The Nisenan (pronounced nee-see-nan or nee-she-nan) are the Indigenous People of the Sierra Nevada foothills, their territory extending from the crest of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the north fork of the Yuba River, to the west side of the Sacramento River and the northern banks of the Consumnes River. 

For thousands of years, the Nisenan lived in close relationship with these lands and waters. The rivers, oak groves, meadows, and mountains are not scenery in the background of Nisenan history – they are kin, teachers, and the very source of Nisenan identity.

A People From “Among Us”

The name Nisenan is often translated as “from among us” or “from this side,” reflecting both a sense of belonging to this specific Homeland and the reciprocal relationships that root the Tribe to these lands. 

Nisenan People traditionally identified themselves by their village names and by their language dialect. Village communities were woven together through extensive family ties, ceremonial life, and a sophisticated social fabric that emphasized responsibility, reciprocity, and balance.

The Nisenan were a vibrant and highly skilled nation. They were known for: 

• World-renowned Basketry – tightly woven, watertight baskets used for cooking storage, ceremony and daily life

• Healers and Spiritual Leaders – sought out across the region for ceremony, prayer, and medicine

• Extensive Trade Relationships – traveling and trading with neighboring Tribal Nations throughout what is now Northern California, and offering the abundance of their Homelands through basketry, hides, black oak acorns, dried venison and elk, medicinal plants, and intricately crafted tools and jewelry

The Nisenan are a People whose identity is inseparable from their Homelands.