YANA

Hokan-speaking California Indians formerly living along the eastern tributaries of the upper Sacramento River, from the Pit River to southwest of Lassen Peak. Yana territory comprised a myriad of foothills and narrow, rugged canyons, partly wooded but mostly brush-covered and rocky. There were four Yana divisionsNorthern, Central, and Southern Yana, as well as Yahispeaking mutually intelligible dialects. A significant characteristic of Yana speech was its use of separate forms for men and women. The differences were small; but females used their word forms exclusively, whereas men used the male forms among themselves and the female forms when addressing women. Life generally was very poor in the harsh, barren environment. The Yana lived in earth-covered winter lodges and thatch-covered summer dwellings, hunted various game, and fished for salmon. Little is known of their social organization, except that it probably comprised small bands and contained classes or rankings. The Yana were relatively warlike, a common trait among northern hill dwellers of California. In the 1860s the Yahi group were the victims of particularly brutal attacks by nearby white settlers. The settlers launched an extermination campaign, killing most of them and driving off a few survivors, who hid themselves in isolated canyons for more than 40 years. The last known Yahi survivor (Ishi), discovered in 1911, died in 1916. Other Yana, if they survive, are intermixed with other Indians.