Cahto Band Names:

Band name in capitals. Click on highlighted (blue) band names to load associated map. Many of the villages are not placed on the maps yet, and some are placed in two or more places with question marks.

Literal meanings are given in (parentheses).

Accuracy guess-timated in three categories, rated 0 (unknown) to 5 (almost certain), given in [square brackets]:

S = spelling, M = meaning (literal), L = location

CH'NINKAAHLAI'-KIIYAAHAANG (deer lick-summit - band); Deer Lick Peak Band, somewhere north of Cahto Valley --"Bennett Creek" is probably Goddard's name for Mud Spring Creek [S4;M5;L2]

Villages:

Ch'ninkaahlai', "Deer Lick Peak" (deer lick top)

CH'NINKATCHII'-KIIYAAHAANG (deer lick - tail - band); Deer Lick Tail Band, east & south of Cahto Valley [S4;M5;L3]

Villages:

Ch'ninkatchii', "Deer Lick Creek-mouth" (deer lick tail)
Tagittl'ohding, "Between the Prairies Place" (between-grass/prairie-place)

GAAKEE-KIIYAAHAANG (??? - band); NE or NNE of Saaktoo'chowtc'in'din (a Seenchaahdin-kiiyaahaan place) [S1;M0;L0]

Villages:

Saaktoo'chowtc'in'ding, "Toward the Big Spring Place" (lit. spring-AUG-toward-place)

GAASHTC'EENG'AADING-KIIYAAHAANG (yew-sticks out-place - band); "on stream flowing west into Jackson Valley" i.e. South Fork Eel River [S4;M5;L1]

Villages:

Gaashtc'eeng'aading, "Yew Tree Sticks Out Place" (yew-sticks out-place)

KONTEELHTC-KIIYAAHAANG (valley-little - band); "Little Valley Band", in "Little Valley" (Kontelhtcbii'), the valley of Ten Mile Creek (Shaahnaa') just north of Long Valley (Konteelhbii')--includes the mouths of Streeter Creek (Yiishtc'ilhtiinkot) and Lewis Creek (Lhit'aankot) [S5;M5;L5]

Villages:

Chilhsaitcding, "Dry Tree Place" (tree dry place)
Lhit'aanchii', "Smoke Lies Creek-mouth" (smoke-lies-tail ?)
Nooniitcing-uu'aanchii', "Bear's Den Creek-mouth" (bear-type - its den-tail)
Saak'eenins'anchinee'ding, "Base of Spoon? Hillside Place" (spoon??-hillside-base-place)
Seeyeeh-ntcee'tcding, "Poor Rock Shelter Place" (stone-under - bad-DIM-place)

Land Features:

Konteelhtcbii', "Little Valley" (valley-little-in it)
Lhit'aankwot, Lewis Creek (smoke-lies-creek) = Lewis Creek
Shaahnaa', Ten Mile Creek (stream)
Tinisht'aan'chowbii', "Big Manzanita Bush Valley" (manzanita-leaf-AUG-in it); large flat on NE side of Ten Mile Creek
Yiishtc'ilhtiinkwot, Streeter Creek (wolf-lies dead-creek) (note that Goddard calls this creek "Ten Mile Creek")

KOSHBII'-KIIYAAHAANG (blackberries-in it - band); "Blackberry Band", Mill Creek Band ("Bennett Creek" Goddard) [S5;M5;L5]

Villages:

Koshbii', "Blackberry Valley" (blackberries-in it)

NEE'LHSOWKOT-KIIYAAHAANG = NEE'LHSOWKII'-KIIYAAHAANG (earth-blue-{creek/tail} - band); Mud Springs Creek Band, on "Blue hill creek" = Mud Springs Creek (Goddard--S of Big Rock Creek, north of "Bennett Creek", runs into "main river" (i.e. Ten Mile Cr., not Big Rock Cr.?)) [S5;M5;L2]

Villages:

Daa'lhgailai', "Dogwood Peak" (dogwood-top)
Nee'lhsowchii', "Blue Mud Creek-mouth" (earth-blue-tail)

Features:

Nee'lhsowkwot, Mud Springs Creek (earth-blue-creek)

NEE'LHTCIIKTISKOT-KIIYAAHAANG (earth-red-above-creek - band); "Above Red Earth Creek Band" unknown location [S5;M5;L1]

Villages:

Nee'lhtciikchowtis, "Above the Big Red Earth" (earth-red-AUG-above)

SEENCHAAGH-KIIYAAHAANG = SEENCHAAHDING-KIIYAAHAANG (rock-big(-place) - band); Big Rock Band, on Big Rock Creek (Seenchaaghkot) [S5;M5;L5]

Villages:

Lhtaaghtaahding, "Among the Black Oaks Place" (black oaks-among-place)
Seenchaahding, "Big Rock Place" (stone-big-place)
Tnaa's'aanding, "Wild Cotton Lies Village" (wild cotton (Indian Hemp, Apocynum spp.)-lies-place)

Features:

Seenchaagh, Big Rock (stone-big)
Seenchaaghkot, Big Rock Creek (stone-big-creek)
Tnaa's'aankot, "Wild Cotton Lies Creek" (wild cotton (Asclepias or Apocynum?)-lies-creek); "a branch of Tuttle creek" (Goddard)

SEETAAHDING-KIIYAAHAANG (stone-among-place - band); Little Rock Creek Band [S5;M5;L3]

Villages:

Seetaahding, "Among the Rocks Place" (stone-among-place)

Features:

Seetaahkwot, Little Rock Creek (stone-among-creek)

SEEYEEHKWOT-KIIYAAHAANG (stone-under-creek - band); Tuttle (?) Creek Band ? on "Tuttle Creek" (Seeyeehkot) [S5;M5;L3]

Villages:

Seelsholtc'eeng'aading, "Grinding Stone Sticks Out Village" (stone-???-sticks out-place) ["grind stone" acc. to Goddard]

Features:

Seeyeehkot, "Rock-Shelter Creek" (stone-under-creek) ["Tuttle (?) Creek"--may be Mill Creek or Little Case Creek ?]

SIINTEEKOT-KIIYAAHAANG = SIINTKOT-KIIYAAHAANG (South Fork Eel River - band); Jackson Valley Band, included the villages from at least as far north as Little Charlie Creek to at least as far south as Branscomb possibly further in both directions [S5;M5;L5]

Villages:

K'ishtaakashbii', "Alder Falls in the Water Valley" (alder-falls in water-in it)
Tl'olhgaichii', "White Grass Creek-mouth" (grass/prairie-white-tail); Redwood Creek village
Tl'ohtoo'tcchii', "Prairie Water Creek-mouth" (grass/prairie-water-tail); Little Charlie Creek village

Features:

Siinteekwot, Siintkwot, South Fork Eel River (??-creek) = Jackson Valley Creek (note that Goddard calls this "Redwood Creek")
Tl'olhgaikwot, Redwood Creek (grass/prairie-white-creek)
Tl'ohtoo'tckwot, Little Charlie Creek (grass/prairie-water-creek)

TC'EETINDING-KIIYAAHAANG (hail comes out-place - band); "Hail Comes Out Band" somewhere in the hills west of Laytonville [S4;M5;L4]

Villages:

Saaktoo'neesding, "Long Spring Place" (spring-long-place)
Tc'eetinding, "Hail Comes Out Place" (hail comes out-place)

TC'IBEETAAHDING-KIIYAAHAANG = TC'IBEETAAHKOT-KIIYAAHAANG (Douglas Fir-among-place - band); Cahto Creek Band, from the mouth of Cahto Creek (Tc'ibeetaahkot) on Ten Mile Creek (Shaahnaa'), upstream to about the entrance of Cahto Valley (Toodjilhbii') [S5;M5;L5]

Villages:

Chins'aanding, "Tree Lies Place" (tree-lies-place)
Seek'aibaan'aading, "Ceanothus Sticks Up Place" (Ceanothus-sticks up?-place)
Seelhsowkaanaatinding, "Blue Rock Road Crosses Up Place" (rock-blue-crossing-place)
Tc'ibeetaahding, "Among the Douglas Firs Place" (Douglas Fir-among-place)

Features:

Tc'ibeetaahkwot, Cahto Creek (Douglas Fir-among-creek)

TC'INDINTEELHAAHTC-KIIYAAHAANG (sick person/corpse-jumps-DIM - band); "Sick Man Jumps Band", a small band (1 village?) surrounded by Big Rock Band, on Big Rock Creek [S4;M5;L4]

Village:

Tc'indinteelhaagh-uuyeeh, "Under Where the Sick Person Leapt" (sick person/corpse-jumps - under it)

TL'OH-KIIYAAHAANG (grass/prairie - band); Long Valley Band in the grassy part of Long Valley (Konteelhbii'), possibly including Laytonville--unknown how far south this name applies, but extends north to end of Long Valley [S5;M5;L4]

Villages:

none explicitly stated

Features:

Konteelhbii', Long Valley (valley-in it)
Shaahnaa', Ten Mile Creek (stream)

TOODJILHBII'-KIIYAAHAANG (water-wet-in it - band); Cahto Valley Band in Cahto Valley (Toodjilhbii') [S5;M5;L5]

Villages:

Kai-kontaah (winter-camp); Cahto Rancheria (location?)
Toodjilhbii' (water-wet-in it); name for Cahto Valley, Cahto Pond (drained), and former village in Cahto Valley

TOOTAGIT-KIIYAAHAANG (water-between - band); "Between the Streams Band" on and/or around "Redemeyer's Place"[S4;M5;L0]

Villages:

Tootagit (water-between)

YEEHLINDING-KIIYAAHAANG (flows in-place - band); band on the lower portion of Ten Mile Creek (Shaahnaa'), from Peterson Creek to mouth of Ten Mile Creek on South Fork Eel River (Siinteekot) [S4;M5;L4]

Villages:

Dindai-ntcee'tcding, "Poor Flint Place" (flint-bad-little-place)
K'ishtaahchii', "Among the Alders Creek-mouth" (alders-among-tail)
Nee'lhitchowbii', "Big Earth Smoke Valley" (earth-smoke-AUG-in it)
Tagittl'ohding, "Between the Prairies Place" (between-grass/prairie-place)

Features:

K'ishtaahkwot, "Among the Alders Creek" (alders-among-creek)
Tl'ohchows'aankwot, "Big Grass Lies Creek" (grass/prairie-AUG-lies-creek)

email to author: Sally Anderson sally@turtlenodes.com