Present-day geography of the state of California
Doug Stevens/Flyboy Graphics. ©2021 The Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian
Tribal language groups at the time of Spanish colonization
Doug Stevens/Flyboy Graphics.
©2022
The
Smithsonian's National
Museum of the American Indian
Based on Survey of California and Other Indian Languages Map by Victor Golla
(2011)
This map is for educational purposes, to provide a representation of the diverse Native language groups within and beyond California. Some of the names and boundaries featured are conventions applied by newcomers, including Spanish missionaries, anthropologists, and linguists, and do not reflect the original names of the Indigenous peoples themselves. Tribal nations, communities, and individuals have their own preference for names based on histories and meanings. We honor them all because they all survived.
Spanish mission locations
Doug Stevens/Flyboy Graphics.
©2022
The
Smithsonian's National
Museum of the American Indian
Based on Survey of California and Other Indian Languages Map by Victor Golla
(2011)
This map is for educational purposes, to provide a representation of the diverse Native language groups within and beyond California. Some of the names and boundaries featured are conventions applied by newcomers, including Spanish missionaries, anthropologists, and linguists, and do not reflect the original names of the Indigenous peoples themselves. Tribal nations, communities, and individuals have their own preference for names based on histories and meanings. We honor them all because they all survived.