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
4. _Waterman._ With the list on page 206 is also given a list of
villages derived from a map executed by a man named Randall, a
county surveyor, in 1866. Although no house counts are given, the
list is useful for establishing the existence of certain towns in
the year 1866.
5. _Merriam._ The village lists for the Yurok follow Waterman and
Kroeber quite closely. However, Merriam was able to locate several
inhabited places which had escaped the attention of the other two
investigators. These villages have been added in table 2 (p. 92,
herein) and a conservatively estimated house count assigned to
them.
In table 1 (pp. 85-91, herein) will be found a list of 78 villages,
based primarily on Waterman's data. Under each village name are
assembled such facts as I can find in the writings of Kroeber and
Waterman bearing on the existence of the town. In the third column is
placed my own evaluation of these facts in the form of a statement
whether such existence should be regarded as certain, probable, or
doubtful. The results have been then transferred to table 2 (p. 92,
herein). In the first column of this second table is the arbitrary
number assigned each town shown in table 1 (pp. 85-91, herein), the
doubtful towns being omitted. In the second column is the source, where
the letter "l" denotes that the house number is derived from Waterman's
list on page 206, the letter "t" that the number was derived from
Waterman's textual descriptions, and the letter "M" that the data were
secured from Merriam's village lists. The letter "R" indicates that the
town appeared on Randall's map of 1866 but was not adequately discussed
by Waterman or Kroeber. The letter "p" indicates that the house number
is my own estimate. The third column shows the house number itself. In
addition are shown the corresponding house numbers as taken from
Kroeber's informants ("modern memories") or from the census of 1852 as
cited by Kroeber.
The total number of houses is 412, which, at 7.5 persons per house,
gives a population of 3,090.
Some insight into the validity of the value thus obtained may be
secured by cross checking the various sources for house number. As a
basis for comparison the list in table 1 (pp. 85-91, herein) may be
used, since it is constructed for the great majority of villages from
Waterman's final estimate. There are 16 towns for which a number is
given in Waterman's list (1920, p. 206) and for which a statement of
house numbers derived directly from informants is to be found in his
detailed descriptions. For these towns the list shows 88 houses and the
text 101. Now, if the same ratio of house numbers (_i.e._, 88 to 101)
is applied to the total population as derived from table 2 (p. 92,
herein) the result is a population of 3,562 persons.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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