People / group

Indigenous peoples of California

Also known as Native Californians, California Indians

The Indigenous peoples of California include more than a hundred distinct groups, such as the Chumash, Tongva, Ohlone, Miwok and Pomo, whose ancestors lived there for thousands of years. Under Spanish rule from 1769 many were gathered into missions, where disease and forced labour caused heavy losses. Their numbers fell further after the gold rush of 1848 through violence and dispossession.

Indigenous peoples of California
Image: Michael Marmarou from San Francisco, CA, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Alta California

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Indigenous peoples of California. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/indigenous-peoples-of-california
MLA
“Indigenous peoples of California.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/indigenous-peoples-of-california. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Indigenous peoples of California.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/indigenous-peoples-of-california.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Indigenous peoples of California’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/indigenous-peoples-of-california (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻