The Aboriginal Population of the North Coast of California

This study tackles a fundamental question: how many Indigenous peoples inhabited California’s north‑coast before contact? By treating each tribal group—Yurok, Wiyot, Karok and many others—as a separate unit, the author compiles population figures without trying to fit the data into ecological or cultural narratives. The focus stays on pure numbers, laying a clear foundation before any discussion of why those figures might have risen or fallen.

The work also revisits earlier estimates that have steadily been reduced over the decades, challenging the tendency to dismiss historic observers as unreliable. It argues that firsthand accounts from settlers, soldiers and missionaries deserve credit unless concrete evidence proves otherwise. In doing so, the book offers a refreshed demographic picture that reshapes our understanding of the region’s pre‑colonial scale.