Volume 007-2 - April 1953 (2 pages)

The Indians of Nevada County By DORIS FOLEY When the Nevada County Historical Museum opens its doors on Memorial Day, the first exhibit the visitor encounters will be a display of Indian relics. Nevada County had two tribes within its boundaries. The Washos roamed the area on the Truckee side of the summit, and the southern branch of the Maidus, meaning “people” lived on the Nevada City, Grass Valley side. The Maidu tribes covered a large area, and the Southern Maidus, known as the Nisenan, were found in the major portions of El Dorado, Amador, Placer and Nevada Counties. Before the discovery of gold and the coming of the white man, Indian life was simple, Nearly all available foods were eaten. Deer (du-pe), grubs, earthworms, larvae, grasshoppers, fish, jackrabbits (boiye), gray squirrels, quail, ducks, geese, grouse, blue-jays, and woodpeckers. Only the old people would eat bear meat, and ground squirrels were avoided by all. They believed a rattlesnake could change itself into a ground squirrel at any time. The Indians burned the ground each fall under the direction of their chief to drive out the game. The favorite plant foods were acorns, pine nuts, buckeye, hazelnuts, mushrooms, tree fungi, manzanita berries, roots, bulbs, wild plums and other fruits. Foods were cooked in watertight baskets by adding hot soapstone rocks, but heated food was considered unhealthy. Their villages were usually located on a knoll or a bench of the mountainside facing south. The dwelling houses (hu) looked like the wigwams of the plains Indians but were covered with large slabs of cedar or pine bark, and insulated with dirt. A smoke hole was left at the top. Each village had a Dance House called k’um. The Nevada City Indians had five of them so that visitors who came for “Big Times” (dances) could stay in them if the weather was bad. They were in an excavation 3 to 5 feet deep, had center posts, rafters, and covered with bark slabs and dirt. They were round and averaged 30 feet in diameter, and were used as dwelling houses in the winter. A lone miner once described the beauty of these snow white frosty mounds with the gray blue smoke curling upward at sunrise. In general, clothing was scant. The men wore loin cloths of deerskin, and the women a sort of apron front and back. In winter, deerskin cloaks or rabbitskin blankets were worn. The men wore their hair to the shoulders; the women wore theirs long. Bangs were favored and the hair was cut with a sharp rock against a stick. The Nevada County Nisenan had no doctor (We-ni), but sent to Colfax when one was needed. He would apply poultices of plants to bruised flesh, such as honeysuckle and burdock leaf. A snakeweed leaf poultice was used to relieve snake bite. A special house was built for snake bite victims. The Indian doctor would also suck out diseases, and in case of backache, cover the back with hot mud, and place the patient in the sweat house. Stones were heated and piled close to the house. The patient’s head was placed so he could breathe the only air permitted to enter the hut. It served as a good bath. The Indian Medicine Rock on E. Broad Street, Nevada city, was often used. The patient stretched out in the hollow top to enjoy its radiated warmth, but after the coming of the white man, they preferred his hot water bottle. The Nisenans called the Washos, “Mo’nasa.” The Washos sang to their sick. One wonders if there was ever friction between the Nisenan and Washos. Indian inscriptions on the rocks at Cisco Grove might have meant a dividing line between the tribes. The Nisenan traded acorns and pinenuts with the valley Indians for salt, fish, roots, grasses, beads and shells. They would travel at night in groups of 100-200 men, and never stayed in the valley over night if possible. Whenever the chief (hu-kem-maiduk), planned a “Big Time” for his village, he would send out invitations to other villages by runners. Baskets, 4 or 5 feet across, were filled wtih acorn mush, and given to each chief as he arrived to feed his followers. The dances were usually performed in the dance house, but once in awhile held outside. They danced in the order of arrival. The women danced the “Tapai’yo,” a dance using the movement of the arms, and the Lo-le, a rhythmical dance with long pointed sticks accompanied by a chant. The chief’s headdress in Nevada City was two grouse feathers. The men dancers wore two head sticks with feather tassels on the ends, called wulum-lum, many white beads, loin cloth, and sometimes a feather coat (to-lai). Some would carry a cocoon rattle (sol), and a whistle made of wood or bone (ho-lem-le]) The sweat dance (co-pa) was danced around a fire hour after hour, sometimes lasting 24 hours without resting or eating, each man trying to out-dance his neighbor. When they were too exhausted to dance any longer, they woula jump into water or have it poured over them. An annual ceremony was the “Big Cry.” When a member of a village died, the mourning was saved for the “Big Cry.” Indians would come for miles around and camp on the Ceremonial Grounds. On the first and second nights, the Indians had “Little Crys,’ which would last about 30 minutes. The mourners were chosen and with shaved heads covered with tar or pitch, would sit in the middle of a fire scarred pit where, from time immemorial, Indians had been cremated. These tar heads would lead, wailing a mourning song, while the others would form a circle around the pit and chant with the tar heads. The “Big Cry” was held the third night, in order to give all the Indians time to arrive at the Ceremonial Grounds. The pit would be filled with large baskets, dresses, feather caps, beads, food, wampum, guns and knives. These were articles to be sent to the dead warriors in Indian heaven. One girl worked six months making a large basket to burn at a cry for her brotherin-law. The pit was soaked with kerosene and at midnight the tar heads would place themselves around the pit. The chief would give a plea to “Gochine,” the Great Spirit, to accept these gifts for their dead, and then the fire was lighted while all chanted the mourning song. In the museum, one will find pictures of Josie and Betsy, the last of the Oustemahs. Betsy was born on the site of the Nevada City Elementary School. She was a young woman when gold was discovered, and saw the first white men on Deer Creek and the beginnings of Nevada City. The southern Maidus were located squarely in the middle of the gold country and the impact of the gold rush was harder on them than on any of the California tribes. The Nevada City group named themselves the ‘“Oustemahs,” which means “near the town.” They soon learned to search for gold, which brought them hitherto unknown luxuries both in food and dress. Whenever Betsy’s father took her to town, she would cover her face with dirt, so the miners wouldn't steal her. After forty years of American occupation, native life disappeared save for a few religious and ceremonial observances. In the early part of the twentieth century, Betsy and Josie were familiar figures on the Nevada City streets, and often marched in the Fourth of July parades. Betsy, old and blind, was led by her good friend, Josie, wife of Chief Charley. After the walk to town from the Campoodie, they would sit on the edge of the sidewalk to rest their tired bare feet. Merchants had given them shoes, but they would never wear them. They had many friends who gave them food and clothing, and when grasping white men tried to take their land, these friends came to their rescue by procuring a deed for them. Josie left the land for the use of her people. Betsy died in 1923 at the age of 105 years, and Josie died in 1940 at the age of 90. They are buried near Chief Charley on Ragon’s Flat, near the Campoodie. In the museum, visitors will see some of their baskets. A fitting tribute to these Indian women was written by the late Belle Douglas. “Betsy has been a good citizen— has never broken a law or knowingly frightened a child. By her example of cheer and good will and her attitude of good fellowship with her faithful friend and companion, Josie, she teaches us the lesson of friendship and sincerity and on the hearts of many of the good women of Nevada City is imprinted a kindly feeling for—THE LAST OF THE OUSTEMAHS.” (The material for this article was taken from the Museum collection of “Indians of Nevada County” by Miss Genevieve Kent.)

The Indians of Nevada County By DORIS FOLEY When the Nevada County Historical Museum opens its doors on Memorial Day, the first exhibit the visitor encounters will be a display of Indian relics. Nevada County had two tribes within its boundaries. The Washos roamed the area on the Truckee side of the summit, and the southern branch of the Maidus, meaning “people” lived on the Nevada City, Grass Valley side. The Maidu tribes covered a large area, and the Southern Maidus, known as the Nisenan, were found in the major portions of El Dorado, Amador, Placer and Nevada Counties. Before the discovery of gold and the coming of the white man, Indian life was simple, Nearly all available foods were eaten. Deer (du-pe), grubs, earthworms, larvae, grasshoppers, fish, jackrabbits (boiye), gray squirrels, quail, ducks, geese, grouse, blue-jays, and woodpeckers. Only the old people would eat bear meat, and ground squirrels were avoided by all. They believed a rattlesnake could change itself into a ground squirrel at any time. The Indians burned the ground each fall under the direction of their chief to drive out the game. The favorite plant foods were acorns, pine nuts, buckeye, hazelnuts, mushrooms, tree fungi, manzanita berries, roots, bulbs, wild plums and other fruits. Foods were cooked in watertight baskets by adding hot soapstone rocks, but heated food was considered unhealthy. Their villages were usually located on a knoll or a bench of the mountainside facing south. The dwelling houses (hu) looked like the wigwams of the plains Indians but were covered with large slabs of cedar or pine bark, and insulated with dirt. A smoke hole was left at the top. Each village had a Dance House called k’um. The Nevada City Indians had five of them so that visitors who came for “Big Times” (dances) could stay in them if the weather was bad. They were in an excavation 3 to 5 feet deep, had center posts, rafters, and covered with bark slabs and dirt. They were round and averaged 30 feet in diameter, and were used as dwelling houses in the winter. A lone miner once described the beauty of these snow white frosty mounds with the gray blue smoke curling upward at sunrise. In general, clothing was scant. The men wore loin cloths of deerskin, and the women a sort of apron front and back. In winter, deerskin cloaks or rabbitskin blankets were worn. The men wore their hair to the shoulders; the women wore theirs long. Bangs were favored and the hair was cut with a sharp rock against a stick. The Nevada County Nisenan had no doctor (We-ni), but sent to Colfax when one was needed. He would apply poultices of plants to bruised flesh, such as honeysuckle and burdock leaf. A snakeweed leaf poultice was used to relieve snake bite. A special house was built for snake bite victims. The Indian doctor would also suck out diseases, and in case of backache, cover the back with hot mud, and place the patient in the sweat house. Stones were heated and piled close to the house. The patient’s head was placed so he could breathe the only air permitted to enter the hut. It served as a good bath. The Indian Medicine Rock on E. Broad Street, Nevada city, was often used. The patient stretched out in the hollow top to enjoy its radiated warmth, but after the coming of the white man, they preferred his hot water bottle. The Nisenans called the Washos, “Mo’nasa.” The Washos sang to their sick. One wonders if there was ever friction between the Nisenan and Washos. Indian inscriptions on the rocks at Cisco Grove might have meant a dividing line between the tribes. The Nisenan traded acorns and pinenuts with the valley Indians for salt, fish, roots, grasses, beads and shells. They would travel at night in groups of 100-200 men, and never stayed in the valley over night if possible. Whenever the chief (hu-kem-maiduk), planned a “Big Time” for his village, he would send out invitations to other villages by runners. Baskets, 4 or 5 feet across, were filled wtih acorn mush, and given to each chief as he arrived to feed his followers. The dances were usually performed in the dance house, but once in awhile held outside. They danced in the order of arrival. The women danced the “Tapai’yo,” a dance using the movement of the arms, and the Lo-le, a rhythmical dance with long pointed sticks accompanied by a chant. The chief’s headdress in Nevada City

was two grouse feathers. The men dancers wore two head sticks with feather tassels on the ends, called wulum-lum, many white beads, loin cloth, and sometimes a feather coat (to-lai). Some would carry a cocoon rattle (sol), and a whistle made of wood or bone (ho-lem-le]) The sweat dance (co-pa) was danced around a fire hour after hour, sometimes lasting 24 hours without resting or eating, each man trying to out-dance his neighbor. When they were too exhausted to dance any longer, they woula jump into water or have it poured over them. An annual ceremony was the “Big Cry.” When a member of a village died, the mourning was saved for the “Big Cry.” Indians would come for miles around and camp on the Ceremonial Grounds. On the first and second nights, the Indians had “Little Crys,’ which would last about 30 minutes. The mourners were chosen and with shaved heads covered with tar or pitch, would sit in the middle of a fire scarred pit where, from time immemorial, Indians had been cremated. These tar heads would lead, wailing a mourning song, while the others would form a circle around the pit and chant with the tar heads. The “Big Cry” was held the third night, in order to give all the Indians time to arrive at the Ceremonial Grounds. The pit would be filled with large baskets, dresses, feather caps, beads, food, wampum, guns and knives. These were articles to be sent to the dead warriors in Indian heaven. One girl worked six months making a large basket to burn at a cry for her brotherin-law. The pit was soaked with kerosene and at midnight the tar heads would place themselves around the pit. The chief would give a plea to “Gochine,” the Great Spirit, to accept these gifts for their dead, and then the fire was lighted while all chanted the mourning song. In the museum, one will find pictures of Josie and Betsy, the last of the Oustemahs. Betsy was born on the site of the Nevada City Elementary School. She was a young woman when gold was discovered, and saw the first white men on Deer Creek and the beginnings of Nevada City. The southern Maidus were located squarely in the middle of the gold country and the impact of the gold rush was harder on them than on any of the California tribes. The Nevada City group named themselves the ‘“Oustemahs,” which means “near the town.” They soon learned to search for gold, which brought them hitherto unknown luxuries both in food and dress. Whenever Betsy’s father took her to town, she would cover her face with dirt, so the miners wouldn't steal her. After forty years of American occupation, native life disappeared save for a few religious and ceremonial observances. In the early part of the twentieth century, Betsy and Josie were familiar figures on the Nevada City streets, and often marched in the Fourth of July parades. Betsy, old and blind, was led by her good friend, Josie, wife of Chief Charley. After the walk to town from the Campoodie, they would sit on the edge of the sidewalk to rest their tired bare feet. Merchants had given them shoes, but they would never wear them. They had many friends who gave them food and clothing, and when grasping white men tried to take their land, these friends came to their rescue by procuring a deed for them. Josie left the land for the use of her people. Betsy died in 1923 at the age of 105 years, and Josie died in 1940 at the age of 90. They are buried near Chief Charley on Ragon’s Flat, near the Campoodie. In the museum, visitors will see some of their baskets. A fitting tribute to these Indian women was written by the late Belle Douglas. “Betsy has been a good citizen— has never broken a law or knowingly frightened a child. By her example of cheer and good will and her attitude of good fellowship with her faithful friend and companion, Josie, she teaches us the lesson of friendship and sincerity and on the hearts of many of the good women of Nevada City is imprinted a kindly feeling for—THE LAST OF THE OUSTEMAHS.” (The material for this article was taken from the Museum collection of “Indians of Nevada County” by Miss Genevieve Kent.)