The Hupa Indians are a Native American tribe from California’s Hoopa Valley, with a traditional language called Hupa. They have inhabited the area for over 4,000 years and preserved their culture until American settlers arrived in the mid-19th century. The tribe subsisted on fishing, hunting, and farming practices, and were led by a chief. They negotiated a treaty with the US government in 1864 and were designated a reservation. The tribe is governed by a tribal council and administers various businesses and social services.
The Hupa Indians, known officially as the Hoopa Valley Tribe, are American Indians originally from California’s Hoopa Valley. The traditional language of the tribe also called Hupa is part of the Athabaskan language family and connects the Hupa Indians to other Western Native peoples from Alaskan nations to the Navajo and Apache. The Hupa Indians are thought to have inhabited the Hoopa Valley for at least 4,000 years and only came into contact with American settlers relatively recently, in the mid-19th century. The Hupa Indians remain in the Hoopa Valley, a region designated as a reservation in the 19th.
Because American settlers didn’t arrive in the Hoopa Valley until the mid-1800s, the Hupa Indians were able to preserve a great deal of traditional culture and history. Prior to contact, the tribe lived in permanent villages in houses made of red cedar planks, navigated the Trinity and Klamath Rivers by dugout canoe, and subsisted on farming and hunting practices. The biannual Trinity River King Salmon Run was a crucial tribal support.
In addition to fishing for salmon, the Hupa Indians also baked acorn bread and hunted deer and elk with bows and arrows made of syrinx shoots. Hunters wore the skin of their prey to cover human scent. Deer were hunted with arrows, caught in snares, or driven to water by packs of dogs. The meat was cooked by roasting over a fire or by burying it in ash enclosed in the animal’s stomach. Both fish and meat were smoked as a preservation measure.
American settlers first came into contact with the Hupa Indians when they pushed into the Hoopa Valley in the mid-19th century in search of gold and furs. At that time, the tribe was led by a chief known as Ahrookoos, a position that was granted on the basis of wealth and could be passed down from father to son. A United States military post was established on Hupa land in 1955 where it remained until 1855.
The Hupa Indians along with the South Fork, Redwood and Grouse Creek tribes negotiated a treaty of peace and friendship with the United States in 1864. The treaty was ratified by the American government in 1876 and the Hoopa Valley was designated as a Hupa Indian Reservation. The reservation encompasses an area of approximately 141 square miles (365 square kilometers).
Unlike many other Native American tribes, the Hupa Indians were never forcibly removed from their ancestral lands and had relatively peaceful interactions with the US government, military, and American settlers. The tribe is governed by a seven-member tribal council and administers several businesses including gaming, housing, basic services, and logging. The tribal government provides many social services such as adult vocational and continuing education, tribal police and fire services, a medical center, human services, a tribal court, and a housing authority.
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