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
When we examined Gifford's figures for the Clear Lake Pomo village of
Cigom we found 5.0 persons per family, 2.35 families per house, and
11.75 persons per house. The similarity between the two sets of values,
derived by different investigators independently, is clearly
significant. Moreover, the slightly smaller numbers discovered by
Driver at Unutsawaholma are explicable on the basis of the later date
(1870) taken as the base line. At any rate there can be no doubt that
the two villages were remarkably alike in composition of population.
In computing aboriginal population at Cigom and the surrounding country
it was pointed out that Gifford actually was dealing with a _declining_
population and that, if the aboriginal state were to be conceived
properly, his figures would have to be increased. For this reason the
family number was set at 7 instead of 5, which raised the number of
persons per house to 16.45. Because of other evidence the latter value
was reduced to 14.0.
For Driver's village the same considerations must apply. However, since
the family number was found to be 4.38, rather than 5.0 the aboriginal
value may be put at 6 instead of 7. Then, if the number of families per
house is 1.91, the average persons per house would be 11.5, a figure
which there is no strong reason for changing. It now appears that, if
Unutsawaholma "formerly" had 17 houses, with 11.5 persons per house,
the "former" population would have been approximately 195, or in round
numbers 200.
Returning the matter of houses, Driver says (p. 184) that his
informants "estimated" the number, but he thought the estimates were
too high. (The number for the village of Unutsawaholma was evidently
known exactly.) I think we have to concede Driver's point but we still
do not know how great was the exaggeration. We note that Unutsawaholma
with 17 sure houses "formerly" had 1 sweathouse but no designation
"large" or "small." Of the two "large towns" one had 2 sweathouses and
the other had 1 sweathouse and 40 ordinary houses. The same numbers
were assigned to two other villages but they were not called large or
small. The one called "small" had 1 sweathouse. The village, therefore,
with 1 sweathouse and 17 other houses, but not designated either large
or small, may be taken as approximately intermediate. The small town
may be assigned half this number, or 8 houses. Those with 40 estimated
houses, but not called large, may be assigned 25 houses each. Netstul,
a "large town" with 40 houses and 1 sweathouse, may be given 30 houses,
and Koticomota, a "large town" with 2 sweathouses, may be given 35
houses. This is a purely arbitrary arrangement but it must come
somewhere near fitting the facts.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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