The Aboriginal Population of the San Joaquin Valley, CaliforniaCook, Sherburne Friend
History
The Aboriginal Population of the San Joaquin Valley, California
Cook, Sherburne Friend
Indians of North America -- California -- San Joaquin Valley; San Joaquin Valley (Calif.) -- Population
Amador's assertion that the Leuchas were all captured and taken to San
Jose is not borne out by the baptism figures, which show only 23
Leuchas enrolled at Mission San Jose in 1805 to 1806. Many more,
actually 73, were baptized at Santa Clara in 1805. The total is 96, and
scarcely represents the entire personnel of the group. Nevertheless, if
we add the casualties of battle, disease, and exposure to those
baptized in the missions, and allow for the dispersion of the
remainder, the sum will amount to no less than the 300 assumed above
for the Leuchas.
As for the Pitemis, Viader, on his first expedition, left Pescadero on
August 20, 1810, and traveled south-southeast at some distance from the
river. Within 3 leagues he passed "... en frente de una rancheria ...
Aupemis." Schenck says (p. 141): "Pitemis is a village of the Leuchas
and it seems that Aupimis is to be identified with it." This cannot be
true because Viader is highly explicit to the effect that he was west
of the river and Amador is equally emphatic in stating that Pitemis was
across the San Joaquin from Leuchas, i.e., to the east of it. Since
Viader's visit was in 1810, after the Cuevas affair, there must have
been three rancherias of the Leuchas and their allies: Aupimis,
Pitemis, and Coybos.
Parenthetically, and for the record, the present writer would like to
offer the comment that certain modern writers tend to assert the
identity of Spanish or Indian names without adequate evidence.
Schenck's opinion that Aupimis and Pitemis were the same place could
have been based upon no more than a fancied resemblance in the names.
Also, on page 141 of his paper he says: "The Leuchas might possibly be
identified with Kroeber's Lakisamni (Yokuts) on the Stanislaus river."
A brief examination of the mission records, apart from any other
evidence, shows conclusively that two separate and distinct tribes were
recognized by the contemporary missionaries.
(Leuchas et al. ... 900)
________________________
_Ochejamnes._--This tribe is placed by Schenck on the east bank of the
Sacramento River near the mouth of the Cosumnes. Kroeber refers to the
village of Ochehak and considers it a "political community." He shows
it on his map (1925, p. 446) as lying on the Mokelumne, due north of
Stockton. Duran, in his diary, May 21 (MS, 1817), describes how he
followed the main stream of the Sacramento, i.e., the left branch, on
his way back from his stopping point above Courtland. He reached the
rancheria "llamada de Oche jamnes," which, although it contained 40
houses, was deserted. Quite soon thereafter ("a poco rato") he reached
"la punta de la isla llamada de los Quenemsias," which has been
identified definitely as Grand Island. Clearly, therefore, in 1817 the
Ochejamnes had a village on the Sacramento higher up the river than is
shown by Schenck.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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