[moh-dok] 
) -doc. | a member of an American Indian people belonging to the Lutuamian group and ranging from southern Oregon to northern California. |
| Mo·doc (mō'dŏk) n. pl. Modoc or Mo·docs
|
Modoc
two neighbouring North American Indian tribes who lived in what are now south-central Oregon and northern California, spoke related languages (or dialects) of Penutian stock, and shared many cultural traits. Their traditional territory lay in the southern Cascade Range and was some 100 miles (160 km) long and 25 miles (40 km) wide, dotted with marshes, lakes, rivers, and streams. The Klamath, in the northern sectors, were primarily fishers and hunters of waterfowl; the Modoc, in the southern sectors, were also fishers but relied more on gathering edible roots, seeds, and berries and on hunting various game. Both tribes are considered to be Plateau Indians, though they were influenced by neighbouring California Indians as well as those from the Pacific Northwest and Great Basin.
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