Village of our Friends

The following data is extracted from Indians of Upper California, Wrangell's trip through the Russian River Valley, 1834.

I wished to see the village of our friends; they hurried to inform their relatives of our visit and then led us about ten versts, walking ahead with such easiness and to the view (eye) imperceptible swiftness, that to follow their steps, we were obliged to follow them on horseback trotting. Behind bushes and dried up channels, we found on sandy ground the village of the native Americans. They consisted of from 5 to 6 families, interrelated between themselves. From white water willow's rods, put in the ground, the wives of these savages had built their temporary asylum or place of refuge. With such a taste, which astonished me in a very agreeable manner, the leaves of several shades and size of the willows, which are found here in great variety, gave a joyful view and rural simplicity from the opening to the top hut, and the opening for entering was trimmed with branches, with special care; several huts were aired by interior openings. The leafes were yet preserved in all their freshness, but before they are dried up, the inhabitants leave the huts, the women take the little children (infants), and utensils on their backs, and carry them by sustaining the burden from the forehead by means of straps. The men show the new place and order is again (anew) created, so that after a few days these huts can be abandoned.
The women and old men were taken by surprise and fear by our appearance, and seemingly desired that we would leave them in peace. However, all were kind and showed in detail the property of their poor husbandry. In a few baskets were preserved the supply of dough from pounded acorns, thin gruel from the grains of wild rye, and other herbs, and fish caught in the rivulet. The savages catch the fish, by strewing on the water a powder, received from a root, called here Soap Root, from which the fish becomes insensible, and floats up to the surface of the water. The game hunting belongs as a matter of business to the men, but weaving, sewing, and thread making, as also all hard or difficult labours are put on the women. To this division of obligations, probably we must describe the curious phenomenon that the wives of the native Americans generally are stronger built than the men, who are of fine stature, and a well proportioned system of all their members.
The Indians told us that during the summer season, neither the fogs or rains did disturb the constant cleaness of the sky in these valleys. The air was always mild, and changing very little. But in the winter the rains are pouring down, the Slavianka steps out of her shores, and overflows all the lower plains and places and gives them new force and strength for vegetation. The forests here principally consists of oak of three kinds, laurel or bay tree, red or ash tree, and a tree called at Ross wormwood tree, but which is the real strawberry (erdbeerenbaum in German). Grass is here very varying and fragrant, of the animals we saw wild Goats the glutton, and jackal, but there is no doubt that here are found all the same animals which are naturally to all upper California.
By these informations our short acquaintance with the wild inhabitants of the plains of the Rivulet were limited. But in the settlement of Ross I had occasion to see them often and therefore it will be permitted to me to express here some opinion, received from this people and the very county they inhabited made upon me.
By the direction of the mountains, rivers, positions of the Lakes, and similar natural boundaries has been formed a separate natural bound. All over upper California, inhabited by savages, differing in their languages, and maybe in their origin, though the character of the climate and the productions of the country, the manner of living and the same step or level of children, on which all these tribes are yet found, justifies the probability of the supposition, that in their customs, manners, and characters there must be remarked a mutual similarity. The Bodega American Indians with difficulty understand the language of those, who live on the plains of the river Slavianka, and the Savages who are living to the North of Ross, do not at all understand them. Behind the first chain of hills surrounding the plains from the Eastern side are roving or rambling other tribes, unknown to all others, and in one Mission San Carlos (about Monterey) there are counted eleven tribes of American Indians, speaking so many different languages, brought there from the surroundings.

Source: Indians of Upper California, Wrangell's trip through the Russian River Valley, 1834

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