The Madesi tribe (pronounced as ''Mah-day-see'') are an Indigenous group of

Native Americans Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

who once thrived in the Big Bend region of the Pit River in northeastern

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 ...

of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, the most down-stream section (AKA the Madesi Valley) of the Pit River (Ajumma) in the Pit River Tribal territory.Merriam, C. Hart, The Classification and Distribution of The Pit River Indian Tribes of California. Smithsonian Institution (Publication 2874), Volume 78, Number 3, 1926 They are one of nine autonomous bands (also called "tribelets") of the

Pit River Tribe The Pit River Tribe is a federally recognized tribe of eleven bands of indigenous peoples of California. They primarily live along the Pit River in the northeast corner of California.Achumawi language The Achumawi language (also Achomawi or Pit River language) is the indigenous language spoken by the Pit River people in the northeast corner of present-day California. The term Achumawi is an anglicization of the name of the Fall River band, '' ...

or more commonly "Pit River Talk". The other two bands of the Pit River Tribe speak dialects of a second, distinct but related language, called by anthropologists

Atsugewi The Atsugewi are Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans residing in northeastern California, United States. Their traditional lands are near Mount Shasta, specifically the Pit River drainage on Burney, California, Burney, Hat, an ...

. The historic homeland of the other eight bands that share the Achumawi language extended to Goose Lake. On the south side of the Pit River the Atsugewi language group consisted of two distinct bands (now part of the Pit River Tribe) living in the Hat Creek Valley and Dixie Valley.

References

Pit River tribes {{NorthAm-native-stub