Historically, the principle language of the Cahto Indians (also known as Caddo, Kato or Kypomo) was Athapascan. Unfortunately, this language has been mostly lost through the intervention of the white man and his culture over the years.

Like other California Indians, the Cahto people were hunters and gatherers. They gathered the plentiful nuts, seeds, berries, roots, bulbs, and tubers. Deer, rabbits, quail, and fish provided additional food for their people. A nomadic culture, they travelled where the food was plentiful, taking yearly treks to the Mendocino coast, for instance, to harvest seaweed and fish.

The Big Head Cult movement of 1870, also known as the "Ghost Dance", came to the Cahto people from the Pomo of Willits through Sherwood (see map). The movement seems to have begun with the Pomo of the coast, near Point Arena (see map). The Cahto brought the movement north to the Wailaki on the North Fork of the Eel River and to the Round Valley Yuki (see map). The movement consisted of about four nights of dancing with detailed regalia and headgear.

According to San Diego State University (http://infodome.sdsu.edu) approximately 1,100 Cahto Indians lived in the Laytonville area in the early 18th century, in about 50 separate village sites. Today, the numbers have dwindled to a mere 250 people living on the rancheria, with only 55 actual tribal members in existence.

The tribal homeland was established on 200 acres of land purchased for the Cahto