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
For the Southern Wappo Merriam mentions Guiluc (MS "Yukean") and
Kaimus. The latter is very well known and is discussed by Barrett
(1908, p. 268). The former is in territory which was disputed between
the Pomo and the Wappo and may be either _wilikos_ (Wappo) or _Wilok_
(Pomo)--see Barrett's treatment on page 269 of the Ethnogeography
(1908). For present purposes it may be considered as Wappo since it was
excluded from the Pomo in computing the population of the latter group.
Merriam cites no other names, but Barrett gives Annakotonoma and
Tsemanoma among the Southern Wappo (1908, p. 269) and Tcimenukme,
Tuluka, and Suskol as Wintun villages at the mouth of Napa River.
Annakotonoma was known to the missionaries as Callajomanos (and
variants), Guiluc as such, and Kaimus as Caymus (and variants). The
three Wintun villages have left no trace whatever in the mission
records under Barrett's names or any recognizable variants. This is
rather surprising, since the area was thoroughly converted by the
missionaries at San Rafael and at Sonoma. Very likely the baptisms are
in the record but under designations (and there are many) which do not
permit the allocation to a specific tribe or village. On the other
hand, the area itself is probably included in the appellation "Napa"
which appears to have covered the entire region from the present city
of Napa to the shore of the Bay.
The sum of the recorded baptisms from Caymus, Guiluc, Callajomanos, and
Napa is 331. A baptism factor of 25 per cent cannot be employed because
the territory of these groups was very close to the Sonoma Mission, and
from numerous accounts by contemporary writers we know that
missionization was nearly complete. A factor of 50 per cent would give
a probable population of 662 and one of 75 per cent a population of
442. Both values are evidently too low.
The final resource from which we may seek information is provided by
the accounts of the early American settlers. Chief of these is George
Yount, who entered Napa Valley in 1831 and took up a grant of land near
the present town of Yountville. Yount seems to have been a sober and
reliable citizen, and one who was accorded the respect of his fellow
pioneers. His story consists of a series of verbal recollections which
were written down in manuscript form by a friend, the Rev. Orange
Clark, who visited his ranch in 1851. The Clark manuscript, together
with other material, has been secured and published by Professor
Charles L. Camp (1923).
Yount seems to have discoursed at length on the local Indians (1923, p.
55). His description of the tribes follows (I have omitted the
explanatory parentheses inserted by Camp).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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