Nicoleño facts for kids
 |
|
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 200 – 300 (1800, est.) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 California |
|
| Languages | |
| Nicoleño language | |
| Religion | |
| Catholicism, traditional religion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Chumash, Tongva |
The Nicoleño were a group of Native Americans who lived on San Nicolas Island in California. They spoke a language called Nicoleño, which is now extinct. Their population was greatly reduced in 1811 due to a conflict with sea otter hunters. The very last known person from this group was a woman named Juana Maria, who was born before 1811 and passed away in 1853.
History of the Nicoleño People
Scientists believe that San Nicolas Island has been home to people for at least 10,000 years. This is similar to other nearby islands, known as the Channel Islands. The Nicoleño people were likely related to groups living on Santa Catalina and San Clemente Island. These groups were part of the Takic branch of the Uto-Aztecan people. They were also connected to the Tongva people, who lived in what is now Los Angeles County.
The name "Nicoleño" became common after a scholar named Alfred L. Kroeber used it. The Chumash people, another Native American group, called them the Niminocotch. They called San Nicolas Island Ghalas-at. We do not know what the Nicoleño called themselves.
In 1543, the explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo saw San Nicolas Island. However, his crew did not land or write much about the people living there. In 1602, another Spanish explorer, Sebastián Vizcaíno, visited the island and gave it its current name. Not much is known about the Nicoleño from historical records between these dates and the early 1800s. By that time, their population had already decreased a lot. This was partly because Spanish missionaries moved people from other Channel Islands to the mainland.
In 1814, a group of Russian and Aleut fur traders came to San Nicolas Island. They were hunting sea otters and seals. During this time, many Nicoleño men were killed, which greatly reduced their numbers. By the 1830s, only about twenty Nicoleño people were left. Some reports say there were only seven: six women and an old man named Black Hawk. Black Hawk had been injured during the conflict.
Hearing about their situation, the Mission Santa Barbara on the mainland sent a ship to rescue them. In late 1835, Captain Charles Hubbard sailed to the Channel Islands on a ship called the Peor es Nada. Most of the remaining Nicoleño people got on the ship. However, one woman, later known as Juana Maria, did not arrive before a storm forced the ship to leave. Captain Hubbard could not return for Juana Maria right away. His ship later sank, and no other ships were available for a rescue attempt.
Many of the Nicoleño survivors went to live at the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel. Sadly, they became sick from new diseases they had not encountered before. Black Hawk became blind and later died in an accident. The other survivors also seemed to have passed away by the time Juana Maria was found.
After several attempts to find her failed, Juana Maria was finally discovered by Captain George Nidever. He brought her to the mainland. No one could understand her language. She was cared for by Nidever and his wife. However, she became ill with dysentery and died just seven weeks after arriving.
In 1939, a structure made of whalebone, believed to have been used by Juana Maria, was found. In 2009, archaeologists found two redwood boxes eroding from a sea cliff. These boxes contained about 200 items, including Nicoleño, European-American, and Native Alaskan objects. These items suggest the boxes were used between 1815 and 1853, possibly by Juana Maria herself. In 2012, a U.S. Navy archaeologist reported finding a site that might have been Juana Maria's cave.
Over the years, many human remains and burial items have been found on San Nicolas Island. Leaders from the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, a tribe that feels a cultural connection to the Nicoleño, visited the island. They were concerned about how the human remains were being treated by those digging them up. With the Navy's permission, they took responsibility for the human remains and burial artifacts.
Nicoleño Culture and Daily Life
Most of what we know about the Nicoleño people comes from Juana Maria. When Captain Nidever found her, she was living in a round shelter made of brush. It was about 6 feet (1.8 meters) across and 5 feet (1.5 meters) high, with a small opening. She cooked her food over a fire inside her home. Other similar shelters were still standing at the time. Another type of shelter was made of brush walls supported by whale ribs. Juana Maria would hang seal meat from poles or ropes around her shelters to dry.
Like other Native Californians, the Nicoleño were very skilled at weaving baskets. Juana Maria was described as making four different types of baskets. When she was found, she was wearing a dress made from cormorant bird skins, decorated with feathers. She also had many items made from animal tendons and bone.
The first archaeological visit to San Nicolas Island was in 1875. Researchers found many items on the surface. These included woven grass mats, clothing pieces, bone knives, and fishhooks. They also found soapstone carvings of fish and birds. The Nicoleño people relied completely on the ocean for their food. The island had only four types of land animals, none of which were good for eating. However, the ocean around the island was full of fish, sea mammals, and birds, which the Nicoleño were very good at catching.
Nicoleño Language
| Nicoleño | |
|---|---|
| Native to | San Nicolas Island |
| Extinct | 1853 with the death of Juana Maria |
| Language family |
Uto-Aztecan
|
The Nicoleño language became extinct when Juana Maria died in 1853. We only have a few pieces of evidence left: four words and two songs that are said to be hers. People who heard her speak recorded this information. However, no one could truly understand her language at the time. The four Nicoleño words that were translated were:
- "tocah" (meaning "animal hide")
- "nache" (meaning "man")
- "toygwah" (meaning "sky")
- "puoochay" (meaning "body")
Based on this limited information, linguists (people who study languages) believe Nicoleño was part of the Uto-Aztecan language family. It is thought to be related to the Takic branch. This branch includes the Tongva language, spoken on Santa Catalina Island and the nearby coast, and the Luiseño language, spoken to the south. Most linguists agree with these ideas.
In 2000, a linguist named Pamela Munro suggested that Nicoleño was part of the Cupan subgroup of Takic languages. She believed it was not very similar to Tongva. According to her research, Nicoleño had similarities to both the Luiseño and Cupeño language groups. It might even have been its own unique branch within the Cupan languages.
