FIELD NOTES for the
PIT RIVER NATION
Dedicated to the Youth of the Pit River Nation
Welcome to Pit River Stories: Field Notes for the Pit River Nation.
Hello, I’m Bridgy. I’m 17-years-old and a citizen of the Pit River Nation. This site, which is a long-term project and still UNDER CONSTRUCTION. It was created in partnership with the Pit River Tribe to preserve our histories and honor and celebrate my Achumawi ancestors, family and fellow tribal members. The Pit River Tribe is a federally-recognized tribe headquartered in Burney, California. It includes 11 autonomous bands: Ajumawi, Atsugewi, Atwamsini, Ilmawi, Astarawi, Hammawi, Hewisedawi, Itsatawi, Aporige, Kosalektawi, and Madesi. I am Illmawi.
This website was built to host stories and information about the following Pit River subjects so that the history of our people is forever treasured and never forgotten.
Interviews
Archeological Sites
Arts and Crafts
Books
Basketry
Burial Grounds
Cultural Sites
Folklore
Gathering & Hunting Areas
Jewelry
Myths & Tales
Recipes
Sacred Places & Landscapes
Textiles
Traditional Clothing
Traditional Foods
Tribal Members, Leaders
Achumawi Language
We’d love for you to participate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Thank you for stopping by!
- I wanted to celebrate the Pit River Nation. honor my family and ancestors, and spread hope and joy to Pit River people everywhere.
- I wanted to preserve Pit River stories and photographs for future generations before any more are lost to the ages.
What do you hope to accomplish with this site?
First and foremost, I hope to learn all I can about Pit River Indians. I hope that all we learn and record here will inspire living generations of Pit River Indians. I also hope to bring healing to my family, as well as to my ancestors, most of whom were cruelly and tragically exterminated. They did not deserve any of it and I know this work means a lot to them. I am their voice, now, and if you’re Pit River Indian, you’re their voice, too.
When will the site be completed?
This site is an ongoing project with no end date. It is a partnership with the Pit River Indian tribe. All the information gathered here will be preserved online and in hard copy form.
How Can I Help?
You can help in so many ways, but primarily through sharing your memories, stories and photos of your family and/or ancestors. Scroll down for a complete list of ways to help. Thank you so much!
Help Tell Our Stories
If you would like to submit information for possible inclusion on the site, please click here. We would love to read your stories and share your photographs, etc. I am also available to conduct interviews. Tragically, so many Achuamwis and their stories, recollections, pictures and treasures, etc., have already been lost. Let us collect what we remains and share it here for each other and future generations. No piece of information is too small, no photograph too torn or faded, to not hold meaning and significance. Thank you!
Hello!
Thank you for stopping by!
It’s so nice to be able to connect with you today even if it’s just through this website. Thank you so much for stopping by. My name is Bridgy and this is my project to honor my Pit River family and ancestors. I love you all even though we may have never met. I believe our Creator wants us to run wild with hope! Together, we will honor our past, celebrate our lives, overcome pain and misfortune and thrive in community. I believe stories make a difference. Your story means a lot to me and to the tribe. Please, let us talk soon via text or email. I am also available to conduct interviews by phone or ZOOM. I will be also be visting Northern California at least once a year and spending time at Sam Wolfin Spring. I really hope one day to build a cabin there on our ancestral land.
Tusyi uwi,
Bridgy
Special Acknowledgement
Special thanks to my cousin Feather Wolfin, with whom I share a Great Grandfather. Feather has helped me connected to the Pit River Cultural Resources Committee. His support has made all the difference. Feather was there, along with Uncle Joey and Aunt Cecilia, when we buried my Grandmother on “the mountain” in 2019. It was raining and Uncle Joey burned sage and my dad, Feather and Uncle Joey hand dug her grave. I cherish these moments in my heart forever.
Much gratitude, also to the Pit River Indian Tribe Cultural Resources Committee. It is my privelege to work with this outstanding committee!
Here is a recent picture of my with Feather and my wonderful cousin Yiamkis.
Photo Cutline
Here I am in the Summer of 2024, with my beautiful Great Aunt Cecilia sister to my late and beloved grandmother, Madge Wilson McCollum, affectionately known to me and my siblings as Madgey. She passed away in 2018. Also, with my incredible Uncle Joey. I love these people so much. What amazing leaders they have been for our tribe!
Ways To Contribute and Share Information
User-Generated Content
User-generated content is any type of content created by its users. It includes, but is not limited to the following: comments; reviews; forum posts; blog posts; photographs; stories; recordings; graphics; documents; ephemera (papers, letters, cards, etc.); art, and more.
We have enabled users to create content on this site in an effort to drive engagment.
Register As A User
Write for this site. You can register as a user and post directly to the site. Posts are reviewed for appropriateness prior to being published.
Submit Posts
Write for this site. You can register as a user and post directly to the site. Posts are reviewed for appropriateness prior to being published. You also can submit posts for review via email. Send me to: bridgy@pitriverstories.org.
Leave Comments
Engage with posts and other content by leaving comments. Please be kind and respectful.
Participate on the Forum
There is a forum on this site where you can post topics for conversation. Please be respectful and aim for peaceful and thoughtful discussions about issues of interest or impactful to the Pit River Nation. Profanity, slanderous comments and other language that thwarts conversation or damages the community cannot be tolerated and will be removed.
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Contact
Bridgy McCollum, Project Author
bridgy@pitriverstories.org
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Copyright Infringement, Source Citing, Plagiarism
Copyright Infringement, Source Citing, Plagiarism
Every effort is made not to plagiarize original, primary research. I am diligent about citing the original, primary sources of the information shared on this website. No copyright infringement is ever intended. If you are a journalist or researcher and believe I have improperly cited your work, please contact me immediately so I can correct it. Thank you, Bridgy
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About Bridgy
Hello, I'm Bridgy, founder and editor of Pit River Stories. I'm a Native Oklahoman; citizen of the United States of America, and the amazing Pit River Nation. I am enrolled in the Illmawi Band. A rising high school senior, I am a member of the Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School Class of 2025.