HISTORY OF YUBA COUNTY CALIFORNIA
by Thompson & West, 1879, with illustrations
Chapter III - Indians
Ethnologists have written and theorized in reference to the California Indians, but have come to no satisfactory conclusion regarding the place whence they immigrated, or the date of their actual settlement on this coast. It is sufficient to know that when the first white man passed through this valley, he found the Indian villages swarming with the rude barbarians.
Col J.J. Warner, at present residing in Los Angeles, was one of the Ewing Young party, who, while on a trapping expedition, passed up through the Sacramento valley in 1832, and returned in 1833. His description of the Indians is as follows: - -
"The banks of the Sacramento river, in its whole course through its valley, were studded with Indian villages, the houses of which, in the spring, during the day-time, were red with the salmon the aborigines were curing. At this time there were not, upon the San Joaquin or Sacramento rivers, or any of their tributaries, nor within the valleys of the two rivers, any inhabitants but Indians., among whom we occasionally found one, who had fled from some of the Missions of California. On no part of the continent over which I had then, or have since traveled, was so numerous an Indian population, subsisting upon the natural products of the soil and waters, as in the valleys of the San Joaquin and Sacramento. There was no cultivation of the soil by them; game, fish, nuts of the forest and seeds of the fields, constituted their entire food. They were experts in catching fish in many ways, and in snaring game in divers modes. On our return, late in the summer of 1833, we found the valleys depopulated. From the head of the Sacramento, to the great bend and slough of the San Joaquin, we did not see more than six or eight live Indians, while large numbers of their skulls and dead bodies were to be seen under almost every shade tree, near water, where the uninhabited and deserted villages had been converted into graveyards; and, on the San Joaquin river, in the immediate neighborhood of the larger class of villages, which, the preceding year were the abodes of a large number of those Indians, we found not only many graves, but the vestiges of a funeral pyre. At the mouth of Kings river we encountered the first and only village of the stricken race that we had seen after entering the great valley; this village contained a large number of Indians, temporarily stopping at that place. We were encamped near the village one night only, and, during that time, the death angel, passing over the camping ground of these plague-stricken fugitives, waved his wand, summoning from the little remnant of a once numerous people, a score of victims, to muster in the land of the Manitou; and the cries of the dying, mingled with the wails of the bereaved, made the night hideous, in that veritable valley of death. This disease, which swept down the valley of the Sacramento, and up that of the San Joaquin, appeared, so far as I could judge (and I came near dying from it), to be a most acute and violent type of remittent fever. It attacked members of our party, when we were upon the San Joaquin, near the Merced river, and nearly every one of the party suffered from it. Two Indian boys about fifteen or sixteen years of age, one a Columbia river or Oregon Indian, the other from New Mexico, both of our party, died of the fever. The disease presented none of the symptoms of cholera. Its fatality among the Indians, was, in my opinion, in great measure owing to the treatment of the sick, which was to give them a hot air bath in their sweat houses, and then immerse them in water; the immersion was soon followed by death. Excepting the Indians in our company who died, I was the most severely affected member of our party. In fact I was left, while on the marsh, the day following our encampment at the mouth of Kings river, unable to ride, and as was supposed, to die; but in the evening I revived, and was able to mount my mule and reach camp."
It seems to be a disputed question whether the epidemic which prevailed in 1833 was the small-pox or cholera. General Bidwell and Mr. Claude Chana both agree in the assertion that it was the former. General Bidwell relates that several years before he came to this country in 1841, the small-pox broke out among the Indians of this valley, contracted, probably, from the trappers of the Hudson Bay Company, and must have destroyed a large number of them in the valley and depoplulated whole villages. The General informs us that he has seen the sites of villages where no Indians had lived since his arrival in the country, strewn with whole skeletons; in fact, he was able to count from a single standpoint, no less than forty. A village is mentioned in particular, located on the east bank of the Sacramento at the mouth of Feather river, and there were numerous others on the west bank of the latter along nearly its whole length, and a considerable number on the east bank. The bodies or skeletons were found on the river banks, and under bushes in the woods, as if the sufferers were endeavoring to protect themselves from the ravages of the pestilence. In many cases the remnants of these tribes were absorbed by others. The fact that the pestilence was small-pox was proven by the stories of the Indians, who were themselves attacked and had recovered, carrying with them its marks as evidences. The habit of the Indians when attacked by any kind of fever was to rush into the river, the general result proving fatal from the too sudden chill.
Mr. Chana, already referred to in this connection, states that he had an Indian woman in his employ, who, having passed through the scourge in 1833, declared the disease was introduced among them by the Hudson Bay Company. She claimed that the company desired to get the Indians out of the valley, as they interfered with the trapping, and in order to accomplish their end, sent to them articles of clothing inoculated with the disease. This feature of the narrative, Mr. Chana states, was verified to him by the trappers whom he met in Saint Joseph, Missouri, before he came here, and it was the prevailing explanation among the Indians and the early settlers, as to the origin of the scourge. This theory does not seem credible, as such inhumanity could hardly exist among members of an organization so fair and honorable in all its dealings as was the Hudson Bay Company. It is probable that the Indians, in their ignorance and superstition, ascribed it to that cause on account of the jealousy and rivalry existing between them and the foreign trappers.
Bancroft, in his "Native Races of the Pacific States," divides the Indians of the coast into seven distinct groups. The Californians comprise one of the important branches occupying the territory between latitudes 43° and 32° 30' north, extending east into the Rocky mountains. This group is subdivided into geographical divisions, viz: the Northern Californians, the Central Californians, and the Southern Californians.
The early inhabitants of this region belonged to the central division which occupied all of California and extended from about latitude 35° to 40° 30' north. The races in this region were separated into numerous small tribes whose system of nomenclature was exceedingly primitive. The segregation of these Indians was not properly into tribes, but into villages, each having its own name and head. Sometimes one chief would be more powerful than other neighboring chiefs in physical strength, number of warriors, or hereditary influence, and hence had authority over the villages near him; such was the case with the ruler of the Hocks. From the report of Adam Johnson, Indian sub-agent, to the Department of the Interior in 1850, we cull the following: "I could discover no distinction in their customs, habits of life, or their general language, which could induce me to think they were not originally the same people. Indeed their customs and manners of living are, in many respects, almost identical."
From June to the middle of September, 1850, Mr. Johnson traveled over more than eight hundred miles through the Sacramento valley, and along the banks of the rivers. He visited ten distinct tribes of Indians, besides meeting many wandering families or communities. The following is a list of the tribes visited in the valley and the neighboring mountains: - - The HOCKS - Located upon Hock Farm, near the old residence of Capt. Sutter, numbering from eighty to one hundred. ~ The YUBAS - At or near the junction of the Yuba with Feather river, numbering about one hundred and eighty. ~ The O-LIP-PAS - On Feather river, about thirty-two miles above its mouth, comprising about ninety or one hundred people. ~ The BOGAS - A short distance above the O-lip-pas, on the opposite side of the river, including about seventy. ~ The HO-LIL-LI-PAH - At the base of the mountains near the Feather river, about one hundred and fifty in number. ~ The ERSKINS - On Butte creek, near Neal's rancho, comprising about eighty. ~ The MA-CHUCK-NAS - In the valley near Potter's rancho, including about ninety. ~ The CUSH-NAS - In the mountains, on the South Yuba, numbering about six hundred. ~ The TAGUS - Also in the mountains above the head-waters of Butte creek, the number being unknown. ~ The NIM-SUS - Also in the mountains, near the Tagus tribe; number unknown.
General Bidwell locates the villages in what is now Sutter county, as follows: - - YUBAS, where Yuba city is now situated, numbering from one hundred to one hundred and twenty-five. ~ SESHUMS, located in Shanghai bend of the Feather river, between Yuba city and Hock Farm. ~ HOCKS, located near Sutter's residence, was the largest village in what is now called Sutter county. ~ YUKULMES, situated three miles below Hock Farm. ~ OLASHES, located about one mile above Nicholaus, on the west bank.
No permanent villages were located on the eastern bank of the Sacramento river, on account of the lands being subject to overflows. There were no other tribes in Sutter county, although the Colusi, Coptis, Willys and Kymatins ranged through the country around the Buttes.
In Yuba county, on the site of Marysville, was a village of Indians called the MEMALS. It was of good size and populated by about one hundred Indians. When Cordua settled there, some of these Indians located on the south side of the Yuba (in 1843).
The TOMCHAS were located a little above, on the east side of the Feather river, but not immediately on the banks. The distance from the mouth of Yuba river was about two miles, and from the banks of the Feather river about a half mile; they numbered about fifty souls.
The HONCUTS were located on the east bank of Feather river, just below the mouth of Honcut creek, and comprised about one hundred and fifty persons. On the south branch of the Honcut and scattered through Brown's valley region, in little villages with one principal village, were a large number of Indians with no particular tribal name. There were several small tribes of Indians living between the Bear and Yuba rivers, and one large tribe, who occupied the country from the foothills to Nevada. These Indians spoke a different language from the Marysville Indians and were more warlike. Their chief stole some of General Sutter's cattle in 1841. Sutter pursued him and retook them after a fight in which no one was killed. The scene of the bloodless conflict was the bank of the Yuba river, a few miles above Marysville.
Horatio Hale in his "Ethnography and Philology" says: "South of the Rogue River Indians, the population is very scanty until we arrive at the valley of the Sacramento, all the tribes of which are included by the traders under the general name of 'Kinkla,' which is probably like Klamath, a term of Chinook origin."
The following are noted by authorities on Indian history: "The Oleepas lived on Feather river, twenty miles above Marysville." - (Delano's Life on the Plains). "The Yubas or Yuvas lived on Yuva river, a tributary to the Sacramento." 0 (Fremont's Geographical Memoir). "The Meidoos and Neeshenams were on the Yuba and Feather rivers. As you travel south from Chico the Indians call themselves Meidoo, until you reach Bear river; but below that it is Neeshenam, or sometimes Mana or Maidee, all of which denote men or Indians." - (Powers, in the Overland Monthly). "The Cushnas live near the south fork of the Yuba river." - (Schoolcraft's Arch.) "Taylor also mentions the Cushnas south of the Yuba."
The physique of these natives did not correspond at all with that of the "noble" warriors east of the mountains. "Strongly, though not symmetrically built, their height rarely exceeded five feet and eight inches, a low retreating forehead, black deep-set eyes, thick bushy eyebrows, salient cheek-bones, a nose depressed at the roots and somewhat widespreading at the nostrils, a large mouth, with thick prominent lips, teeth large and white, but not always regular, and rather large ears, is the prevailing type."
It was only in winter that a dwelling was needed, and this was by no means pretentious. The general method was to dig a hole in the ground three or four feet in depth, with a diameter of from ten to thirty feet. The ends of pliable willow poles were sunk into the ground around the excavation, and the tops were brought together, the same poles serving for walls and roof. If the poles were sufficiently long, the two ends were driven into the ground on opposite sides of the hole, the curve of the willow forming the roof. Mud or sod was then placed over the frame. The more pretentious residences had bushes interwoven between the willow poles, and an outside covering of tule grass. The smoke from the fire in the hut found an outlet through a hole in the roof; the doorway consisted of a small hole in the side, barely large enough for a person to crawl through.
The men generally wore the hair long, taken up all around and tied in a bunch; the ends being loose, floated out, much resembling a feather duster. To bind the hair they used a net made from the milk-weed; in this they frequently placed grasses or flowers forming a wreath. The women "banged" their hair in front, as do now their civilized white sisters. The process pursued and the implements used by them were exceedingly crude and simple; a sharpened mussel-shell was drawn across the hair, pressed against a stick. The longer hair was brushed back and allowed to float in its confusion. The men generally wore their beard in the form of a goatee, plucking out the hairs on the side of the face. The growth was not luxuriant, but the hair was fine in texture. The men had their heads and necks ornamented, but did not trouble themselves about other covering. A string of beads made from spiral fossil shells was worn around the neck. Through the holes in their ears were placed the leg-bones of vultures, or small ornamented elders, from six inches to one foot in length, the ends hanging down to the shoulders. Sometimes they inserted a quill or small bone through the nose for ornament. In their huts they had coverings made from the feathers of ducks and geese, firmly bound together, and these strips woven into a blanket. They also had coverings made from the skins of the wild hare and deer. Sometimes they used the coverings for the body, but generally they preferred nature's garb. The women also wore necklaces, but of small white beads. These strings were drawn around the neck several times. They wore no head dresses. They all wore the double apron on front and behind, attached to a belt, which was made in the form of a strap, from the milk-weed. At times the women donned these feather or skin coverings, although their general use was for the bed. Their ears were pierced, although the holes were not as large as among the men. These holes were made with a sharp pointed bone, and by successively inserting larger bones, the openings were made of sufficient size with but little pain. Both the men and women tatooed <sic>, the latter carrying it to the greater extent. Small lines of a dirty blue or black, a quarter of an inch in width, were drawn down from the corners of the mouth, and from the center of the lower lip; the men never painted their faces.
The women gathered their food in large conical baskets, placed upon their backs, the apex being at the bottom and resting on the belts. In order to hold them to the back, and support their weight, a circular band was placed around the basket, and across the forehead of the squaw. For their subsistence they relied mainly upon the different kinds of acorns, angle-worms, green vegetable worms (found on green plants and about three inches in length, resembling hairless caterpillars), ants, pine nuts, game, fish, wild clover, wild pea vines, grass seeds, etc. The acorns of the scrub white oak growing on the hills were sweet and could be eaten in their natural state, or when roasted or dried. The substantial food was made from the long sour-oak acorns found along the banks of the streams. These were gathered in the fall and put in bins to preserve for winter use, and covered over securely to keep out the rain. These bins were made of the tough stalks of a weed growing in the river bottoms, which, when driven into the ground and interlaced with smaller branches and boughs, formed a very convenient receptacle for the winter's food. These bins were circular, with a diameter of three or four feet, and were situated just outside the villages. The Indians seemed to understand the danger incurred by storing moist acorns in their heated huts. Each family, or set of families, had its bin. In preparing the acorns for food they were hulled and ground to a fine powder in a mortar. These mortars were hollowed out of small rocks, or in the surface of rocky formations, the hole being about five or six inches deep, and at the top about one foot in diameter. The pestle was of stone, about one foot in length; when traveling they carried these implements with them. The acorn in its natural state contains a large amount of tannin, which renders it unpleasant as an article of food. To get rid of this disagreeable feature, the squaws formed a hollow, with a rim, in the dry white sand, much resembling the impression produced by a milk-pan. In this receptacle they carefully poured the prepared acorn flour to the even depth of one-half or three-fourths of an inch. Tufts of grass, or small willow branches, were laid on one side of the sand pan, and water was then poured carefully upon, and allowed to spread over the flour, and soak through without disturbing the mass or mixing it with sand. The flour was kept covered with water for several hours, which seeping through separated and carried off most of the tannin, the sand becoming discolored with the fluid. Finally, in the process, the water was allowed to drain off, leaving the tough dough. By moistening the hand and pressing on the mass, it adhered to the palm and was removed from the hollow in cakes the size of the hand. If any sand adhered, it was washed or brushed off. The dough was thus by successive applications of the hand taken up and deposited in another receptacle filled with water, in which it was washed. Sand sometimes became mixed with the dough, but caused no inconvenience to the strong teeth and healthy digestive organs of the aborigines. Finally the water was poured off and the pure dough was ready for use. A hole was then dug in the ground in which the fire was built and several rocks were thrown in. This fire was kept up until the earth and rocks were thoroughly heated, then the rocks, together with the remnants of the fire, were removed and the hole brushed out. A layer of sycamore leaves was put in to form the "bread-pan," and on this was placed the dough with a hot rock in its center. More leaves were placed over it, and the fire replaced and replenished. The next day, when cooled, the baked acorn bread was taken out, ready for use. In this state it resembled somewhat a bladder of putty, and perhaps was not more digestible.
In procuring the grasshoppers, the squaws first sought a suitable locality abounding in this native luxury. Having found the favored spot, they dug holes in the form of an inverted cone, and of sufficient size to admit their baskets. These excavations were about four feet deep, and two feet in diameter at the top, the sides sloping to meet at the bottom. A hole was dug for each basket, and when everything was ready, the men and children were called out to make a "surround." With bushes and boughs they beat the grass, driving the insects toward the center where the baskets were located. Thus they gradually approached the luckless grasshoppers, finally enclosing them in their baskets, which were quickly covered. This was done at a time of year when they were heavy on the wing. They were then dried, boiled or broiled and eaten like shrimps. The other process of capturing them was by fire. The locality was chosen as before, but at a time of year when there was dry grass. This patch was fired on the outer parts, and as the circle of fire diminished, the insects were driven before it until they met the flame on the other side, when their wings becoming singed, they dropped and were roasted, ready for the dainty palate of the savage epicure. Gathered and crushed in the mortar, the result greatly resembled "blue mass." This was considered by the savages a great delicacy, and served as dessert. Even when raised among civilized people, many kept their packages of grasshopper preserves, and frequently resorted to them. The squaws packed this article away in baskets, and it was only brought out on special occasions. Americans who have partaken of this food declare that the taste is quite pleasant. Eating the grasshopper alive was a common custom, and seemed to please the savage appetite. The angle-worms were found in boggy and swampy localities, around springs, ponds, etc. The squaws, taking their sticks of chapparel <sic>, which formed their usual instruments of excavation, pushed them down into the mire. By shaking these from side to side, the surrounding earth was compressed. The worms feeling the pressure, came to the surface, and were quickly siezed <sic> and thrown into the baskets. When washed and boiled they mad an excellent and nutritious soup - for the Indians. The green plant-worms were picked from the vegetation, stripped by the fingers, and dried or boiled. The ants were sometimes disposed of by simply carrying them from the tree or bush to the mouth upon the tongue - primitive, indeed, in its simplicity. Pine cones were gathered before the nuts had fallen out, and much labor was therefore saved. The nuts, which are of a pleasant, oily taste, and exceedingly nutritious, were extracted by beating the cones, and eaten raw.
Clover was eaten raw in the spring time, and had a beneficial effect. The wild pea vines were gathered in immense quantities when young and tender. By placing elder sticks against the sides of the basket and extending beyond the opening, the squaw was enabled to carry nearly a cart-load of the light growth. In the spring and summer they make lengthy trips into the mountains in search of food, and sometimes prepared their winter stock in these encampments, carrying it afterwards to their rancheras. To prepare the pea vine for eating, the hole in the ground was resorted to. In this, heated rocks were placed, and covered with a layer of the vine; water was thoroughly sprinkled on; then two or three heated rocks; another layer of pea-vine, sprinkled as before; and so in that order by successive layers, until the mass was formed in the shape of a cone. When completed, one of the baskets was placed over it, forming a secure covering, and the mass left until the next day. It was then thoroughly steamed and cooked. The squaw, with the stone pestle, crushed the steamed mass on an inclined board. With the sole of her foot placed at the bottom of the incline, she kept the vines on the board. The process was continued until all became plastic. The squaw then with her hands shaped it into the form of a cake, and after putting a hole through the center, hung it out to dry. The heated rocks were handled by the squaws with two sticks, as easily and gracefully as a civilized woman can wield the tongs.
Grass seeds were gathered by the squaws at the time when ready to drop from the stalks. Each squaw took her swath, and a small basket arranged with a suitable handle was passed over and among the standing grass with a swinging motion, thus catching the seeds which were emptied by the same continuous motion into a larger basket, fastened behind the squaw and to her left. The chaff or dried grass was winnowed out by the breath or wind, and the seeds were prepared by grinding in the stone mortar or by boiling. The boiling was performed by throwing heated rocks into the baskets containing the water and articles to be cooked, taking them out when cooled, and replacing with heated ones until the water was brought to the boiling point. The seeds when boiled were eaten by all from the same pan, the implements used being the fingers.
In the securing of game they used the bow and arrow for the larger animals, and snares for the smaller ones. They generally crept upon the deer or elk, or lay in wait for them to pass. Sometimes they surrounded the rabbits, and driving them to the center, captured them in large numbers. Ducks were caught during dark nights in nets made of the bark of the milk-weed and wild nettle, woven together, and spread across a stream; the ducks were then slyly driven into them by the Indians on both banks of the river. Foxes, coons and badgers were among the meats of the Digger. The game was cooked generally without any dressing or cleaning, being thrown into the fire. When the outside seemed sufficiently cooked, the bird or animal was taken out and the flesh eaten from the outside until the inner part was found too rare, when the fire was again brought into requisition, until the eatable portion was at last consumed. Young birds, even crows, were taken from the nests as also the eggs. The principal game was antelope, which roamed in large bands over the plains, two hundred and three hundred being often seen in a single band. Upon these animals the early settlers also drew largely for their supply of meat.
Bear, Yuba and Feather rivers were full of salmon, and the Indians speared them by the hundred in the clear water. When the river began to be muddy, the fish became scarce. The Indians even then speared them, and although unable to see the fish, they could tell their position with unerring precision by the ripples made in their passage through the water. The Feather river was partially closed by piles extending nearly to the middle of the stream. These piles were interwoven with brush so as to prevent the passage of the fish. They were thus compelled to pass through the opening, where the Indians on platforms, captured them with their spears in their ascent of the stream. Smaller fishes were caught in dip nets, or larger nets held by four men, quietly slipped under a "school," and raised to the surface. The fish were cooked by being thrown on the coals or hot rocks. Salmon were generally opened and dried.
Johnson, in his report previously referred to, describes the feeding of the natives in Sutter's Fort, as follows: "Long troughs inside the walls were filled with a kind of boiled mush made of the wheat-bran; and now the Indians, huddled in rows upon their knees before these troughs, quickly conveyed the contents by the hand to the mouth." Powers, in the Overland Monthly, states: "But it is a well-established fact that California Indians, even when reared by Americans from infancy, if they have been permitted to associate in the meantime with others of their race, will, in the season of lush, blossoming clover, go out and eat it in preference to all other food."
For navigation on the streams they bound two logs together and propelled these crafts (balsas) by means of a pole which also could serve as a paddle. They also constructed tule rafts, generally ten feet long and four feet wide, lashed firmly together in rolls and pointed at both ends. Their weapons for the chase and war were bows and arrows, spears, a species of javelin and rarely clubs. Their battles were never very sanguinary or long-continued, the plan generally being to frighten the opposing forces by yells and outlandish antics and gestures. With all these peculiarities they were brave when brought directly in the face of death, although they preferred the ambush to the more open method of warfare. The bows were models of strength and utility and great care was taken in the selection of material and the subsequent manufacture. The arrows were of complicated structure and were made mostly by the old Indians who were unable to take part in the chase or battle. During their feasts and dances the participants adorned their heads with feathers and elaborately painted their bodies. The performance was given with the accompaniment of chanting, clapping of hands, playing on reed pipes with the nose or mouth, pounding on skin drums, and the clatter of pebbles in tortoise shells. Johnson says, in his report: "They hae an indefinite idea of their rights to the soil, and they complain that the 'pale faces' are over-running their country and destroying their means of subsistence. The emigrants are trampling down and feeding their grass, and miners are destroying their fish-dams. For this they claim remuneration, not in money (for they know nothing of its value), but in the shape of clothing and food."
The race is a thing of the past; the villages which dotted the banks of the rivers are razed to the ground, and nearly all traces of their existence are obliterated. Most of the aborigines have gone to the happy hunting grounds, those remaining being scattered among the hills and settlements, possessing no tribal relations or village organizations.
Copyright ©2003, 2004, 2005 Kathy Sedler ALL RIGHTS RESERVED These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor. The contributor has given permission to the Yuba Roots website to store the file permanently for free access, but retain the rights to their work.