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The Yokayo Rancheria [Pomo] (4 pages)
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Page: of 4
212 California Historical Society Quarterly
Indians. These able men realized that their tribal lands were gone, and that
unless something was done they must live only by the sufferance of others.
To them the solution was to work for the white man and use their earnings \
to buy a portion of the lands that had been taken from them. Thus, and
thus only, could they establish a home for themselves and their people
which would be protected forever under the laws of the country. The
chiefs sent word that on a certain specified day the members of the tribe
should assemble at the Burke ranch and bring all the white man’s money
they possessed.
The Yokayo tribe, men, women and children, gathered at the appointed
time. The chiefs explained the uncertainty of the future for the tribe—
their inability to retain money, the encroachments of the whites, the loss
of their homes. They said that the meeting had been called for the purpose
of gathering the accumulated money of the tribal members, in order to
purchase land which should be owned by the entire tribe and upon which
they and their descendants might have a home forever. At the conclusion
of the speeches by the chiefs, a blanket was spread on the ground and each
tribal member was asked to make his contribution to the common fund.
When the gold and silver coins were counted, the total approximated $800.
The next problem for the chiefs was the selection of a site for their future
home. They required access to the river for fishing and bathing; they required fertile land to produce crops for food and sale, and also high ground
where their homes would be free from floods. A tract of 120 acres, running
from the Russian river into the foothills to the east, was finally selected
by the chiefs. However, the price was fixed by the owner at $4,500. Not
daunted, they undertook the purchase and with the $800 already collected
made the down-payment.
The Yokayo Tribe of Indians then moved upon their own lands. The
knowledge and foresight and determination of the four chiefs carried them
on. They tilled the soil, sold baskets, and worked for the whites, all the
while contributing, as they could, to the common fund. Every dollar of
the debt was finally paid, and on October 20, 1881, the deed was executed .
and recorded, according to white man’s law, to “Dick, Lewis, Bill, Charley,
all Indians, and their tribe.”!¢
The second golden age began for the tribe. They were free of debt and
owned their land. It was not the broad acreage of the Yokayo Valley and
the tributary mountains and streams. Their holdings were reduced from
thousands to the 120 acres specified in their deed, and yet, conformable to
white man’s law, it was their home and their children’s forever. They had
recovered, for a price, a portion of their ancestral lands.
The chiefs now undertook to farm according to the methods of the
whites, Farming machinery was purchased with tribal funds, crops were
planted and an abundant yield brought funds into the tribal treasury. Many
The Yokayo Rancheria 213
of the business transactions with the outside world were too intricate for
them, and, wisely, they engaged F. C. Albertson, a kindly and competent .
white man, to act as their agent and handle their money. He paid their taxes,
protected them in their contracts and was custodian of the tribal funds,
which were paid out upon request of the chiefs. The tribal money was used
not only to pay taxes and operate the farm, but for feasts and barbecues,
marriage festivals, and to bury the dead. At one time the state of the exchequer warranted a dividend and $200 was distributed amongst members
of the tribe. The court records show that in 1904 there was a cash balance v
of $2,669.97, with no outstanding debts.
After twenty-three years of uninterrupted harmony and prosperity, the
first real difficulty arose. Chief Bill died in 1901, and Chief Charley in 1904.
By this date the property had enhanced in value to several times the original
purchase price of $4,500, which led T. J. Weldon, a white man, to become
interested, He had himself appointed administrator of the estates of the dead
chiefs and laid claim to a half interest in the rancheria on behalf of the heirs.
Ilad he been successful, the communal enterprise would have immediately
ended. However, he had not reckoned upon the two survivors, Dick and
Lewis. The four original chiefs, individually and collectively, had recognized and fulfilled their trust on behalf of the tribe. The two old chiefs, left
to carry on, were determined that the white man should not again drive
their people from their home, and that they were entitled to the protection
of the laws of California.
‘The records at Ukiah, referred to above, show that in 1904 Dick and
Lewis, for and on behalf of the Yokayo tribe of Indians, commenced suit
in the Superior Court of Mendocino County to establish that the original
deed to “Dick, Lewis, Bill, Charley, all Indians, and their tribe,” created a
trust for the benefit of the members of the Yokayo tribe. The surviving
chiefs explained to the white man’s court how their departed co-chiefs had,
during their lives, recognized and respected the obligations of their trust;
and they stated that they, the survivors, still recognized such trust. They
also stated to the court that they were impelled to bring the action because
of the uncertainty of their lives and the rapid destruction of their tribe bv
death and disease; and because they feared that within a short time—so large
had been the death rate among the members of the tribe—there would remain no members who knew the facts establishing the original trust. Dick
and Lewis finally stated that, since they were becoming old, it was necessary for the protection of the tribe that the tenure and ownership of the
land be fixed and established by indisputable records and decrees. They .
added that there remained only seventy-four members of the tribe.
‘he white man’s judge, Hon. J. Q. White, decided the case for Dick and
Lewis, However, the battle was not over. It raged on until 1908, when the
Supreme Court of California decided for the old chiefs, holding that the
7