The Chilula were an Athapaskan tribe

Tribe

A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...

 who inhabited the area on or near lower Redwood Creek

Redwood Creek (Humboldt County)

Redwood Creek is a river in Humboldt County, California. The river's headwaters are in the Coast Range at about and it flows roughly northwest until it empties into the Pacific Ocean near the small town of Orick, the only development in the -watershed....

, in Northern California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, some 500 to 600 years before contact with Europeans

European ethnic groups

The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....

. The Chilula have since been incorporated into the Hoopa tribe and live mainly on the Hoopa Reservation.

Historic Villages

The tribe's originally had 18 villages: Howunakut, Noleding, Tlochime, Kingkyolai, Kingyukyomunga, Yisining'aikut, Tsinsilading, Tondinunding, Yinukanomitseding, Hontetlme, Tlocheke, Hlichuhwinauhwding, Kailuhwtahding, Kailuhwchengetlding, Sikingchwungmitahding, Kinahontahding, Misme, and Kahustahding.

Legacy

A 205' Cherokee-class US Navy oceangoing tugboat

Tugboat

A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...

 was christened the USS Chilula (WATF-153) in 1945, and recommissioned in 1958 as the United States Coast Guard Cutter

United States Coast Guard Cutter

Cutter is the term used by the United States Coast Guard for its commissioned vessels. A Cutter is or greater in length, has a permanently assigned crew, and has accommodations for the crew to live aboard...

 Chilula (WMEC-153), serving until 1991.

See also

• Population of Native California
  Population of Native California
  Estimates of the Native Californian population have varied substantially, both with respect to California's pre-contact count and for changes during subsequent periods. Pre-contact estimates range from 133,000 to 705,000 with some recent scholars concluding that these estimates are low...
  
  
• Native Americans in California

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