The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft Part 51

and Cal._, pp. 91-2, 152, 316; _Yate's Sketch of the Sacramento Valley in 1842, MS._; _D'Orbigny_, _Voy._, p. 457; _McDaniels' Early Days of Cal. MS._; _Domenech's Deserts_, vol. i., pp. 339, 346; _Muhlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, tom. ii., pt. ii., pp. 455-6; _Knight's Pioneer Life, MS._

[514] When the Indian finds a tree stocked by the carpenter bird he 'kindles a fire at its base and keeps it up till the tree falls, when he helps himself to the acorns.' _Helper's Land of Gold_, p. 269.

[515] _Beechey's Voy._, vol. ii., p. 75.

[516] 'When a sturgeon is caught, the spinal marrow, which is considered a delicacy, is drawn out whole, through a cut made in the back, and devoured raw.' _Bartlett's Pers. Nar._, vol. ii., pp. 32-3.

[517] _Browne_, in _Harper's Mag._, vol. xxiii., p. 315.

[518] 'They cook the flesh of this animal in holes dug in the ground and curbed up with stone like wells. Over this they build large fires, heat them thoroughly, clean out the coals and ashes, fill them with whale flesh, cover the opening with sticks, leaves, gra.s.s and earth, and thus bake their repast.' _Farnham's Life in Cal._, p. 366-7. 'Ils font rotir cette chair dans des trous creuses en terre.' _Marmier_, _Notice_, in _Bryant_, _Voy. en Cal._, p. 237.

[519] _Johnson's Cal. and Ogn._, p. 132; _Powers' Account of John A.

Sutter, MS._; and _Id._, _Letter to the author, MS._

[520] 'Reinlichkeit kennen sie nicht, und in ihren Hutten sind die diversesten Parasiten vertreten.' _Wimmel_, _Californien_, p. 177. 'I have seen them eating the vermin which they picked from each other's heads, and from their blankets. Although they bathe frequently, they lay for hours in the dirt, basking in the sun, covered with dust.' _Delano's Life on the Plains_, p. 305. 'In their persons they are extremely dirty.' Eat lice like the Tartars. _Beechey's Voy._, vol. ii., pp. 76-7.

'Very filthy, and showed less sense of decency in every respect than any we had ever met with.' _Gibbs_, in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. iii., p.

106.

[521] 'Ein Bogen mit Pfeilen und ein Spiess sind ihre Waffen; alles dieses wird meistens aus jungem Tannenholz verfertigt. Die Spitzen der Pfeile und Spiesse bestehen aus scharfen, kunstlich behauenen Steinen, zur Bogensehne nehmen sie die Sehnen wilder Ziegen; ausserdem fuhren sie in Kriegszeiten eine Art von Schleuder, mit welcher sie Steine auf eine grosse Entfernung werfen.' _Kostromitonow_, in _Baer_, _Stat. u.

Ethno._, p. 89. Bow 'from three to four and a half feet long.'

_Farnham's Life in Cal._, p. 368. 'Their arms are clubs, spears of hard wood, and the bow and arrow.... Arrows are mostly made of reeds.'

_Taylor_, in _Cal. Farmer_, _Feb. 22, 1860_. 'Die einzige Waffe zur Erlegung des Wildes ist ihnen der Bogen und Pfeil.' _Wimmel_, _Californien_, p. 180. 'Their only arms were bows and arrows.' _Hale's Ethnog._, in _U. S. Ex. Ex._, vol. vi., p. 222. Bows 'about thirty inches long ... arrows are a species of reed ... spears are pointed with bone.' _Delano's Life on the Plains_, p. 306. 'The quiver of dressed deer-skin, holds both bow and arrows.' _Gibbs_, in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. iii., p. 123. 'The point (of the arrow) itself is a piece of flint chipped down into a flat diamond shape, about the size of a diamond on a playing-card; the edges are very sharp, and are notched to receive the tendons with which it is firmly secured to the arrow.'

_Borthwick's Three Years in Cal._, p. 131. 'Arrows are pointed with flint, as are also their spears, which are very short. They do not use the tomahawk or scalping knife.' _Thornton's Ogn. and Cal._, vol. ii., p. 91. 'Leurs armes sont l'arc et les fleches armees d'un silex tres-artistement travaille.' _La Perouse_, _Voy._, tom. ii., p. 305.

'Ces arcs sont encore garnis, au milieu, d'une pet.i.te laniere de cuir, qui a pour object d'empecher la fleche de devier de la position qu'on lui donne en la posant sur l'arc.... Ils pretendent que cette precaution rend leurs coups encore plus surs. Les fleches sont moins longues que l'arc, elles ont ordinairement de 80 a 85 centimetres de long, elles sont faites d'un bois tres-leger et sont egales en grosseur a chaque extremite ... l'autre extremite de la fleche est garnie, sur quatre faces, de barbes en plumes qui ont 10 centimetres de longueur sur 0,015 millimetres de hauteur.' _Pet.i.t-Thouars_, _Voy._, tom. ii., p. 138. They 'maintain armories to make their bows, and arrows, and lances.' Arrows 'are tipped with barbed obsidian heads ... the shaft is ornamented with rings of the distinguis.h.i.+ng paint of the owner's rancheria. Their knives and spear-points are made of obsidian and flint.' Arrows are of two kinds, 'one short and light for killing game, and the other a war-shaft measuring a cloth-yard in length.' _Revere's Tour_, pp. 121-2. 'Ces fleches offrent peu de danger a une certaine distance, a cause de la parabole qu'elles sont forcees de decrire, et qui donne a celui que les voit venir la temps de les eviter.' _Auger_, _Voy. en Cal._, p. 163. 'La corde, faite avec du chanvre sylvestre, est garnie d'un pet.i.t morceau de peau qui en etouffe le sifflement.' _Mofras_, _Explor._, tom. ii., p.

378; see _Atlas_, plate 25. 'Ihre Waffen bestehen nur in Bogen und Pfeil.' _Muhlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, tom. ii., part ii., p. 455. 'They have no offensive arms at all, except bows and arrows, and these are small and powerless.... Arrows are about two feet long.' _Gerstaecker's Journ._, p. 212. 'Sometimes the bow is merely of wood and rudely made.'

_Chamisso_, in _Kotzebue's Voy._, vol. iii., p. 48. 'Their weapons consist only of bows and arrows; neither the tomahawk nor the spear is ever seen in their hands.' _Beechey's Voy._, vol. ii., p. 77. 'A portion of the string is covered with downy fur' to deaden the sound. Arrows are invariably pointed with flint. They have 'sometimes wooden barbs.'

Javelins pointed with flint, or sometimes simply sharpened at the end.

_Pickering's Races_, in _U. S. Ex. Ex._, vol. ix., p. 109. Arrows were about three feet long, and pointed with flint. Short spears also pointed with flint. _Wilkes' Nar._, in _U. S. Ex. Ex._, vol. v., p. 198. 'Traian unas lanzas cortas con su lengueta de pedernal tan bien labradas como si fuesen de hierro o acero, con solo la diferencia de no estar lisas.'

_Palou_, _Noticias_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, serie iv., tom. vii., p. 68.

'Los mas de ellos traian varas largas en las manos a modo de lanzas.'

_Id._, p. 61; _Lord's Nat._, vol. i., p. 249; _Langsdorff's Voy._, vol.

ii., p. 165; _Life of Gov. L. W. Boggs, by his Son, MS._

[522] _Pet.i.t-Thouars_, _Voy._, tom. ii., p. 139.

[523] _f.a.ges_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1844, tom. ci., p. 164; _Marmier_, _Notice_, in _Bryant_, _Voy. en Cal._, p. 228. It is impossible to locate with certainty the San Miguel of f.a.ges. There are now several places of the name in California, of which the San Miguel in San Luis Obispo County comes nearest the region in which, to agree with his own narrative, f.a.ges must have been at the time. The cimeter mentioned by him, must have strongly resembled the _maquahuitl_ of the ancient Mexicans, and it was possibly much farther south that he saw it.

[524] _Powers' Pomo, MS._; _Sutil y Mexicana_, _Viage_, p. 169.

[525] _b.u.t.te Record_, _Aug., 1866._

[526] 'Suelen entrar en ella entonando canticos militares mezclados de extranos alaridos; y acostumbran forma.r.s.e los campeones en dos lineas muy proximas para empezar disparandose flechazos. Como uno de sus princ.i.p.ales ardides consiste en intimidar al enemigo, para conseguirlo procura cada partido que oiga el contrario los preparativos de la batalla.' _Sutil y Mexicana_, _Viage_, p. 170. 'On coming in sight of the enemy they form in an extended line, something like light infantry, and shouting, like baccha.n.a.ls dance from side to side to prevent the foe from taking deliberate aim.' _Revere's Tour_, p. 122.

[527] In the vicinity of Fort Ross: 'In ihren Kriegen wird Unerschrockenheit geachtet; gefangene Feinde todtet man nicht, sondern wechselt sie nach beendigtem Kampfe aus; nie verurtheilt man sie zu Sklaven.' _Baer_, _Stat. u. Ethno._, p. 77. Near Feather River 'they carry off their dead to prevent their being scalped, which next after death they are most fearful of.' _Kelly's Excursion to Cal._, vol. ii., p. 83. In the Sacramento Valley 'the Californians differ from the other North American tribes in the absence of the tomahawk and of the practice of scalping.' _Pickering's Races_, in _U. S. Ex. Ex._, vol. ix., p. 108.

At Clear Lake, 'they do not scalp the slain.' _Revere's Tour_, p. 122.

In the vicinity of San Francisco 'occasionally, they appear to have eaten pieces of the bodies of their more distinguished adversaries killed in battle.' _Soule's Annals of San Francisco_, p. 52. At Monterey, 'lorsqu'ils avaient vaincu et mis a mort sur le champ de bataille des chefs ou des hommes tres-courageux, ils en mangeaient quelques morceaux, moins en signe de haine et de vengeance, que comme un hommage qu'ils rendaient a leur valeur, et dans la persuasion qua cette nourriture etait propre a augmenter leur courage.' _La Perouse_, _Voy._, tom. ii., p.

306. 'Muchos indios armados de arco y flechas y llamandolos vinieron luego y me regularon muchos de ellos flechas, que es entre ellos la mayor demostracion de paz.' _Palou_, _Noticias_, in _Doc. Mex. Hist._, serie iv., tom. vii., p. 53. At Santa Cruz they eat slices of the flesh of a brave fallen enemy, thinking to gain some of his valour. They 'take the scalps of their enemies ... they pluck out the eyes of their enemies.' _Farnham's Life in Cal._, p. 370. 'Gefangene werden nicht lange gehalten, sondern gleich getodtet.' _Wimmel_, _Californien_, p.

178. In order to intimidate their enemies 'cometen con el propio fin en las primeras victimas las crueldades mas horrorosas.' _Sutil y Mexicana_, _Viage_ p. 170.

[528] _Drake's World Encomp._, p. 126.

[529] 'Make baskets of the bark of trees.' _Farnham's Life in Cal._, p.

368. 'Make a very ingenious straw box for keeping their worm bait alive; burying it in the earth, yet not allowing the worms to escape.'

_Kneeland's Wonders of Yosemite_, p. 52. 'Die gewohnlichste Form fur den Korb ist halbconisch, 3 Fuss lang und 18 Zoll breit.' _Wimmel_, _Californien_, p. 182. 'Their baskets, made of willows, are perfectly water-tight.' _Delano's Life on the Plains_, p. 305. 'They sometimes ornament the smaller ones with beads, pearl-sh.e.l.l, feathers, &c.'

_Revere's Tour_, p. 122 'Leurs mortiers de pierre et divers autres utensiles sont artistiquement incrustes de morceaux de nacre de perle ... garnissent leur caleba.s.ses et leur cruches d'ouvrages de vannerie brodes avec des fils-delies qu'elles tirent de diverses racines.'

_Marmier_, _Notice_, in _Bryant_, _Voy. en Cal._, p. 233; _Langsdorff's Voy._, vol. ii., p. 165; _Fremont's Explor. Ex._, p. 243; _Gibbs_, in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. iii., p. 107; _Mofras_, _Explor._, tom.

ii., p. 367; _Chamisso_, in _Kotzebue's Voy._, vol. iii., p. 48; _Borthwick's Three Years in Cal._, p. 131; _Humboldt_, _Essai Pol._, tom. i., p. 324.

[530] _Maurelle's Jour._, p. 47. At Clear Lake 'their canoes or rather rafts are made of bundles of the tule plant.' _Gibbs_, in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. iii., p. 107. At San Francis...o...b..y and vicinity 'the only canoes of the Indians are made of plaited reeds.' _Kotzebue's New Voy._, vol. ii., p. 90. 'They do not possess horses or canoes of any kind; they only know how to fasten together bundles of rushes, which carry them over the water by their comparative lightness.' _Chamisso_, in _Kotzebue's Voy._, vol. iii., p. 48. 'Les Indiens font leur pirogues a l'instant ou ils veulent entreprendre un voyage par eau; elles sont en roseaux. Lorsque l'on y entre elles s'emplissent a moitie d'eau; de sorte qu'a.s.sis, l'on en a jusqu'au gras de la jambe; on les fait aller avec des avirons extremement longs, et pointus aux deux extremites.'

_Choris_, _Voy. Pitt._, part iii., p. 6. Had no boats, but it was reported that they had previously used boats made of rushes.

_Pickering's Races_, in _U. S. Ex. Ex._, vol. ix., p. 103. 'The most rude and sorry contrivances for embarcation I had ever beheld.... They were constructed of rushes and dried gra.s.s of a long broad leaf, made up into rolls the length of the canoe, the thickest in the middle and regularly tapering to a point at each end ... appeared to be very ill calculated to contend with wind and waves.... They conducted their canoe or vessel by long double-bladed paddles, like those used by the Esquimaux.' _Vancouver's Voy._, vol. ii., p. 5. 'The balsas are entirely formed of the bulrush ... commonly the rowers sit on them soaked in water, as they seldom rise above the surface.' _Forbes' Cal._, p. 191.

Build no canoes, but occasionally make use of rafts composed of one or two logs, generally split. _Wilkes' Nar._, in _U. S. Ex. Ex._, vol. v., p. 192. 'The "Balsa" is the only thing of the boat kind known among them. It is constructed entirely of bulrushes ... sit flat upon the craft, soaked in water, plying their paddles ... most of them in all kinds of weather, are either below, or on a level with the water.'

_Farnham's Life in Cal._, p. 368. 'My opinion is that the Indians of California, previous to the occupation by the Jesuit Fathers had no other boats than those made from the tule, and even as late as 1840, I never knew or heard of an Indian using any other.' _Phelps' Letter, MS._

[531] _Pickering's Races_, in _U. S. Ex. Ex._, vol. ix., p. 103; _Cronise's Nat. Wealth_, p. 23.

[532] _Roquefeuil's Voy._, pp. 25-6. Tule is an Aztec word, from _tollin_, signifying rushes, flags, or reeds. _Molina_, _Vocabulario._ Mendoza says that when the ancient Mexicans arrived at the site of Mexico, it was a complete swamp, covered 'con grandes matorrales de enea, que llaman _tuli_.' _Esplicacion del Codice_, in _Kingsborough's Mex. Antiq._, vol. v., p. 40. That the Spaniards themselves had not boats at this time is also a.s.serted by Kotzebue: 'That no one has yet attempted to build even the simplest canoe in a country which produces a superabundance of the finest wood for the purpose, is a striking proof of the indolence of the Spaniards, and the stupidity of the Indians.'

_New Voy._, vol. ii., p. 90.

[533] _Phelps' Letter, MS._

[534] _Vancouver's Voy._, vol. ii., p. 415. 'Sending off a man with great expedition, to vs in a canow.' _Drake's World Encomp._, p. 119.

[535] The sh.e.l.ls 'they broke and rubbed down to a circular shape, to the size of a dime, and strung them on a thread of sinews.' _Taylor_, in _Cal. Farmer_, _March 2, 1860_. 'Three kinds of money were employed ...

white sh.e.l.l-beads, or rather b.u.t.tons, pierced in the centre and strung together, were rated at $5 a yard; periwinkles, at $1 a yard; fancy marine sh.e.l.ls, at various prices, from $3 to $10, or $15, according to their beauty.' _Powers_, in _Overland Monthly_, vol. x., p. 325.

[536] The office of chief is hereditary in the male line only. The widows and daughters of the chiefs are, however, treated with distinction, and are not required to work, as other women. _Beechey's Voy._, vol. ii., p. 73. In one case near Clear Lake, when 'the males of a family had become extinct and a female only remained, she appointed a chief.' _Gibbs_, in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. iii., p. 112. At the Port of Sardinas 'durmio dos noches en la capitana una india anciana, que era senora de estos pueblos, acompanada de muchos Indios.' _Sutil y Mexicana_, _Viage_, p. x.x.xii.

[537] The Kainameahs had three hereditary chiefs. _Gibbs_, in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. iii., p. 103.

[538] In Russian River Valley and the vicinity: 'Die Achtung die man fur den Vater hegte, geht haufig auf den Sohn uber; aber die Gewalt des Oberhauptes ist im Allgemeinen sehr nichtig; denn es steht einem jeden frei, seinen Geburtsort zu verla.s.sen und einen anderen Aufenthalt zu wahlen.' _Baer_, _Stat. u. Ethno._, pp. 77-8. 'Derjenige, der am meisten Anverwandte besitzt, wird als Hauptling oder Tojon anerkannt; in grosseren Wohnsitzen giebt es mehrere solcher Tojone, aber ihre Autoritat ist nichts sagend. Sie haben weder das Recht zu befehlen, noch den Ungehorsam zu zuchtigen.' _Kostromitonow_, in _Baer_, _Stat. u.

Ethno._, p. 86. At Clear Lake chiefdom was hereditary. _Gibbs_, in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. iii., p. 112. See also pp. 103, 110. Among the Gualalas and Gallinomeros, chieftains.h.i.+p was hereditary. The Sanels live in large huts, each containing 20 or 30 persons related to each other, each of these families has its own government. The Comachos paid voluntary tribute for support of chief. _Powers' Pomo, MS._ In the Sacramento Valley a chief has more authority than that arising merely from his personal character. _Pickering's Races_, in _U. S. Ex. Ex._, vol. vi., p. 108. On the coast between San Diego and San Francisco, in the vicinity of San Miguel 'chaque village est gouverne despotiquement par un chef qui est seul arbitre de la paix et de la guerre.' _f.a.ges_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1844, tom. ci., p. 163. See also _Marmier_, _Notice_, in _Bryant_, _Voy. en Cal._, p. 227; _Jewett_, in _Ind. Aff. Rept._, 1856, p. 244; _Gerstaecker's Journ._, p. 213; _Histoire Chretienne de la Cal._, p. 52; _Wimmel_, _Californien_, pp.

177-8.

[539] 'El robo era un delito casi desconocido en ambas naciones. Entre los Runsienes se miraba quasi con indiferencia el homicidio; pero no asi entre los Eslenes, los quales castigaban al delinquente con pena de muerte.' _Sutil y Mexicana_, _Viage_, p. 171. 'Im Fall ein Indianer ein Verbrechen in irgend einem Stamme verubt hat, und die Hauptlinge sich bestimmt haben ihn zu todten, so geschieht dies durch Bogen und Pfeil.'

_Wimmel_, _Californien_, pp. 177-8; _Powers_, in _Overland Monthly_, vol.

xii., p. 24.

[540] _Drake's World Encomp._, pp. 124-6.

[541] _Wimmel_, _Californien_, p. 178.

[542] Near San Francisco, 'teniendo muchas mugeres, sin que entre ellas se experimente la menor emulacion.' _Palou_, _Vida de Junipero Serra_, p. 217. At Monterey 'la polygamie leur etait permise.' _La Perouse_, _Voy._, tom. ii., p. 303. In Tuolumne County 'polygamy is practiced.'

_Healey_, in _Ind. Aff. Rept._, 1856, p. 244. At Clear Lake 'polygamy is practiced only by the chiefs.' _Revere's Tour_, p. 125. 'Bei manchen Stammen wird Vielweiberei gestattet.' _Wimmel_, _Californien_, p. 178.

'A man often marries a whole family, the mother and her daughters.... No jealousies ever appear among these families of wives.' _Farnham's Life in Cal._, p. 367. 'An Indian man may have as many wives as he can keep; but a woman cannot have a plurality of husbands, or men to whom she owes obedience.' _Johnston_, in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. iv., p. 224. In the Sacramento Valley 'the men in general have but one wife.'

_Pickering's Races_, in _U. S. Ex. Ex._, vol. ix., p. 108. 'Of these Indians it is reported that no one has more than one wife.' _Wilkes'

Nar._, in _U. S. Ex. Ex._, vol. v., p. 201. 'Entre los Runsienes y Eslenes no era permitido a cada hombre tener mas de una muger.' _Sutil y Mexicana_, _Viage_, p. 170. At Clear Lake and down the coast to San Francis...o...b..y 'they have but one wife at a time.' _Gibbs_, in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. iii., p. 112. In the vicinity of Fort Ross 'es ist nicht erlaubt mehr als eine Frau zu haben.' _Kostromitonow_, in _Baer_, _Stat. u. Ethno._, p. 88. In the country round San Miguel 'non-seulement ce capitaine a le droit d'avoir deux femmes, tandis que les autres Indiens n'en ont qu'une, mais il peut les renvoyer quand cela lui plait, pour en prendre d'autres dans le village.' _f.a.ges_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1844, tom. ci., p. 163. See also _Marmier_, _Notice_, in _Bryant_, _Voy. en Cal._, p. 227.

[543] At Monterey, 'ils etaient meme dans l'usage d'epouser toutes les soeurs d'une famille.' _La Perouse_, _Voy._, tom. ii., p. 303. Near Fort Ross, 'die Blutsverwandtschaft wird streng beachtet und es ist nicht gestattet aus dem ersten oder zweiten Grade der Verwandtschaft zu heirathen; selbst im Falle einer Scheidung darf der nachste Anverwandte die Frau nicht ehelichen, doch giebt es auch Ausnahmen.' _Kostromitonow_, in _Baer_, _Stat. u. Ethno._, p. 88. At San Francisco 'no conocen para sus casamientos el parentezco de afinidad; antes bien este los incita a recibir por sus propias mugeres a sus cunadas, y aun a las suegras, y la costumbre que observan es, que el que logra una muger, tiene por suyas a todas sus hermanas.' _Palou_, _Vida de Junipero Serra_, p. 217.