The Sacred Tzolk'in of the Maya: Red Spectral Earth/ Red Lunar Moon - Resonant Monkey Moon of Attunement, Day 16

Monday, January 25, 2016

Red Spectral Earth/ Red Lunar Moon - Resonant Monkey Moon of Attunement, Day 16

Achumawi (Pit River) Baby. 1920's Edward S. Curtis (?).

Achomawi (also Achumawi, Ajumawi and Ahjumawi) is a name used in the anthropological literature for the northerly nine (out of eleven) bands of the Pit River tribe of Native Americans who lived in what is now northeastern California in the United States. These nine autonomous bands (also called "tribelets") of the Pit River Indians spoke various dialects of one common language, and the other two bands spoke dialects of a related language, called by anthropologists Atsugewi. "Achomawi", meaning river dwelling (from ajumma, "river") is actually just the name of the band whose territory was historically along the Fall River Valley and the Pit River from the south end of Big Valley Mountains, westerly to Pit River Falls.

The other eight bands that shared the Achomawi language had a historic homeland located along other parts of the Pit River. Their territory extended from Big Bend to Goose Lake. This land was also home to the Atsugewi language group, which consisted of two distinct bands of what is now unified as the Pit River Tribe, and who lived south of the Achomawi language bands in the Hat Creek valley and Dixie Valley.

Each of the nine bands in the "Achomawi" language group had defined separate territories up and down the banks of the Pit River (which they called "Achoma"). Within their respective territories, each band had several villages, which were apparently composed of extended family members, and had about 20-60 inhabitants per village. The bands were organized by having one central village with smaller satellite villages. The lower Pit River bands existed in a more densely forested mountain zone, while the upper Pit River bands had a drier sage brush and juniper zone. Their housing, food sources, and seasonal movements therefore also varied. In the summer, the Achomawi band, and other upper Pit River bands usually lived in cone-shaped homes covered in tule-mat[4] and spent time under shade or behind windbreaks of brush or mats.[8] In the winter, larger houses were built. Partially underground, these winter homes had wooden frames which supported a covering made of a mix of bark, grass and tule.*

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achomawi