Wappo

The question of what others call the Wappo vs. what they call themselves highlights a perennial problem between the settlers and the Indigenous people. Wappo is the English mis-pronounced name given by the Spanish to describe the bold, handsome, outspoken ones, “Guapo.” But these inhabitants of this land referred to themselves by their villages or region - Mishewal, Mutitsul, Mayakamah. Archeological surveys, oral histories, and linguists place the Wappo in California before all other tribes. Theirs, a Yukian language, is perhaps the oldest language in this part of the world.