Mythologies of the Chilula Tribe

Chilula Indians (Tsu-lu’-la, from Tsula, the Yurok name for the Bald hills.) A small Athapascan division which occupied the lower (north west) portion of the valley of Redwood Creek, north California and Bald hills, dividing it from Klamath valley. They were shut off from the immediate coast of Yurok, who inhabited villages at the mouth of Redwood Creek. The name of the Chilula for themselves is not known; it is probable that like most of the Indians of the region they had none, other than the word for “people” above them on Redwood creek was the related Athapascan group known as Whilkut, or Xoilkut. The Yurok names of some of their villages are Cherkhu, Ona, Opa, Otshpeth and Roktsho.

Chilula (Yurok language term: Chueluela’ / Chueluelaa’ , Tsulu-la, “People of Tsulu, the Bald Hill”, locally known as the “Bald Hills Indians”) were an Pacific Coast Athabaskan tribe speaking a dialect similar to the Hupa to the east and Whilkut to the south, who inhabited the area on or near Lower Redwood Creek. Chilula men were skilled hunters who depended on elk and deer—supplemented with acorns—as their main food source. In summer the Chilula left the permanent homes, near which they fished, and dwelt mostly on the upper prairie area of Bald Hills ridge, where seeds and bulbs abounded and hunting was available. In autumn the Chilula continued residence in the Bald Hills or crossed Redwood Creek to gather acorns. Chilula resistance slowed white advancement onto Native American lands, but the tribe’s skillful defense of ancestral territories fueled strong anti-Chilula feelings among the whites. Eventually, settlers formed their own army to drive the Chilula away. On March 4, 1859, they tricked the Chilula into attending an alleged peace conference.

Chilula (Yurok language term: Chueluela' / Chueluelaa' , Tsulu-la, "People of Tsulu, the Bald Hill", locally known as the "Bald Hills Indians") were an Pacific Coast Athabaskan tribe speaking a dialect similar to the Hupa to the west and Whilkut to the south, who inhabited the area on or near Lower Redwood Creek, in Northern California, some 500 to 600 years before contact with Europeans. Upstream and northwest of the Whilkut along the Lower Redwood Creek lived the Chilula; they established their more than 20 villages only along the eastern shore, because there the mountains were broken by valleys irrigated by small streams, while the western shore was difficult to access. The Chilula (together with Whilkut) were called by the neighboring Hupa-speaking peoples Xwiy¬q'it-xwe / Xwe:yłq'it-xwe ("Redwood Ridge / Bald Hills People"), the Karuk also called them Vitkirik'áraar ("People of Viitkírik/Viitkírak (Bald Hills)"), therefore they were also known as Bald Hills Indians or Lower Redwood Indians. Because of their close Hupa kin they are also called Lower Redwood Creek Hupa or Downstream Redwood Creek Hupa. Sometimes they are also considered another fourth tribelet (subgroup) of the Whilkut and are called the Chilula Whilkut. Chilula descendants have since been incorporated into the Hupa.

Chilula (Yurok language term: Chueluela' / Chueluelaa' , Tsulu-la, "People of Tsulu, the Bald Hill", locally known as the "Bald Hills Indians") were an Pacific Coast Athabaskan tribe speaking a dialect similar to the Hupa to the east and Whilkut to the south, who inhabited the area on or near Lower Redwood Creek, in Northern California, some 500 to 600 years before contact with Europeans. Upstream and northwest of the Whilkut along the Lower Redwood Creek lived the Chilula; they established their more than 20 villages only along the eastern shore, because there the mountains were broken by valleys irrigated by small streams, while the western shore was difficult to access. The Chilula (together with Whilkut) were called by the neighboring Hupa-speaking peoples Xwiy¬q'it-xwe / Xwe:yłq'it-xwe ("Redwood Ridge / Bald Hills People"), the Karuk also called them Vitkirik'áraar ("People of Viitkírik/Viitkírak (Bald Hills)"), therefore they were also known as Bald Hills Indians or Lower Redwood Indians. Because of their close Hupa kin they are also called Lower Redwood Creek Hupa or Downstream Redwood Creek Hupa. Sometimes they are also considered another fourth tribelet (subgroup) of the Whilkut and are called the Chilula Whilkut.

The Chilula were almost indistinguishable from the Hupa in speech, and were allied with them in hostility toward the coastal Yurok. Like all Indians of the region, they lacked a specific designation for themselves as a group. "Chilula" was English for the Yurok "Tsulu-la," people of Tsulu, the Bald Hills. Locally they were known as the Bald Hills Indians. Their villages were located on or adjacent to lower Redwood Creek, from near the inland edge of the heavy redwood belt to a few miles above Minor Creek. All but one of the village sites were on the east side of Redwood Creek, on which the hillsides received more sun and the timber was not so dense. A few were as much as a mile or more from the stream, but most were close to the watercourse. In summer the Chilula left their homes to camp on the highland prairies of the Bald Hills, where seeds and roots were plentiful and game abounded. Autumn found the Chilula either camping on the Bald Hills or crossing Redwood Creek to gather acorns on the western slopes.

The Chilula Indians built their villages along Redwood Creek, which ran southwest of the Klamath River and emptied into the ocean north of Humboldt Bay, in what is now Humboldt County, Calfornia. The Chilula, however, occupied only a portion of the land along Redwood Creek. They were cut off from the ocean by the Yurok, whose lands extended across the mouth of Redwood Creek and who were not friendly with the Chilula. The upper reaches of Redwood Creek were occupied by the Whilkut. There were high hills along both sides of Redwood Creek in Chilula territory. On the western side, thick forests of redwood and oak trees came down to the creek. On the eastern side of the creek, the hills were broken by valleys with little streams running down them. It was here that the Chilula built their homes. There were more than 20 villages, with an average size of about 30 people. These people who lived along Redwood Creek did not call themselves Chilula. This name was given to them later, and comes from a Yurok term, Tsulu-la, meaning people of Tsulu. Tsulu refers to the Bald Hills, the name given the hills in this area because there are no trees on the hill tops. The Chilula are also called the Bald Hills Indians.

“Chilula” is an English language pronunciation of the Yurok word čulula, a name they gave to their neighbors, meaning “they frequent Bald Hills” or “they pass through Bald Hills.” To other neighboring tribes, they were known as the “Bald Hills Indians” or the “Redwood Creek Indians.” The Chilula called themselves Hoil’kut, thought to mean “Redwood Acorn Eaters.” Compared to their neighbors, whose subsistence system was based mainly on fishing, the Chilula people were a hunting/gathering society. Because the water system they lived in proximity to, Redwood Creek, was a small stream, there were fewer fish to be found than in nearby larger rivers. While it remained a significant food source, the Chilula relied more on the gathering of plant foods such as bulbs, acorns, wild potatoes, and seeds, and the excellent hunting skills of the men in the tribe. Deer and elk were plentiful in the Bald Hills, as well as the redwood forest meadows. Nooses laid along game trails along with bows and arrows were the weapons of choice. Interestingly, for the Chilula men, hunting practices were ceremonial in nature. Before a hunting trip, the men purified themselves in sweathouses, fasted and prayed, abstained from sex and social interaction with women, and kept their weaponry pure. Women were not allowed to touch or handle and of the hunting tools or weapons, especially during their "moon time" (menses).