

The Nisenan, as with many of the tribes of central California, is not considered a strict political distinction. The people were highly decentralized, in small groups who shared a common … See more