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Notes on the Southern Maidu

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Notes on the Southern Maidu NOTES ON THE SOUTHERN MAIDU BY PAUL-LOUIS FAYE . NOTES ON THE SOUTHERN MAIDU PAUL-LOUIS FAYE The following notes were obtained at Berkeley in November, 1919, from William Joseph, a mixed-blood Maidu visiting the University. The Northern Maidu have been described in some detail by Dixon,' but there is little on record about the Southern Maidu beyond Powers' impressionistic chapters on the. Nishinam.2 Joseph's mother was from Amador county in the vicinity of Plymouth and Forest Home, and his statements may therefore be taken as referring specially to the most southerly of the Maidu in the lower foothill zone. He him- self has spent most of his life in other districts, chiefly in association with whites, Miwok Indians, and emigrated Maidu. BIRTH CUSTOMS The woman was helped in her throes by pressure on the side. A rope, on which she could pull to ease herself, was also provided. Women "pressed" her and the same service was rendered to her by young men, " boys of good heart, " who walked behind her (as I under- stood it), clasping their arms in front. The cradle was never made before the child was born. Many children were born dead. The birth of twins was an infrequent occurrence. Certain precautions were to be observed by the mother for a few days after childbirth. She must be careful not to let any cold air strike her; she must not eat salt or meat; no cold water should touch her. She was to sleep seated for about sixteen days. If two children were nursed by the same mother, each had his separate breast. When the navel string was cut it was left about two inches long; the father or the mother spat upon the stub. New- born children were never suckled at once, but on about the second day after birth. Then the people would hold a big feast to which all the family and friends of the family were invited. At the feast only one name, which was always the name of an old relative, was given ' Bull. Am. Mus. Natural History, xvii, 119-346, 1906. 2 Contributions to N. A. Ethnology, iII, ch. 31-32, pp. 313-345, 1877. 36 University of California Publications in Arm Arch. and Ethn. [Vol. 20 to the child. If all the names of dead relatives of the newborn child had been previously exhausted, then an intimate friend of the family might permit the use of his family record. Mothers allowed their children t'o nurse till they were fQur or five years old. They wean them now when two or three years old. After weaning, the child was fed acorn soup and then meat. MARRIAGE CUSTOMS In the olden days the parents did the choosing. The boy's father gave away shell-money or other valuables such as blankets. The girl's parents reciprocated in baskets or other property. It was customary, however, for the girl's father to receive more than the boy's father. This exchange of gifts continued for about six months.' At the end of six months the boy visited the girl's home. The parents of the boy told the parents of the girl to make down the bed, after which the bride and bridegroom retired. This sufficed for the marriage cere- mony. A big feast, called nimpiel, lasting from five to six days, was then held. Immediately after the feast the husband took up his residence with his wife's parents for a period lasting a year or more. The son- in-law was expected to hunt for the family. After a year had passed, he might take his wife away to another home. When choosing a husband for their daughter, the parents would consider smartness in the young man a more desirable quality than physical beauty. A man who had the reputation of being mukuk, lazy, stood little chance of getting a good wife. Frequently a girl, before she was nubile, was given to a man, not necessarily a young man, who would take care of her and "spend property" on her. Then he would marry her; nobody else was eligible. The proper age for a girl to marry was about fourteen or fifteen years old. The same age generally obtained in the case of boys. Old maids were scarce. The informant knows of one woman, about thirty years old, who has failed to marry. She is not bad-looking and cannot be reproached, in fact, in any respect. He attributes her remaining a spinster to a love spite. When a man in a war party captured a woman he might make her his wife. He might also give her to a friend to become his wife. She was respected the same as a Maidu woman, -and after she learned to speak Maidu became one of them. 1923] Faye: Notes on the Southern Maidu 37 It took from about six months to a year to woo a girl. If a man was not accepted within this time he would drop his suit. A girl who refused to marry a man after having "led him on" might expect to die by magic. See "Magic." When a man wanted to marry a widow he asked her directly, but a young man ascertained whether or not a girl was willing to marry him through her parents. In case of unfaithfulness on the part of the wife, if there were children the husband went away leaving all the property to her that she might continue to provide for them. In olden times it was the custom to kill both the woman and her lover. They always killed the woman first because, they said, if she had not made advances the man would not have bothered her. DEATH CUSTOMS Cremation was the mode of burial. A pyre was built with a deposit of pitch in the center. Any kind of wood would do. A long pole was used "to scrape off the flesh." In the old days all the property belonging to the deceased, " except his wife and children," was burned with him. The relatives of the dead man danced around his wife and sang a special song while the burning went on. All the people present took part in the singing and cried. A sort of obituary extolling the deeds performed by the deceased was made. The body must be held until all the friends of the deceased had been notified and had seen his remains. Should a man fail to receive notice, he would be haunted by the spirit of his departed friend, but the spirit might be pacified if, though notified, for some reason or other he failed to come. When the singing was over, wormwood ('?) and water were used to quench the fire. They would let it lie through the night, then come in the morning to remove the ashes. The task of scooping out the ashes devolved upon a man who was not one of the deceased's rela- tives. That man was not to eat salt or meat for four days after having handled the ashes. He had to put them in a basket which was buried in earth perhaps three feet deep. A burial basket had to be shaped like a jug, though it does not appear from the informant's statement that the shape was exclusively characteristic of burial baskets. The widow used to bedaub herself, hair and face, with a mixture of pitch and acorn black. She would not rub it off for six months. 38 University of California Publications in Am. Arch. and Ethn. [Vol. 20 Sometimes a man would blacken his face when his wife died, but not often. The custom today is for women to cut their hair as a sign of grief. All the relatives of the woman must do so, too. When a woman died with a child at her breast, the people would break the child's neck and put him with his mother in the grave. The widow had to wait from six months to one year before she could marry again. It might be that if a child was born to her within a year after her husband's demise she did not have to wait the full term. The name of a dead person was not to be pronounced before rela- tives or they would show fight. Later the taboo was partially removed -the event, at least, could be mentioned. The deceased might be spoken of though his real name would be withheld. DRESS Woven rabbit-skin blankets were worn. Nets were used to trap the rabbits, and only those who trapped rabbits had blankets. It has not been ascertained whether the limitation implied by this statement was of an economic or conventional character. The latter would have excluded rabbit-skin blankets from among the articles of trade. MUSICAI INSTRUMENTS Four musical instruments were described. Only three of these truly deserve this appellation as the fourth instrument given in our list had no other rhythmic possibilities than a rattling noise such as might help dancers in keeping time. 1. Lulok, flute (6?), played on the side of the mouth. 2. A flute provided with four holes and made of elder wood. "They imitate a song with it. " 3. Musical bow. This instrument was played with the mouth. "It had a key on the end. "3 It was played only by the medicine men. 4. Wadada', split stick. This instrument was made of elder wood and used as a clapper. 3 This is the recent form due to Spanish influence.
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