Who Are the Wintu?
The Wintu are an indigenous people of northern California, with approximately 2,500 members across several groups—the Winnemem Wintu (unrecognized federally), Redding Rancheria (federally recognized, mixed), and others. Their name means "people" in their language; "Wintu" properly refers to northern groups while "Wintun" is sometimes used for the broader language family (Penutian). They inhabit the upper Sacramento River and its tributaries—McCloud River, Pit River, and others—in Shasta County. The Wintu world was transformed by dams: Shasta Dam (1945) flooded sacred sites, including ceremonial grounds still used by the Winnemem Wintu, without consent or compensation.
River Salmon Culture
The Wintu were salmon people. The Sacramento River and its tributaries—especially the McCloud River—supported massive salmon runs; spring-run Chinook salmon swimming to cold headwaters were particularly prized. Wintu harvested salmon at fishing stations passed down through families; the fish were dried for winter food. Villages lined river courses; each community maintained fishing rights at specific locations. Beyond salmon, Wintu gathered acorns, hunted deer and elk, and harvested diverse plant foods. Mount Shasta—visible from Wintu territory—held spiritual significance; creation stories located origins in its glaciers and springs. This river-and-mountain world would be radically altered.
Dam Devastation
Shasta Dam, completed in 1945, flooded Wintu homeland. The dam blocked salmon from reaching headwaters; spring-run Chinook—the most culturally significant—were devastated. Wintu villages, including Toyon (near present-day Lakehead), were submerged. The Winnemem Wintu lost their puberty ceremony site, burial grounds, and ancestral village without compensation—they received nothing because the Bureau of Indian Affairs had lost their recognition paperwork. Today the tribe fights to restore salmon above Shasta Dam and opposes raising the dam (which would flood additional sacred sites). Their experience epitomizes how dam construction destroyed indigenous communities while denying them any benefits.
Contemporary Wintu
Modern Wintu groups pursue different paths. The Winnemem Wintu, led by Chief Caleen Sisk, advocate for federal recognition, salmon restoration, and protection of sacred sites—their War Dance ceremony in 2004 protested dam raising. They work with New Zealand Maori to bring salmon from stock transplanted there back to California. Redding Rancheria, a mixed tribal community including Wintu, operates gaming enterprises. Language revitalization continues with limited speakers. The McCloud River remains contested—Wintu seek to restore salmon while developers propose various projects. How Wintu achieve recognition, restore salmon, and protect remaining sacred sites from further inundation shapes their future in the shadow of Shasta Dam.
References
- DuBois, C. (1935). Wintu Ethnography (University of California Publications in American Archaeology and Ethnology)
- Sisk, C. (2006). Interview, \"Restoring Salmon to the McCloud River\" (various publications)
- Huntsinger, L. & McCaffrey, S. (1995). \"A Forest for the Trees: Forest Management and the Yurok Environment\"