Athapascan Indians; Indians of North America -- California
The next conflict is to the north of this, where Kroeber's boundary
runs up the ridge separating the Mad River from the South Fork of the
Trinity, whereas Merriam's runs along South Fork itself in the twenty
miles from Yolla Bolly Mountain northwest to Ruth. Essene (1942) agrees
with Merriam on this point, but his data add nothing to the argument,
since he worked with the same Lassik informant as Merriam. I have
accepted Kroeber's version because it is corroborated by both Goddard
(1907) and Du Bois (1935, map 1), who agree in assigning the valley of
the South Fork of the Trinity to the Wintun.
Kroeber and Merriam agree on the line running north of Ruth as far as
a point about fifteen miles south of Grouse Creek, where Merriam's
line drifts westward to follow the north-south channel of Grouse Creek
for a short distance, whereas Kroeber's line follows due north along
the drainage pattern. Essene supports Kroeber, but his informant did
not come from this region so her testimony perhaps cannot be relied on
heavily. I have accepted Kroeber's line because it follows the drainage
pattern.
Kroeber's boundary also conflicts with Merriam's on the east side of
South Fork. Kroeber's line runs along the ridge separating South Fork
from the main Trinity whereas Merriam's runs along the Trinity itself.
The testimony of Dixon on the Chimariko (1910, pp. 295-296) supports
Kroeber, so I have accepted the latter's line.
The northern boundary of the Athabascans runs west, parallel to Mill
Creek, crossing the Trinity a few miles south of its confluence with
the Klamath, and then continues west until it reaches Bald Hills Ridge,
which separates Redwood Creek drainage from Klamath River drainage. It
continues north along this ridge and then turns east to cross Redwood
Creek about ten miles southeast of Orick.
Goddard (1914_a_, pl. 38) indicates three Athabascan summer camps on the
Yurok side of the dividing ridge. This may mean that some Athabascan
territory was included in the Klamath drainage, but if so, it would
contradict the testimony of the Yurok (Kroeber, 1925_a_, fig. 1;
Waterman, 1920, map 2). However, the land away from the Klamath was
little used by the Yurok (Kroeber, 1925_a_, p. 8), so it may be that
this territory was claimed by both groups. I have accepted Kroeber's
boundary here. Otherwise there are no conflicts on the northern boundary.
The western boundary of the Athabascans runs due south from Redwood
Creek, following the 124th Meridian, crossing the North Fork of the Mad
River at Blue Lake and crossing the main Mad River a few miles above
the mouth of North Fork. From here the line follows south around the
drainage of Humboldt Bay until it crosses the Eel River at the mouth
of the Van Duzen, whence it runs south to Bear River Ridge, which it
follows west to the ocean.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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