Do you want to know more?
The Nisenan language that we share is from speakers of the Valley dialect of Nisenan such as SSBMI Matriarch Pamela Cleanso Adams and her brother Tom Cleanso as well as speakers of the Southern Hill dialect such as William Joseph, Ida Hill Starkey, and Charlie Hunchup.
Valley Nisenan and Southern Hill Nisenan are very similar to one another in terms of their words and grammar. To the best of our knowledge, all of the words and phrases that we share here are shared by or would be understood by the speakers of both of these dialects.
The Tribe has ancestral ties to the Nisenan language through the Tribe's Matriarchs, Pamela Cleanso Adams and Annie Hill Murray Paris. Pamela, Annie, and many of their close relations spoke Nisenan and shared their language with researchers in the 1900s. The knowledge that they shared provides us with a pathway to reconnect with the Nisenan language today. The Tribe also has significant connections to ancestral Nisenan villages like Pusúune, K’ademmá, Wóllok, and Yáales, where the Nisenan language has been spoken since time immemorial.
Moreover, the Nisenan language has been spoken in what is now known as Folsom and throughout Sacramento County since time immemorial.
We hope that you will join us in reconnecting with this part of the Tribe's heritage. Nisenáanweypé! (Let's speak Nisenan!)
For any questions, please contact the Exhibits & Collections Center at ecc@ssband.org or the Language Department at language@ssband.org.
Webpage last updated: 2024-12-04