WINTU INDIANS Living in the Northern Sacramento River Valley in Northern California, the Wintu made the land around the Trinity Mountains their home for more than 8,000 years. The Wintu traded goods with their neighboring tribes and prospered. Their way of life sounds ideal in a description from the Bureau of Land Management and the California Native American Heritage commission -- "Wintu men commonly married women from outside their community, preferably from distant Wintu groups, although they also married persons from non-Wintu groups. This established strong regional kinship ties so valuable in times of economic or military need. And the Wintu further strengthened these bonds by inviting relatives and allies to share in harvests and other celebrations. A person with good leadership qualities became the village headman. His duties included organizing dances and other social occasions, and arbitrating disputes. Being a good speaker was his most important skill since persuasion, rather than force, was the way the Wintu brought about community action. Reverence to geography is a part of Wintu identity, and knowledgeable Wintu still participate in this perception of power and place. Wintu religion cannot be separated from daily life and is intricately bound to the landscape. Rocks or rock outcrops, springs, pools, caves, and most notably, mountains possess spiritual qualities respected by Wintu people and many are interconnected through Wintu oral history. The landscape, as part of the Wintu sacred domain, still plays an important part in their cultural identity today."   ISHI In 1916, Ishi, who is referred to in American history books as "the last wild Indian," died of tuberculosis in San Francisco. Five years earlier he had stumbled into the small town of Oroville, California situated in the foothills near Mt. Lassen. He was a member of the Yahi tribe, which was considered part of the Yana people, who numbered as many as 3,000 in the 1840's. The arrival of white settlers in California spelled the end of the Yana's way of life, which relied on native plants and animals. The white settlers brought cattle which destroyed the land and gold mining which destroyed the streams and rivers. It was under these circumstances that the Yahi fled into the hills, avoiding the whites. Ishi's small tribe dwindled. After his mother died and two other tribe members fled further into the forest to escape white pursuers, Ishi, starving and lonely, was forced to take refuge in town. He was taken to San Francisco by T.T. Waterman and Alfred L. Kroeber (famous California anthropologist) and lived in the University of California Anthropological Museum for four and a half years. In his four years living in San Francisco, much was learned about Native American ways. Saxton Pope, his doctor and friend, wrote after his death: "And so, stoic and unafraid, departed the last wild Indian of America. He closes a chapter in history. He looked upon us as sophisticated children--smart, but not wise. We know many things, and much that is false. He knew nature, which is always true. His were the qualities of character that last forever. He was kind: he had courage and self-restraint, and though all had been taken from him, there was no bitterness in his heart. His soul was that of a child, his mind that of a philosopher."   | Home | Cultural | Environmental | Musical | Ordinary | | Contact Us | About the Authors | © Copyright 2007 fiftythings