SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETH-NOLOGY BULLETIN 78 HANDBOOK OF THE INDIANS OF CALIFORNIA BY A. L. KROEBER WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1925 r__ I KROmBBa] HAN] The speech of th, remote origin. Th such, their ultimat( and no less than th Pomo, and others. CH1APrER 23. are concerned, is I other side of the Sa THE YANA AND YAHI. and Atsugewi. It I since it has entireb THE YANA: Origin, 336; men's and women's speech, 337; territory, 337; divi- 1lokan idioms, and ] sions, 338; designations and numbers, 339; character of customs, 340. THE that on the chart YAHI: History, 341; rediscovery, 343; the last survivor, 343; a native map, 344; Yahi geographical knowledge, 345. looks like the end Hokans-Shasta, At THE YANA. a coastwise distribu Ponio, ORIGIN. Chimariko, Yana were once neil The Yana are a people of fairly extensive territory but rather from them as the gr restricted numbers, concerning whom little general information has Sacramento Valley. been extant, but to whom mystery of some kind has usually been all Californians nortj made to attach. They were reputed of a marked physical type; their been created in their speech was not only distinctive but abnormally peculiar; in military prowess and cunning they far outshone all their neighbors; they had perhaps come from the far east. As usual, there is a thin sedi- Yana speech shows ment of fact to these fancies. tially civilizational I As regards physical type, no measurements are available. Re- dium, must be mentior port makes the Yana shorter than their neighbors, and an allusion spoke the women's foi in one of their myths appears to attribute the same conviction to spoke female. The d themselves. But they certainly are not racially anomalous to any disconcert one not th, notable degree. The few scattered survivors would pass as normal suffix is clipped by among any group m of north central California. "person," becomes ya Their warlike reputation may be due partly to the resistance auna, "fire," and han offered to the whites by one or two of their bands. But whether a mortar, personified the cause of this was actually a superior energy and courage or an considered male, kemp unusual exasperation aided by a rough, still thinly populated, and analogous, though essc easily defensible habitat is more doubtful. That they were feared ment of diverse roots by certain of their neighbors, such as the Maidu, argues them a formed by men or woi hungering body of mountaineers rather than a superior stock. The The spring of these rei hill dweller has less to lose by fighting than the wealthy lowlander. He is also less exposed, and in time of need has better and more numerous refuges available. All through California the plains The Yana were surr peoples were the more peaceably inclined, although the stronger in Maidu, and the Wintu numbers: the difference is one of situation reflected in culture, not on of inborn quality. which they are said on the south; that, is, in 336 side of Rock Creek. I KtEBtIF:B:B HANDBOOK OF INDIANS OF CALIFORNIA 337 The speech of the Yana disposes definitely of all theories of their remote origin. They are members of the great Hokan family. As such, their ultimate source may have been southerly; but no more and no less than that of the Achomawi, the Shasta, the Karok, the Pomo, and others. Their language, so far as its sounds and words are concerned, is perhaps somewhat nearer to the Pomo on the other side of the Sacramento Valley than to the adjacent Achomawi and Atsugewi. It has, however, certainly been long differentiated, since it has entirely lost the prefixes that are found in all other 1, 337; territory, 337; divi- Ilokan idioms, and has become a suffixing tongue. It may be added -acter of customsr, 340. THE that on the chart (see P1. 1, inset; and Fig. 17) Yana territory survivor, 343; a native map, looks like the end of a, reflex curling movement of the interior Hokans-Shasta, Achomawi, and Yana-from the northern end of a coastwise distribution that begins in Mexico and ends with the Porno, Chimariko, and Karok. It is, however, possible that the Yana were once neighbors of the Pomo and became pushed apart from them as the great block of Penutians drifted up or down the ive territory but rather Sacramento Valley. Yana tradition is silent on these questions. Like information has general all Californians north of Tehachapi, they believe themselves to have e kind has usually been been created in their historic seats. rked physical type; their Lily peculiar; in military MEN'S AND WOMEN 'S SPEECH. 11 their neighbors; they ,ual, there is a thin sedi- Yana speech shows one extreme peculiarity, which, as an essen- tially civilizational phenomenon expressed through linguistic me- ents are available. Re- dium, must be mentioned: The talk of men and women differed. Men Lighbors, and an allusion spoke the women's forms when conversing with them; women always ^ the same conviction to spoke female. The differences are not very great, but sufficient to Lcially anomalous to any disconcert one not thoroughly familar with the tongue. Usually a rs would pass as normal suffix is clipped by women from the full male form. Thus yoina, a. "person," becomes ya in the mouth or in the hearing of a woman; partly to the resistance auna, "fire," and hana, " water," become auuh and hah. Similarly eir bands. But whether a mortar, personified and addressed, would be called keman-'na if nergy and courage or an considered male, keman-yi if thought of as a woman. Somewhat ill thinly populated, and analogous, though essentially a distinct phenomenon, is the employ- That they were feared ment of diverse roots to denote an action respectively as it is per- e Maidu, argues them a formed by men or women: ni, " a male goes," ha,, " a female goes." an a superior stock. The The spring of these remarkable phenomena is unknown. tn the wealthy lowlander. TERRITORY. Leed has better and more ,h California the plains The Yana were surrounded by the Achomawi and Atsugewi, the although the stronger in Maidu, and the Wintun. Their holdings stretched from Pit River. a reflected in culture, not on which they are said to have fronted for a distance, to Rock Creek on the south; that. is, more probably, to the ridge on one or the other side of Rock Creek. In general, they ranged from the edge of the -- Mdbb- M- BUREAU OF 338 AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY LBULL. 78 ICROMBF:] HTAND upper Sacramento Valley along the eastern tributaries of the Sacra- called Gari'i. the cen mento itself to their headwaters in the watershed beyond which the it may have been ii drainage flows north and south instead of westward. The summit which the name " Ya of this divide, and the greatest landmark of the Yana country, was Yana in the mouths i the ancient volcanic peak of Mount Lassen. recently active once recent history being more: Yana Wahganupa, literally " little Mount Shasta " (Wahgalu). sions, it will be trea Here the territory of two of the four Yana divisions met that of the designations here ap Atsugewi and of the mountain Maidu. The whole of the Sacra- " southern " one not mento Valley in Yana latitude, east as well as west of the river, was recognition of the Y had become establish ern, central, and so, itably cause future c The northern group hi gomery Creek into Pit F Creek. The northern I Atsugewi. The Central Yana he Little Cow, Oak Run, c To these must be added territory shown in Figu Squaw Creek, may have The southern Yana liv Creeks and one or two The Yahi held the cou The Yana to-day a resident whites as No a Wintun source is lil by this word the Y all divisions of the st Sukoni-ya was a r Fic. 30.-Yana territory, northern part. Settlements are shown by squares; alien groups easterners: the more i in dotted lines. Unbracketed names are Yana designations. haps also the Northei Wintun. Yana land began with the foothills. In their lowest An average of 300 courses through these hills the streams often flow in narrow canyons; stock, seems a libert toward their source the beds are deep and rugged. Most of the To-day the two nor Yana settlements were therefore in a middle belt. Those that are can muster less than most accullately known and located are shown in Figure 30. In gen- tered. The Yana as eral, Yana country was a broken and endlessly ridged and furrowed whites in the first 20 land, timbered in part. mostly covered waith brusll, rocky, and hard sacres, and have nevg of soil. None of the adjacent DIVISIONS. possibly the Shasta ratio. The Yana comprised four dialectic divisions, but the speech of the Near the central Yana niost divergent was largely intelligible. The northern dialect was was a saline swamp. T ANOLOGY [BULL. 78 1:ROIBBR O HANDBOOK OF INDIANS OF CALIFORNIA 339 [ tributaries of the Sacra- called Gari'i. the central one Gata'i. The southern dialect is extinct: tershed beyond which the it may have been included in Gata'i. Beyond it was another, to ' westward. The summit which the name " Yahi " may be given, that being the term replacing )f the Yana country, was Yana in the mouths of its speakers. This division is also extinct. Its sen. recently active once recent history being a different one from that of the three other divi- ount Shasta" (Wahgalu).