Volume 032-4 - October 1978 (8 pages)

commonly eaten fresh or stored for later use. Roots, bulbs, nuts, berries, leaves, stalks and other parts of a wide range of plants were eaten. Bitter constituents of such foods as acorns and buckeyes were leached by grinding e nut and rinsing it with clear water. Processed plant materials were usually eaten raw, baked in an earthen oven, or boiled in baskets by the stone boiling technique. Heated stones from a fire were dr ed into the baskets which contained water and food. The stones were stirred to prevent scorching or burning of the basket. As the stones cooled they were replaced until the cooking was complete (Simpson 1977). Flour from acorns, buckeye, pine nuts, seeds, or other hard materials was produced by grinding. Mortars in bedrock exposures were commonly used by the Nisenan, primarily for acorn processing. Hard seeds were more commonly ground with the mano and metate. Nisenan and Washo women knew about and used both grinding techniques, the bedrock predominating on the western Sierra and the mano/metate on the east slope. Gathering, grinding, and cooking were essentially female activities. A sensitive and insightful examination of Nisenan acorn technology and mythology is to be found in Simpson (1977). The normal life cycle for the Nisenan and Washo was largely one of known routine and moderation. Most undoubtedly spent their entire lifetime within the group territory, traveling e™ong known paths into differing arby areas for food, trade, or social .therings. It would seem that the -asho traveled greater distances in the pattern of their yearly round than the more sedentary Nisenan, although the latter would journey both up and down the western slope of the Sierra. Travel was on foot, burdens carried in conical baskets or animal skins. Although travel was principally along the banks of water courses, cross country trips were also taken. Birth, name giving, sexual maturity, marriage, and death were recognized by variable ceremonies and customs. Names were often taken from relatives who had been dead for at least a year (Beals 1933). Marriage was usually by purchase or gift exchange. Monogamy was the pattern for most, while a headman or other important man might have several wives. The newly married couple often moved to the village of the groom’s family. Divorce was available. Disposal of the dead was by cremation for both the Nisenan and the Washo. Burial was an older custom. Annual ceremonies to honor the dead were practiced by the Nisenan (Foley Sierra Co. kept, replaced primarily by English words. Truckee, the only important Indian name still used in the county, refers to a Paiute who guided early emigrants into the area. Nevada County has a long history of human occupation, but investigators are only beginning to study its native inhabitants in depth. Much work still needs to be done and modern residents and visitors must recognize their obligation to the cultural legacy of the county. Vandalism and destruction of Indian sites limits our ability to study and understand a lifestyle which flourished in Nevada County for over three thousand years. The most characteristic evidence of prehistoric human activity in Nevada County is the stone tools made and used by the early Indian peoples. Stone tools were basically manufactured by two techniques, flaking or grinding. Wood and bone were also used for tools, 1953). At these ceremonies, often held in the fall, individuals manifested their sense of grief and loss by burning goods in honor of the dead (Kroeber 1925). Ghosts were greatly feared and their spirits placated. Cremation and mourning sites are occasionally discovered, primarily in western Nevada County. These sites are of extreme sensitivity and importance to Indian people and must not be vandalized for legal, moral, and ethical reasons. The arrival of Euro-Americans in the 1840’s effectively destroyed the cultural patterns of the Nevada County Nisenan and Washo and little remains to document their traditions. Physical evidence of their passage may be found in the numerous campsites, mortars, petroglyphs, and hunting blinds scattered throughout their original homelands. Native names for specific locations and features have not been gugaunes Placer Co. orups however the perishable nature of these materials has limited their survival. Surely the most commonly found tool is the flaked projectile point, often called an arrowhead. The actual use of such objects varied. They may have served as arrow, atlatl dart, or spear points, knife blades, drills, or scrapers. Whatever the function, flaked stone tools were primarily manufactured by males and while most men knew the necessary techniques apparently some men excelled and produced points for others (Beals 1933). Basalt, because it was locally available, was the most frequently utilized lithic (stone) material for flaked tools. Additional lithie materials were also flaked, including petrified wood and other finely grained materials. Obsidien was imported into the county by trade. The manufacture of flaked projectile points required several steps. First, a flake would be detached 29.

commonly eaten fresh or stored for later use. Roots, bulbs, nuts, berries, leaves, stalks and other parts of a wide range of plants were eaten. Bitter constituents of such foods as acorns and buckeyes were leached by grinding e nut and rinsing it with clear water. Processed plant materials were usually eaten raw, baked in an earthen oven, or boiled in baskets by the stone boiling technique. Heated stones from a fire were dr ed into the baskets which contained water and food. The stones were stirred to prevent scorching or burning of the basket. As the stones cooled they were replaced until the cooking was complete (Simpson 1977). Flour from acorns, buckeye, pine nuts, seeds, or other hard materials was produced by grinding. Mortars in bedrock exposures were commonly used by the Nisenan, primarily for acorn processing. Hard seeds were more commonly ground with the mano and metate. Nisenan and Washo women knew about and used both grinding techniques, the bedrock predominating on the western Sierra and the mano/metate on the east slope. Gathering, grinding, and cooking were essentially female activities. A sensitive and insightful examination of Nisenan acorn technology and mythology is to be found in Simpson (1977). The normal life cycle for the Nisenan and Washo was largely one of known routine and moderation. Most undoubtedly spent their entire lifetime within the group territory, traveling e™ong known paths into differing arby areas for food, trade, or social .therings. It would seem that the -asho traveled greater distances in the pattern of their yearly round than the more sedentary Nisenan, although the latter would journey both up and down the western slope of the Sierra. Travel was on foot, burdens carried in conical baskets or animal skins. Although travel was principally along the banks of water courses, cross country trips were also taken. Birth, name giving, sexual maturity, marriage, and death were recognized by variable ceremonies and customs. Names were often taken from relatives who had been dead for at least a year (Beals 1933). Marriage was usually by purchase or gift exchange. Monogamy was the pattern for most, while a headman or other important man might have several wives. The newly married couple often moved to the village of the groom’s family. Divorce was available. Disposal of the dead was by cremation for both the Nisenan and the Washo. Burial was an older custom. Annual ceremonies to honor the dead were practiced by the Nisenan (Foley Sierra Co. kept, replaced primarily by English words. Truckee, the only important Indian name still used in the county,

refers to a Paiute who guided early emigrants into the area. Nevada County has a long history of human occupation, but investigators are only beginning to study its native inhabitants in depth. Much work still needs to be done and modern residents and visitors must recognize their obligation to the cultural legacy of the county. Vandalism and destruction of Indian sites limits our ability to study and understand a lifestyle which flourished in Nevada County for over three thousand years. The most characteristic evidence of prehistoric human activity in Nevada County is the stone tools made and used by the early Indian peoples. Stone tools were basically manufactured by two techniques, flaking or grinding. Wood and bone were also used for tools, 1953). At these ceremonies, often held in the fall, individuals manifested their sense of grief and loss by burning goods in honor of the dead (Kroeber 1925). Ghosts were greatly feared and their spirits placated. Cremation and mourning sites are occasionally discovered, primarily in western Nevada County. These sites are of extreme sensitivity and importance to Indian people and must not be vandalized for legal, moral, and ethical reasons. The arrival of Euro-Americans in the 1840’s effectively destroyed the cultural patterns of the Nevada County Nisenan and Washo and little remains to document their traditions. Physical evidence of their passage may be found in the numerous campsites, mortars, petroglyphs, and hunting blinds scattered throughout their original homelands. Native names for specific locations and features have not been gugaunes Placer Co. orups however the perishable nature of these materials has limited their survival. Surely the most commonly found tool is the flaked projectile point, often called an arrowhead. The actual use of such objects varied. They may have served as arrow, atlatl dart, or spear points, knife blades, drills, or scrapers. Whatever the function, flaked stone tools were primarily manufactured by males and while most men knew the necessary techniques apparently some men excelled and produced points for others (Beals 1933). Basalt, because it was locally available, was the most frequently utilized lithic (stone) material for flaked tools. Additional lithie materials were also flaked, including petrified wood and other finely grained materials. Obsidien was imported into the county by trade. The manufacture of flaked projectile points required several steps. First, a flake would be detached 29.