Kato (tribe)

Kato is a Pomo word, meaning "lake", and may have referred to an important Cahto village site, which the Kato tribe themselves called Djilbi. Kato is one of the five subdialects of the Wailaki group, one of four Athapascan dialect groups in northwestern California.

Related Topics:
Pomo - Cahto - Wailaki - Athapascan - Dialect - California

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The subdialect groups can hardly be called "tribes", as they were not organized on tribal lines. Although they spoke one language and were aware of their own common ethnic origin, they had no feeling of political solidarity. The term, "Kato tribe", is therefore merely a convenience for the ethnologist.

Related Topics:
Tribe - Ethnic origin - Ethnologist

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Kato are sometimes referred to as "Kaipomo Indians". Their language relates them distantly to the Athapascan people of the Alaskan interior and northern Canada, as well as to the Navajos and Apaches of the Southwest.

Related Topics:
Alaska - Canada - Navajo - Apache

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~