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Collection: Books and Periodicals
A Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California (1891) (713 pages)
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Page: of 713
54 ' HISTORY OF NORTHERN OALIFORNIA.
The acorns of the scrub white-oak growing
on the hills could be eaten either raw or roastedand either fresh or dried; while the long souroak acorns found along the streams were cooked
with other articles for their more substantial
food. The acorns were gathered in the fall and
placed in bins kept in dry places during the
rainy season. These bins were made from tough
weeds growing in the river bottoms. In preparing these acorns for food, they ground them
into meal in crudely made stone mortars. To
rid this meal of the tannin, they poured it intoa
hollow place in the dry, white sand to the depth
of half or three-fourths of an inch. Tufts of
grass or small willow branches were laid on one
side of this sand-pan and water was then carefully poured through this, so that it would
spread gently over the meal and soak through
it without mixing it with the sand. The flour
was kept covered with water for several hours,
and thus most of the tannin would be soaked
out and carried off, the sand being discolored
with the astringent principle. Although some
sand would in this manner be mixed with the
dough, it did not seem to interfere with digestion. In modern times they have improved
npon this method by using cloth instead of
sand.
A hole was then dug in the ground and
heated, and at the same time several rocks
would be heated also. The ashes were then
brushed out, a layer of sycamore leaves put in
for the “ bread-pan,” and on this was placed the
dough, with a hot rock in its center. More
leaves were placed over it, and the fre renewed
and replenished. The next day, when cold, the
baked acorn bread was taken ont ready for use.
In this state it resembled somewhat a bladder
of putty, and perhaps was not more digestible.
Grasshoppers, a favorite article of food, were
more palatable and far more digestible. Clover
was eaten raw in the spring time, and had a
beneficial effect.
The wild pea-vines were gathered in immense
quantities when young and tender. By laying
elder sticks against the side of the basket, and
extending beyond the opening, the squaw was
enabled to carry nearly a cart load of the light
growth. To prepare these for eating they
steamed them for a day in the heated hole, and
with rocks beat them up into a plastic shape
upon an inclined plain, made this mass into
cakes with holes in the center, and placed them
out to dry.
For meat they would of course eat the flesh .
of any animal they could catch, using the bow
and arrow for the larger animals and snares for
the smaller. Large tish they would spear and
the small they would scoop up with dip-nets, a
man at each of the four corners of the net.
Beads of ocean-shells were the standard of all
values. Most tribes were never guitly of
theft.
When an Indian died he was wrapped up
with twine into a round ball, his head thrust
down between his legs, and was thus rolled into
a hole at the rancheria, and buried with a quantity of acorns to last him on his journey to the
other.world. Ifa woman died who had a child
not large enough to gather its own acorns, it
was always buried alive with its mother! The
Indians were strong believers in ghosts and
were much afraid of them.
INDIAN TROUBLES.
While on the subject of Indians we may as
well give here on account of some of the principal Indian troubles. :
The Shasta tribe occupied Shasta and Scott
valleys and Klamath River. They were closely
related to the Rogue River tribe, and until a
few years before the settlement of this region
were a portion of the same tribe, but had become separated into factions by the death of the
head chief. The Scott Valley factions was
headed by Tyee Jolin, son of the old head chief’;
at Yreka, old Tolo, always a firm friend of the
whites; and each of the other factions also had
its chief. ‘The trne names of these chiets were
seldom known to the whites, who called them
Sam, John or Bill, or named thei in accordance
with some physical peculiarity or some occur-