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
"Within a distance of no more than One Hundred miles in length &
twenty in width, including the Napa Valley, were five distinct
nations, no one of which could converse together ... without an
interpreter ... The names of these five nations were as
follows--The Napa, the Ouluke, Caymus, Conahomanes & Miacamus, the
last named tribe inhabited the region of the Hot Springs of that
valley...."
Four of these names are clear. The fifth, Ouluke, is very probably
Tuluka of Barrett. Since these five groups are sharply defined by the
Napa Valley and since Yount obviously was talking about that area, his
size estimate was excessive. He says 100 miles by 20, whereas the
valley actually is about 40 miles in length from the Bay to Mt. St.
Helena and perhaps on the average 15 miles in width, from the crest of
one range across to the other.
With regard to numbers Yount says (1923, p. 56):
"It is not yet eight years [evidently referring to the year 1843]
since the above named valley swarmed with not less than eight
thousand human beings, of whom there are not now [1851] left as
many hundreds.... The poor remnants of all the five tribes above
named now mingle & wander up and down the valley promiscuously
together...."
There is also an account of the destruction of the Caymus (1923, p.
59). A great many, if not most of them, were killed by being burnt in a
sweathouse. The guilty parties were stated to be two Indians from San
Rafael, but the motives were obscure. This event occurred some time
during the later days of Yount's tenure, for, continues the manuscript,
"at a period long previous to the tragical event above related, Yount
embarked in erecting a small flour mill...."
Although Alexander Taylor, in his Indianology, mentions some of the
subtribes of the Wappo, he gives no useful population data. On the
other hand, John S. Hittell talked about the Napa Valley Indians in an
article in the Hesperian Magazine entitled Notes on Napa Valley (1860,
p. 55). He gives the same tribes, or subtribes, as were mentioned by
Yount in the manuscript edited by Camp. These were the Mayacomas, the
Callajomanas, the Caymus, the Napa Indians, the Soscol, and the Ulacas.
He then adds the following:
Their rancherias were numerous throughout the length of the
valley.... It is not known how many of these Indians there were, no
census having been taken nor any careful estimate having been made,
at the time, by anybody. Mr. Yount thinks their number was not less
than three thousand, and possibly twice as many. It would have been
an easy matter to collect a thousand warriors in those times.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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