Ojibway Indians of California
Exactly how the Ojibway Indians made it to California is quite mysterious! However, after Anishinabe Ogimak became aware of the seven fires prophecy, they acted on instinct and invaded the western portion of North America.
Today, the Ojibway Indians of California are known as the Wappo, Wiyot, Yuki, and the Yurok. All three are Algonquian speaking tribes with their roots in the Algonquian languages. However, these Californian Ojibway Indians have lost their Ojibway identity.
The Ojibway have lived in California for at least 1,000 years, but when the Iron Confederation was formed in the 1720s or the 1730s, the confederation quickly spread out towards the west, including into the California Region.
By 1800, the Chippewa’s of the Iron Confederation had probably reached Oregon and Washington, and probably even the Pacific coastline of those two States. At the same time, they spread out towards southern Oregon, then invaded northern California.
We have the Penutian Language Family of California, Oregon, and Washington to learn more about. John Wesley Powel claimed that the Costanoan languages, which are of Penutian origins, were harmonious, which to anyone who is especially aware of the musical nature of the Ojibway language, will tell you that it is no coincidence.
The Costanoan lived from San Francisco, to just north of Los Angeles. Unfortunately, the Costanoan languages are now extinct and the remaining Ojibway of California are now known as the Wiyot, Wappo, Yuki, and Yurok, who developed their own cultural customs, language dialects, and identity. These tribes are not related to the other tribes in California because they originated in Ojibway (Chippewa) stock.