The Lakisamni, or alternately Laquisimne, () are one of the divisions of the
Yokuts people
The Yokuts (previously known as MariposasPowell, 1891:90–91.) are an ethnic group of Native Americans native to central California. Before European contact, the Yokuts consisted of up to 60 tribes speaking several related languages. Yokuts ...
, indigenous to the
Stanislaus River
The Stanislaus River is a tributary of the San Joaquin River in north-central California in the United States. The main stem of the river is long, and measured to its furthest headwaters it is about long. Originating as three forks in the h ...
area in
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
.
The Lakisamni probably inhabited the land in the
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley ( ; Spanish language in California, Spanish: ''Valle de San JoaquÃn'') is the southern half of California's Central Valley (California), Central Valley. Famed as a major breadbasket, the San Joaquin Valley is an importa ...
, from present-day
Ripon
Ripon () is a cathedral city and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Within the boundaries of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire, the ...
in the west to
Knights Ferry in the east. Mortar stones on the rocks in the banks of the Stanislaus River in Knights Ferry are evidence that the tribe once lived in the area.
History
During the Spanish expeditions in the area by
Gabriel Moraga
Gabriel Moraga (1765 – June 14, 1823) was a Sonoran-born Californio soldier, administrator, and explorer. As an explorer in Alta California, Gabriel Moraga found and gave names to a number of rivers in the Central Valley. Gabriel's son Joaquà ...
, the Lakisamni were hostile and the Spanish treated them likewise.
The Lakisamni lived adjacent to the
Miwok
The Miwok (also spelled Miwuk, Mi-Wuk, or Me-Wuk) are members of four linguistically related Native Americans in the United States, Native American groups indigenous to what is now Northern California, who traditionally spoke one of the Miwok lan ...
tribe of Tawalimnu. The Spanish named the present-day Stanislaus River after them: converting "Lakisamni" into the Spanish
loanword
A loanword (also a loan word, loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language (the recipient or target language), through the process of borrowing. Borrowing is a metaphorical term t ...
"Laquisimes" (or singularly "Laquisime").
Notable Lakisamni
Two notable Lakisamni are:
*
Estanislao
Cucunuchi ( – 1838), baptized as Estanislao, was an indigenous ''alcalde'' of Mission San José (California), Mission San José and a member and leader of the Lakisamni tribe of the Yokuts people of northern California. He is famous for leadi ...
(born Cucunuchi) — leader who rebelled against Spanish rule in
Alta California
Alta California (, ), also known as Nueva California () among other names, was a province of New Spain formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but was made a separat ...
.
*José Jesús (also known as Hozá Ha-sóos) — leader who succeeded Estanislao.
See also
*
Indigenous peoples of California
Indigenous peoples of California, commonly known as Indigenous Californians or Native Californians, are a diverse group of nations and peoples that are indigenous to the geographic area within the current boundaries of California before and afte ...
*
References
{{reflist
Yokuts
Stanislaus River
History of the San Joaquin Valley
Native American history of California