The Nisenan Photographs of Alexander W. Chase (2016) (15 pages)

316 — Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology . Vol. 36, No. 2 (2016) the belief that every Indian in the State, in early days, possessed an average of at least $100 worth of shellmoney. This would represent the value of about two women (though the Nishinam never actually bought their wives), or two grizzly-bear skins, or twenty-five cinnamon-bear skins, or about three average ponies. This may be considered a fair statement of the diffusion of wealth among them in their primitive condition. The manufacture of it nowadays by Americans with machinery has diminished its purchasing power by increasing its amount. The younger, Englishspeaking Indians scarcely use it at all, except in a few dealings with their elders, or for gambling. One sometimes lays away a few strings of it, for he knows he cannot squander it at the stores, and is thus removed from temptation and possible bankruptcy; and when he wishes for a few dollars American money he can arrange it by exchanging with some old Indian who happens to have gold. Americans also sometimes keep it for this purpose. For instance, I have known an American, who associated a good deal with the Indians, buy a pony for $15 gold, and sell it to an old Indian for $40 shell-money. By converting this amount into gold in small sums at a time he cleared $25 in the course of a few months. It is singular how the old Indians cling to this currency when they know that it will purchase nothing from the stores; but then their wants are few and mostly supplied from the sources of nature; and, besides that, this money has a certain religious value in their minds, as being alone worthy to be offered up on the funeral pyre of departed friends or famous chiefs of their tribe. It is my opinion, from its appearance, that the staple currency of all the tribes in Central and Southern California is made of the same material, but I am not positive of that material except among the Nishinam. Here it is a thick, white shell (Pachydesma crassatelloides3), found on the coast of Southern California, and the money they make from it is called ”-wok. It consists of circular disks or buttons, ranging from a quarter inch to an inch in diameter, and varying in thickness with the shell. These are pierced in the center, and strung on strings made of the inner bark of the wild cotton or milkweed (Asclepias); and either all the pieces on a string, or ail in one section of it, are of the same size. The strings are not of an invariable length. The larger pieces rate at about twenty-five cents (though when an Indian saw I was anxious to secure a specimen he charged me fifty cents); the halfinch pieces at 12 1/2; and the smaller ones generally go by the string. A string of 177 of the smallest pieces was valued by its owner at $7, and sold for that. The women often select the prettiest pieces, about one-third of an inch in diameter, and string them on a string for a necklace. This may be called their silver, and is the great medium of all transactions; while the money answering to gold is made from varieties of the earshell (Haliotis), and is called iil-io. They cut these shells with flints into oblong strips from an inch to two inches in length, according to the curvature of the shell, and about a third as broad as they are long. Two holes are drilled near the narrow end of each piece, and they are thereby fastened to a string of the material above named, hanging edge to edge. Ten pieces generally constitute a string, and the larger pieces rate at $1 apiece, $10 a string; the smaller in proportion, or less, if they are not pretty. Being susceptible of a high polish this money forms a beautiful ornament, and is worn for necklaces on gala-days. But as money it is rather too large and cumbersome, and the Indians generally seek to exchange it for the less brilliant but more useful hdwok. The iillo may be considered rather as jewelry. A third kind of money, very rarely seen, is made of the Olivella biplicata, and is called by them kol’-kol. When I was in Auburn, Captain Tom showed me nearly half a bushel of shell-money and trinkets belonging to himself and family, and I had the curiosity to take an exact inventory of the same, with the values attached to the articles by the Indians. Captain Tom’s Tax-list Hwok, ten yards..cccccccssssesesscscesoeverseenes $230 Olio, 10 pieces wssvececcevesaceverevessexsssxeresexeveseees 10 Ullo, 10 pieces...scccsescescersecescteeeceeseeeneeeee 10 Ullo, 12 pieces...sccsscccesssssecseecsnseeeenesetseess 2A Ullo, 12. pieces:. cv.sxecsssveemeweneeweanccenacverseves 18 Ulla, 10 pieces...cccceccceseceeneeceeseeeennenseeees 20 Ullo, 15 pieces ...cccccessecssseeesssecereeesneesenees 30 Ullo, 10 pieces. .1..cceereasinmmnonmnciaes 5 Ullo, 10 pieces....ssscccecececeeseeeseeeeeeeeeees 10 O10 VA PICO wecswvesscerescenececusexepenenensnemennxseseus 14 CHI LO. ooo ee eeeeeeeeeccsssececssessonscnoonennsensenenananees 24 RY, 20 POCA secsscssssvesvsvevssevensnensscssevescvevessecccesevenes 14 PO-CRA.ccsseeeseveeccceceneceeseseveececcesseneesenseseeess 8 PACHA. sesssssnencccsssanscssssnennscnecssenssssseesesenees 6 PalChA scasasassssssvessvssssssssssscececeneavaseeacesesawaeaes 5 TWo abalone gorgets...ccccccccccccceeseeeeeseesenes 10 Alabaster cccccsssssssvavascsssssssverererenseeeseseneeeceeens 5 Kolkol,14 yards...cccccscsccsssssssscscsesesseeeeens 14 One grizzly-bear Skin .....csessecesssseeeeeee 50 One cinnamon-bear SKiN ....cs00ccceseererverees 4 One bear-skin robe....ccccccccseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees 75 6 C6) . $606

316 — Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology . Vol. 36, No. 2 (2016) the belief that every Indian in the State, in early days, possessed an average of at least $100 worth of shellmoney. This would represent the value of about two women (though the Nishinam never actually bought their wives), or two grizzly-bear skins, or twenty-five cinnamon-bear skins, or about three average ponies. This may be considered a fair statement of the diffusion of wealth among them in their primitive condition. The manufacture of it nowadays by Americans with machinery has diminished its purchasing power by increasing its amount. The younger, Englishspeaking Indians scarcely use it at all, except in a few dealings with their elders, or for gambling. One sometimes lays away a few strings of it, for he knows he cannot squander it at the stores, and is thus removed from temptation and possible bankruptcy; and when he wishes for a few dollars American money he can arrange it by exchanging with some old Indian who happens to have gold. Americans also sometimes keep it for this purpose. For instance, I have known an American, who associated a good deal with the Indians, buy a pony for $15 gold, and sell it to an old Indian for $40 shell-money. By converting this amount into gold in small sums at a time he cleared $25 in the course of a few months. It is singular how the old Indians cling to this currency when they know that it will purchase nothing from the stores; but then their wants are few and mostly supplied from the sources of nature; and, besides that, this money has a certain religious value in their minds, as being alone worthy to be offered up on the funeral pyre of departed friends or famous chiefs of their tribe. It is my opinion, from its appearance, that the staple currency of all the tribes in Central and Southern California is made of the same material, but I am not positive of that material except among the Nishinam. Here it is a thick, white shell (Pachydesma crassatelloides3), found on the coast of Southern California, and the money they make from it is called ”-wok. It consists of circular disks or buttons, ranging from a quarter inch to an inch in diameter, and varying in thickness with the shell. These are pierced in the center, and strung on strings made of the inner bark of the wild cotton or milkweed (Asclepias); and either all the pieces on a string, or ail in one section of it, are of the same size. The strings are not of an invariable length. The larger pieces rate at about twenty-five cents (though when an Indian saw I was anxious to secure a specimen he charged me fifty cents); the halfinch pieces at 12 1/2; and the smaller ones generally go by the string. A string of 177 of the smallest pieces was valued by its owner at $7, and sold for that. The women often select the prettiest pieces, about one-third of an inch in diameter, and string them on a string for a

necklace. This may be called their silver, and is the great medium of all transactions; while the money answering to gold is made from varieties of the earshell (Haliotis), and is called iil-io.. They cut these shells with flints into oblong strips from an inch to two inches in length, according to the curvature of the shell, and about a third as broad as they are long. Two holes are drilled near the narrow end of each piece, and they are thereby fastened to a string of the material above named, hanging edge to edge. Ten pieces generally constitute a string, and the larger pieces rate at $1 apiece, $10 a string; the smaller in proportion, or less, if they are not pretty. Being susceptible of a high polish this money forms a beautiful ornament, and is worn for necklaces on gala-days. But as money it is rather too large and cumbersome, and the Indians generally seek to exchange it for the less brilliant but more useful hdwok. The iillo may be considered rather as jewelry.. A third kind of money, very rarely seen, is made of the Olivella biplicata, and is called by them kol’-kol. When I was in Auburn, Captain Tom showed me nearly half a bushel of shell-money and trinkets belonging to himself and family, and I had the curiosity to take an exact inventory of the same, with the values attached to the articles by the Indians. Captain Tom’s Tax-list Hwok, ten yards....cccccccssssesesscscesoeverseenes $230 Olio, 10 pieces wssvececcevesaceverevessexsssxeresexeveseees 10 Ullo, 10 pieces.....scccsescescersecescteeeceeseeeneeeee 10 Ullo, 12 pieces.....sccsscccesssssecseecsnseeeenesetseess 2A Ullo, 12. pieces:. cv.sxecsssveemeweneeweanccenacverseves 18 Ulla, 10 pieces.....cccceccceseceeneeceeseeeennenseeees 20 Ullo, 15 pieces .....cccccessecssseeesssecereeesneesenees 30 Ullo, 10 pieces.. .1...cceereasinmmnonmnciaes 5 Ullo, 10 pieces.......ssscccecececeeseeeseeeeeeeeeees 10 O10 VA PICO wecswvesscerescenececusexepenenensnemennxseseus 14 CHI LO. ooo ee eeeeeeeeeccsssececssessonscnoonennsensenenananees 24 RY, 20 POCA secsscssssvesvsvevssevensnensscssevescvevessecccesevenes 14 PO-CRA..ccsseeeseveeccceceneceeseseveececcesseneesenseseeess 8 PACHA.. sesssssnencccsssanscssssnennscnecssenssssseesesenees 6 PalChA scasasassssssvessvssssssssssscececeneavaseeacesesawaeaes 5 TWo abalone gorgets.....ccccccccccccceeseeeeeseesenes 10 Alabaster cccccsssssssvavascsssssssverererenseeeseseneeeceeens 5 Kolkol,14 yards......cccccscsccsssssssscscsesesseeeeens 14 One grizzly-bear Skin .........csessecesssseeeeeee 50 One cinnamon-bear SKiN .......cs00ccceseererverees 4 One bear-skin robe.......ccccccccseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees 75 6 C6) . $606