The SSBMI Language Department created this set of flashcards to support you as you learn names for animals and related language in Nisenan and Northern Sierra Miwok. Here, you can listen to the language on the Animals flashcards and learn more.
Learn in chunks: Instead of trying to learn all 75 cards at once, try learning five cards per week. When you have learned all the animals' names, repeat this process to learn the bonus phrases.
Challenge yourself: If you like a challenge, try timing yourself when you review with the flashcards and then try to beat your best time.
Learn in several ways: In addition to quizzing yourself with the flashcards, you can also learn by listening to the language, sounding the language out, writing the language down, and most importantly, using the language in everyday life.
Use spaced repetition: Learn one day and review the language the next day. Letting a day go by between learning and reviewing lets the language take root and grow.
Look for patterns in the bonus phrases: For example, what word-endings go on the names of the animals? What word-ending goes on the names of locations? Check out the Language Notes on your cards to check your understanding (Nisenan, Northern Sierra Miwok).
The SSBMI Community has ancestral ties to the Valley and Southern Hill dialects of the Nisenan language 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 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, & Charlie Hunchup. Becauase we lack names from speakers of the Tribe's heritage dialects, we also adapted names for two introduced animals from Central Hill Nisenan speaker Lizzie Enos.
The Northern Sierra Miwok language that we share comes from many speakers like Eph Cummings and others who worked with C. Hart Merriam in the early 1900s, and Queenie Miller, Elena McCauley, & Nicolas Villa Sr. who worked with linguist Catherine Callaghan on the Northern Sierra Miwok dictionary (1987). To the best of our knowledge, speakers of all Northern Sierra Miwok dialects share most of these words and phrases.
If you would like a copy of the flashcards, please visit us in the Tribal Admin building or contact us at language@ssband.org. Supplies are limited and we cannot guarantee copies for non-SSBMI Tribal Members.
You can also download printer-friendly versions of the Nisenan flashcards (Set 1, Set 2) and the Northern Sierra Miwok cards (Set 1, Set 2).
Webpage last updated: 2026-05-15
