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
Suppose we accept the values put on Pdahau, Kauca, and Lacupda by
Stewart's informant, i.e., respectively 200, 100, and 80. Then we
should allow 150 each for Merriam's "large" villages, nos. 2 and 7
above. The other five were apparently small and may be conceded 30
persons each. Of the final 17 sites it will be fair to admit the
probably simultaneous existence of two-thirds of them, or let us say
12, at the rate of 30 persons per village. The total for the area then
becomes 1,190 inhabitants. Using Stewart's figure of 300 square miles
for the area the density would thus be 3.97 persons per square mile or
less than Gifford found for the Coast Yuki. Such an estimate seems
extremely conservative.
_Booneville and Yorkville._--In this area are found the Pdateya of
Booneville, which Stewart puts among the Northern Pomo, and the
Danokeya of Yorkville. The corresponding names used by Merriam are the
Lah-ta and the Ta-bo-ta. Very little is known of either group. Stewart
mentions the village of Lemkolil near Booneville and Late and Maboton
in the Yorkville region. Merriam gives Barrett's list (in his
manuscript entitled "Ta-bo-ta and Lah-ta") without comment. For the
Ta-bo-ta there are 10 villages and for the Lah-ta 9. Since we have
absolutely no other leads we may assign the three main villages 100
inhabitants each, and deduct one-third from the remainder to allow for
Barrett's nonpermanent sites. There would then be 10 presumptive
villages with 30 persons each, or 300 for all of them. The total
population for the two groups together would then be 600.
_Stewart's Point._--The tribe at Stewart's Point is known as the Kacia
(Stewart) or the Kah-chi-a (Merriam, manuscript entitled "Tribe List of
Kah-chi-a pomo"). Also included are Stewart's Yotiya of the Southern
Pomo, a group for which I find no account in Merriam's notes.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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