The Aboriginal Population of the North Coast of CaliforniaCook, Sherburne Friend
History
The Aboriginal Population of the North Coast of California
Cook, Sherburne Friend
Indians of North America -- California; Indians of North America -- Statistics
The Tanom, living on the Eel River to the northwest, are credited by
Kroeber with six "divisions," the names for which he gives. Foster
lists also six names, which he says are "probably districts named after
the principal rancheria" (p. 159). There is no doubt that both authors
are referring to communities or, as Kroeber calls them, "political
units." Hence at 190 persons their aggregate population would have been
1,140.
For the other five subtribes we have very little direct information.
Among the Huitinom Foster knows of two nohots and two rancherias, all
at considerable distances from each other. The country was rugged but
the area large and served by Black Butte Creek, a fishing stream with
several tributaries. Two nohots and two rancherias would indicate a
minimum of 330 people. It would not be excessive to place the number at
400.
The Suksaltatamnom lived to the northeast on the headwaters of the
South Fork Eel River, close to the Pitch Wailaki. They are all dead and
nothing whatever is known of their villages. Their number may be
tentatively placed at 400, since in all other respects their habitat
resembled that of the Huitinom.
On Onkolukomnom lived to the southeast in a large area centering around
Lake Pillsbury. There are none left but Foster thinks (p. 160) "they
are undoubtedly numerous." Certainly they must have exceeded the two
preceding subtribes and an estimate of 600 should not be too much.
The Lalkutnom and the Ontitnom lived close together south and west of
Round Valley. Regarding the former Foster says there were "a number of
nohots and rancherias." If we allow four to be "a number" and assume
that the rancherias were all subordinate to the nohots, the population
would have been 760, a not excessive estimate. The Ontitnom, as far as
Foster could determine, consisted of one nohot or, let us say, 200
persons.
_Yuki proper ... 6,880_
THE HUCHNOM
This important subdivision of the Yukian stock lived along the South
Eel River and its affluents from a point below the junction with Outlet
Creek to the head of Potter Valley, at which region they merged with
the Pomo. They were a river people, with their villages all placed on
the banks of the Eel and one or two of the larger tributaries.
The original modern ethnographic account of the Huchnom was by Barrett
(1908), whose description of villages is accepted almost verbatim by
Kroeber in the Handbook (pp. 202-203). A more recent account, derived
from one informant, is given by Foster (1944, pp. 225 ff., App. 1).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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