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Camp Internet History & Social Studies

The Maidu and the Sierras


Introduction by Carol Purdy

Tribes of Northern California
am a children's book author, and one of my books is called Nesuya's Basket. It is about the Maidu Indians of northern California as they lived before their old ways were lost during the California gold rush of 1849. The main character of Nesuya's Basket is a young Maidu girl named Nesuya. This short story, "To Keep the Ways," tells about what happened near the end of Nesuya's life, for she is the grandmother of Wonoma whom you will meet today.

Sadly, the years of the gold rush were times of great loss for the Maidu. Their lands were taken by white people, and many of the Maidu were killed, or died of tuberculosis and other diseases to which they had no resistance.

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Copyright © Carol Purdy. Printed with permission.