UC Merced Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology Title On the Ethnolinguistic Identity of the Napa Tribe: The Implications of Chief Constancio Occaye's Narratives as Recorded by Lorenzo G. Yates Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3k52g07t Journal Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology, 26(2) ISSN 0191-3557 Author Johnson, John R Publication Date 2006 eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology | Vol. 26, No. 2 (2006) | pp. 193-204 REPORTS On the Ethnolinguistic of foUdore, preserved by Yates, represent some of the only knovra tradhions of the Napa tribe, and are thus highly Identity of the Napa Tribe: sigiuficant for anthropologists mterested m comparative The Implications of oral hterature in Native California. Furthermore, the Chief Constancio Occaye^s native words m these myths suggest that a reappraisal of Narratives as Recorded the ethnohnguistic identhy of the Napa people may be by Lorenzo G. Yates in order. BACKGROUND JOHN R. JOHNSON Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History Lorenzo Gordin Yates (1837-1909) was an English 2559 Puesta del Sol, Santa Barbara, CA 93105 immigrant who came to the United States as a teenager. He became a dentist by profession, but bad a lifelong About 1876, Lorenzo G. Yates interviewed Constancio passion for natural history. Yates moved his famUy from Occaye, described as the last "Chief of the Napas," and Wisconsm to California in 1864 and settled m CentreviUe recorded several items of folklore from his tribe. Yates in Alameda County, which later became a district of included Constancio's recollections about the use of Fremont. FoUowing a research trip to Santa Rosa Island charmstones in his classic article on that subject, but he with Stephen Bowers in 1876, Yates moved to Santa does not appear to have ever published Constancio's Barbara to pursue bis natural history interests in the area account of Napa oral traditions regarding the Land (Benson 1997:15,41-43). Before his death hi 1909, Yates of the Dead, creation, and the acquisition of fire. published a number of articles pertaining to California Anthropologists, although not without some uncertainty, marine moUusks, paleontology, and archaeology (Camp have long considered the Napa tribe to have been of 1963a, 1963b; Coan and Scott 1990). Southern Patwin affiliation. The narratives themselves, While Still living in CentreviUe, Yates became and the native words recorded parenthetically by Yates, acquainted with an elderly Native Californian named appear to be mostly of Coast Miwok derivation, which Constancio, whom be describes as being "Chief of the suggests that a reconsideration of Napa ethnolinguistic Napas." This man is hkely the same individual with a wry identity is in order sense of humor who was mentioned by Steven Powers m 1874: Every now and then, documents come to hght that provide An old chief in Napa VaUey was once peppered with questions about the origins of things by some new information about Cahfomia's native peoples and Americans who appear to think the aborigines knew yet have somehow escaped the attention of interested more touching earthquakes, floods, volcanoes, and scholars, even though they may have resided for many various telluric phenomena than our own scientists. decades in pubhc archives Included among the papers of Turning, he pointed to the mountains, and asked, "You see those mountains?" He was mformed that they saw Lorenzo G. Yates at the Smithsonian Institution's National them. "Well, I'm not so old as they." Then he pointed Anthropological Archives and at the Bancroft Library at to the foot-hills and asked, "You see those foot-hills?" the University of CaUfonua, Berkeley are manuscripts that Again he was informed that they saw them. "WeU," include versions of several San Frandsco Bay Area myths he added with simple gravity, "I'm older than they" [Powers 1874:546-549]. that appear not to have been published previously (Yates n.d., 1888). Yates used only the last section—pertaiiung to Constancio can be readUy identified in the mission charmstones—in a pubhshed article that he wrote on that register databases compUed by RandaU Milliken (2005) topic, m which he summarized original information that he and the Huntmgton Library's Early Cahfomia Population had sent to the Bureau of American Ethnology. These bits Project (2006). His native name was Occaye, and he was 193 194 Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology | Vol, 26, No. 2 (2006) baptized, when he was an estimated seven years old, I met today (July 11,1906) an old Indian man bora on December 1,1814 at Mission San Jose (SJO-B2747). at Napa but who spent the greater part of his hfe at Sonoma and who speaks both Win [HiU Patwin] and Constancio's father, Lamna, and mother, Mutmiit, were Pooewin [Southern Patwin]. He is hving in a Utile baptized the following month and given the Spanish shack by himself on the O'Brien ranch in the hills names Constancio and Constancia (SJO-B2737, B2798). between Sonoma and Petaluma vaUeys and about four miles west from Sonoma. His name is Jim. AU were said to be from the rancheria of Napian (Napa). He told me that the Pooewin did not reach west Some 221 Napa tribal people were baptized at missions to Petaluma Creek but stopped at Sonoma. Sonoma San Jos6 and San Frandsco Asis—as part of the process was the northwest corner of their domain. Thence of incorporating tribes in the Napa and Suisun areas easterly they occupied the north side of the Bay region to Sacramento River, which they foUowed up mto the mission system—between 1810-1822 (Milhken on the west side to Knights Landing. The northern 1978, 1995:248; 2007). In 1841, Constando Occaye boundary of their territory ran from Sonoma to married Bernarda, a woman born at Mission San Jose Tuluka (Napa?) and Ol-ulata (taking in Suscol and in 1821 (SJO-M2457; SJO-B4466). Bernarda's parents Sooesoon [Suisun]) and thence to VacavUle...and Winters and thence to Woodland and on to Knights had been baptized from the Tolenas, whose territory Landing on Sacramento River. To the north of the bordered that of the Napa tribe (SJO-B3160, B3161). Pooewin in Sonoma Valley were the Kanimar'res; Anthropologists have long assumed that the Southern in Napa VaUey, Capay VaUey, and in the hiUs west of Sacramento Valley (west of the River) were the Win, Patwin language prevaUed hi the territory occupied by which he calls Wi'-kam (after an old chief) and also the Napas and the Tolenas (Barrett 1908a; Bennyhoff Nan'-noo-ta'-we. The Poo'e-win name for the Win 1977:164; Johnson 1978; Kroeber 1925, 1932; Milliken tribe is Too-loos-too-e.... 1995,2007; Powers 1874). Nap-pah and Too-loo'-kah [Tuluka] were names of rancherias near together hi the Napa Valley. Too- loo'-kah was a short distance southeast of Napa [Merriam 1967:271]. THE QUESTION OF NAPA ETHNOLINGUISTIC IDENTITY Another "Poo'-e-whi" consultant, a Sonoma Indian The Napa Indians (Fig. 1) have been considered to be named Phillip, gave Merriam a similar description of of Southern Patwin affihation ever since Gibbs (1853) Southern Patwin territory and Ukewise differentiated and Taylor (1860) made claims to this effect, and an 1874 the Napa people from the "Poo'-e-win," stating that article by Powers further estabhshed this identity in the they spoke the "Too-loos'-too-e" language extending anthropological hterature: from Suscol up to Napa. Merriam commented that the Antonio, Chief of the Chemposels [a Hill Patwin "Too-loos'-too-e, I am told by another informant [the tribe on Cache Creek]—a very mteUigent and well- above-mentioned Jhn] were Win" (Merriam 1967:270). traveled Indian—gave me the following geographical Despite the fact that his consultants had both clahned statement, which I found correct, so far as I went: In Long, Bear, and Cortina valleys, ah along the that the Napa people spoke Hill Patwin, Merriam Sacramento, from Jacinto to Suisun inclusive, on differentiated the "Nap'pah" tribe from both the "Poo- Cache and Puta creeks, and in Napa VaUey, the same e-win" (Southern Patwhi) and the "Wm" (HiU Patwm) language is spoken, which any Indian of this nation can divisions on his map of the "Distribution of tribes of the understand throughout. Strangely, too, the Patween language laps over the Sacramento, reaching in a very Wintoon Stock" (Merriam 1966:76). He recorded his narrow belt along the east side, from a point a few own doubts about whether the original mhabitants of the miles below the mouth of Stony Creek, down nearly area were speakers of a Patwm language, statmg, "Is it to the mouth of Feather River. In the head of Napa not possible that the Too-loos'-too-e or Whi or Too'-loo'- Valley, from Calistoga Hot Springs to the Geysers, inclusive, are the Ashochemies (Wappos), a separate kah rancheria just east of Napa River was brought there tribe; and in Pope and Coyote VaUeys was spoken stiU by Spaniards?" (Meniam 1967:270). another language [Powers 1874:542]. In his classic study of the ethnogeography of tribal C. Hart Merriam also collected data to suggest peoples in north-central California, Samuel Barrett that speakers of a Patwhi language resided m the lower summarized information he had obtained from his native Napa VaUey: consultants and from earher sources: REPORT I On the Ethnolinguistic Identity of the Napa Tribe: The Implications of Chief Constancio Occaye's Narratives as Recorded by Lorenzo G. Yates | Jolinson 195 Figure 1. IVibes of the Napa Vicinity and Ethnolinguistic Group Distributions in the San FVancisco Bay Region (based on Bennyhoff 1977, with some revisions from Milliken 1995).