The Hupa people loved to dress up. The men wore short deerskin kilts and the woman wore longer deerskin kilts and grasses with decorated beads and shells. The Hupas had tales that were passes down from generation to generation.

Before reservation life, the Hupa did not have a central government. When the Hupas willingly moved to the Hupa Reservation in California, they were given control of their own form of government. Now they have a tribal council that runs the tribe’s affairs.

The Hupa Indians speak the athabaskan language and live near the coast of California. The Hupa tribe is most known for making beautiful rock engravings and outstanding elk horn carvings. The Hupa tribe was not located as close to the river as their neighboring tribes such as the Yurok tribe and traded supplies with them such as acorns and salt for canoes and baskets. Probably the most important non-tribe member was a man named Edward S. Curtis. He spent a great deal of his life to recording the lives of native americans and took tons of photos and portraits of the Hupa indians.

One of the main times Hupa Indians came in contact with Americans was during the Gold Rush in 1848, thousands of people came to California to strike it rich. The Gold Rush was a major event that led to tension and eventually to the Hupa Indians signing a treaty with the government. The treaty recognized the Hupa Indians to their own land called the Hoopa Valley Reservation.

At the end of the twentieth century violence ended and the Hupa Indians lived in peace, except for adopting some of the American ways, the Hupa Indians are still using the same customs as they have for centuries. The Athabaskan language is still spoken, and the Hupa Indians are making efforts to preserve their customs, arts, and traditions.

THERE IS NO INTERACTIVE MY MAP FOR THE HUPA TRIBE.

THERE IS NO HISTORICAL TIMELINE FOR THE HUPA TRIBE.

The Hupa continue to live on or near their tribal lands in Northwestern California. In 1850, there were about 1,000 Hupa people. Today, there are over 1,500 Hupa people living on the 84,703 acre Hoopa Valley Reservation in California. The Hupa came out of the 1800s a little better than most other tribes. They have kept their culture and their reservation has a thriving economy. Their annual tribal income is about $1.5 million.

The largest money maker for the Hupa is forestry. The Hupa’s thriving forestry economy consists of logging, millwork and other types of wage labor. Their original economy was based on fishing and acorn flour. Because of this change, the Hupa have the highest standard of living of all California Native American tribes today.

The Hupa used to live in villages and their wasn’t much of an official tribal government.

Today, a council led by a chairman runs the Hupa government. The council is elected by the people. The chairman is elected by the council.

The Hupa practiced a tribal religion until Christianity was introduced. Now, many of the Hupas are Christians.