102 Kuksu

Ethnies	Cahto, Coast Yuki, Costanoan, Huchnom, Maidu, Mattole, Miwok, Pomo, Wailaki, Wintu, Yanan Tribes, Yokuts, Yuki (some southern Athapaskan ethnies displayed some Kuksu cultural traits)
*Transitional ethnies*	Achomawi, Atsugewi, Esselen, Kawaiisu, Salinan, Tubatulabl
	x

*Shared Elements*
*Economy*	Capitalistic
*Government*	Village communities with chief
*Shamanism*	Male rattlesnake and bear shamans, both with divine power
*Marriage*	Informal with bride price or gifts
*Ceremonies*	Kuksu dance cycle, girl puberty, mourning anniversary, shaman rites
*Creation Story Motif*	Great flood, creature dives for soil
*Basketry*	Coiled
*Primary food*	Acorns
Taboos	Killed twins, sometimes the mother

The population of the Kuksu macro-culture was comprised mostly of the Macro-Penutian language stock. Macro-Penutians ranged from the armpit of Alaska south to central Chile and include such famous ethnies as the Chinook, Mayans, and Nez Perce. The Kuksu were, nonetheless distinctly Californian making them distinctly different from their aforementioned distant relatives.

This in itself is quite curious. The Kuksu, without question, knew about corn, beans, and squash, and lived in a region with arable soil and adequate water for their growth but remained hunter/gathers, relying on acorns, and salmon in some areas, as their primary diet. The Yokuts in the southernmost of the Kuksu territories traded with Mojave and Yuman farmers of the Colorado River region, but apparently not for seed.

The creation stories of the Kuksu suggest further evidence of their broad cultural exposure. The great flood motif spanned the continent as a motif for numerous cultures. Their belief that the place of the dead was far to the west was shared with ethnies that spanned the continent as well.

Inter-village contact was as great among the Kuksu as it was among the Chungichnich. This promoted peace, trade, and mutual aid. It was their mostly capitalistic economy, Rattlesnake and Bear shamans, and creation beliefs that distinguished them from the Chungichnich.

The adherents to the Kuksu macro-culture were by the the largest population of California and suffered enormously from the loss land to settlers, genocide of prospectors, settlers, the Mexican and California militaries, and pollution of the streams and rivers by mining operations.

Populations	Year 1700	Year 1800	Year 1900	Year 2000
Cahto	500	500	100	600
Coast Yuki	500	500	0	0
Costanoan	7,000	3,000	50	250
Huchnom	500	350	0	0
Maidu	9,000	9,000	1,100	1,700
Mattole	1,200	400	50	100
Miwok	11,000	9,000	1,100	1,500
Pomo	8,000	8,000	1,300	2,400
Wailaki	2,700	1,900	200	400
Wintu	12,000	12,000	1,000	3,200
Yanan Tribes	1,500	1,500	50	0
Yokuts	18,000	18,000	550	1,500
Yuki	2,000	2,000	100	100

Total Kuksu	73,900	66,150	5,600	11,750

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