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About the language: The SSBMI Community has ancestral ties to the Valley & Southern Hill dialects of Nisenan through the Tribe's Matriarchs, Pamela Cleanso Adams and Annie Hill Murray Paris. Pamela spoke the Valley dialect and she, her brother Tom Cleanso, and her daughter Lillie Williams are responsible for passing on most of the knowledge we have of Valley Nisenan today. We have less direct information about Annie’s language; based on where she was from and documented language from her relations and associates, she likely spoke Southern Hill Nisenan.
The Nisenan language that we share is mainly from speakers of the Valley dialect like SSBMI Matriarch Pamela Cleanso Adams and her brother Tom Cleanso as well as speakers of the Southern Hill dialect like William Joseph, Ida Hill Starkey, and Charlie Hunchup. Valley and Southern Hill Nisenan are very similar to one another in their words and grammar; we note any differences between these dialects on this website.
The Northern Sierra Miwok language that we share comes from many speakers who worked with C. Hart Merriam in the early 1900s, as well as from Queenie Miller, Elena McCauley, & Nicolas Villa Sr. who worked with Catherine Callaghan on the Northern Sierra Miwok dictionary (1987).
About the materials: All artwork by Skye Anderson (© Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians). All materials created by SSBMI Language staff.
Questions? Email us at language@ssband.org or visit our offices in Tribal Admin.
Webpage last updated: 2025-10-22
