Tsnungwe
The Tsnungwe or Tsanunghwa are a Native American people indigenous to the modern areas of the lower South Fork Trinity River, Willow Creek, Salyer, Burnt Ranch and New River along the Trinity River in Trinity and Humboldt County in California. The Tsnungwe were a bilingual Hupa-Chimariko-speaking people and are known by the Hupa-speaking peoples as tse:ning-xwe. The primary language was the Tsnungwe dialect of Hupa, and the secondary language was Chimariko, although spoken with a Hupa accent.
The Tsnungwe include two sub-groups called łe:lxwe after their most important settlement and religious center, and the Chima:lxwe'/Chimalakwe/Tł'oh-mitah-xwe along New River. The Karuk living north of the Salmon River Divide called the Chima:lxwe'/Chimalakwe/Tł'oh-mitah-xwe Akráak va'ára. The Norelmuk Wintu from Hayfork called the Tsnungwe Num-nor-muk.
Because their language is a dialect of the Hupa language, they are also called South Fork Hupa. Other tribal names refer to their territories occupied: South Fork Indians, Burnt Ranch, South Fork Trinity Tribe, and Kelta/Tlelwe/Hlelwe/Tlelding/Leldin Tribe or Tlohomtahhoi, Chaltasom.
Neighboring tribes to the Tsnungwe include the Yurok, Redwood Creek Hupa, Hoopa Valley Hupa, Wiyot, Chimariko, Shasta, Karuk, and Wintu. Often times, Tsnungwe spoke many Native languages. C. Hart Merriam referred to Tsnungwe leader Saxey Kidd as "a well-known polyglot," speaker of many languages.Federal recognition
The Tsnungwe descendants are members of the Tsnungwe Council : recognized by both Humboldt and Trinity counties, previously recognized by the United States of America, and working to have that federally-recognized status restored.Culture
The traditional Tsnungwe diet included salmon, steelhead, Pacific lamprey "eels," black tail deer, and other local animals and plants.Language
The language of the Tsnungwe is considered a dialect of the Hupa language of the Pacific Coast Athabaskan language group of North American native languages. This language with various dialects is spoken ; ;.Villages
Willow Creek area villages
misqine:q'it/nisking-q'it, nants'ing-tah, niskin-ji-ding/niskinje:ndihding, da:chwan'-ding, da:chwan'-ding mima:n-ch'ing, saqe:q'it, saqe:q'it mima:n-ch'ing, yinaq-xa:-ding/yinuq xa:-ti-nit, tł'ohday-kyoh-q'it, xowiyk'iłxowh-ding, tse:-ding, xoxo:ch'e:lding, minq'it-ch-ding, q'aykist ch'e:xahsding, t'unchwing-tah, d'ahilding, yinaq-xa:-ding.South Fork Trinity area (''yisinch'ing-qeh'') villages
łe:l-ding, including the three sub-villages me:łchwin-q'it, ta:k'iwe:ltsil-q'it, ta:ng'ay-q'it ; ch'iłte:l-ding, chway-me', dahchiwh-ding, dilchwehch-ding,łichiwh-ding, tł'oh-wa:ne/xołtsowch-ding, niłtuq-tah-ding, qosta:n-ding, yahts'ame', yidahtich'inahding, yunihting.Trinity River (South Fork – Cedar Flat area) villages
hun'-kya:w-qeh, ti-dił -ding, xoling-kyoh-miye, miy-me', k'inunq'-ding, tse:-q'it, no:k'iwowh-ding, kin-sa'an-ting, tse:łe:nga:ding, ta:wha: wh-ding, xowung-q'it, xweda'ay-sa'an-me'.Burnt Ranch and New River area villages
tse:n-ding/tse:-nung-din, tse:nung-axis-ding, yinuq-dinung-ting, ch'e:nantiłting, ch'e:na:dawhding, ch'ixe:ne:wh-din, k'iłna:dil mito', k'iyawh-michwan, łige:y de:-dilła:t-ding, tł'ohne:s-ding, qowh-ding, tł'ohsch'il'e:n-ding, tse:na:ning'a:ding, yiduq-nilin, yiduq-łe:na:lding, tł'oh-mitah-xwe.