Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1850-08-17
THE INDIANS OF CALIFORNIA.

From TIE sAcRAAESTo rRAHscRIPr or JUsE 80
Fears sometimes expressed that difficulties may
tnue with the Indians in this country until general and
ganzsd system Of hostiies be wsgsd again& These
fears be increased in the States where the cond
ton Of things here not understood hence deem
our duty TO place such facts before the public a. we have
been able to gather 10 regard to the probabilities in the
matter.
The abOrgines Of California perhaps ths most feeble,
and incapable of carrying formidable system of warfare
Of any Of the North American Indians Certain It is they
have shown any Of that skill and holiness that have
characterized the Indians In other portions Of the continent
ever since its discovery They different in their mode Of
fe imperfect in their physical development, and in
whatever light we view them noriy to most Of the Indian
stamped upon their character They have existed in
this country without any evidence Of nationality without
establishing boundaries without claiming right even in the
soil, with little knowledge properly Of any kind and
in fact disorgsnized though distinct people.
Game. although sbounding in the country has never SO
for have been able to learn constituted any considers
BILE part Of their Diet for the only apparent that il is
too much trouble to kill and prepare il for food With their
rude weapons and implements Thus what the great West
ern tribes glory in the California Indians indolsnt
scarce to attempt. +; 4 lg 4rs ssfs3, .
TO give idea Of this people, will be necessary
to enter somewhat into particulars In the session.
they lead rowing life. and found in greatest numbers
along the borders Of the western side Of the Sierra Nevada
In these regions they find berries grapes seeds acons
ous kinds Of roots and insects ON which they principally
.ubss The rank heritage and grasses that spring up dur
ing the latter par. Of the rainy season. and maturity
IN summer wher and die the surface Of the earth during
the latter part Of the dry season, and Of grashoppsr
large and fat abound among it. The Indsns Gre to this
dried up vegetable matter when The wind il favorable ana
burn over whole districts the srssshoppsn escape
their wings burned off and after the fire has consumed
the grass the burnt district covered with the eless bodies
Of these insects Then comes the Indians harvest Their
food all around them cooked and ready for eating. With
their bows and arrows, they sometimes kill es, deer hares
DC; but as before remarked they manifest, people, but
little taste skill for hunting. In the proper seasons they
manage BY means Of wooden spears Of their msnufac-
ture, catch fish from the numerous streams Of the Sac-
mento and San joaquin valleys and it Is sad that they
manifest more skill in taking fish than in any other as.o
They called Digger Indians from the nature Of their
habitaons, which constructed in the following manner
circular hole dug in the earth, say three four feet
deep, and from to twenty feet in diameter over the top
Of which poles laid in archng FORM and covered t
with email sticks and weeds and then with earth and green
sods small opening in the centre Of the roof Is left for
the Of smoke and on one side door Way just large
enough admit mans feet first, which serves also as
window In these cellars the natives are buried though the
winter, in the most filthy and disgusting condition. Some
contend that there class Of mountain Indians in Caor
MIA different in their habits from the Just described WA
ter making extensive inquiry, in which we have consulted
gentlemen who have spent years in Oregon and Caorpa,
we have come 10 the conclusion that the natives Of the
Sierra Nevada arc all the class Of beings. II isfue
they do not all burrow every winter, but this Of
chance We have yet to learn that any of the Indian
can be found this side of Oregon who ever build any thing
like comfortable wgwams to shelter them from the weather
We have been assured by who have been the noun
regions that the natives there evidently the class
that found in the Valleys and that during most nce
ment one half Of them in Of almost COM
pee nudity In the mountains in the valleys they chiefly
subsst through the long rainy These are
gathered in the latter part Of auumn dried and slowed
away large recsptacs shove ground formed Of sort Of
wckerwo in the shape Of hogshead and containing some
times several hundred bushels Through them the air ccu
ae and the acons become dry and hard To prepare the
acorns for food the Indians pound them powder with
stones and then make pasy sruel and sometimes sort Of
bread. Such some Of their hnbits. @ tlR
Further evidence Of the mbeciy of this people appears
from the fact that they lack that feeling Of independence
elsewhere prominent trait in the Indian character Before
the discovery Of gold, customary among the few in
this country who cultivated the soil to keep roves Of the
natives around them to do their labor When the first ope-
raiions were commenced in the diggngs the Indians we're
employed for the consideration Of few most patry trHe
to perform the heavy hbors Of mining. To get together
sufficient number, few whites would 90 the places fire.
quented by them and drive away many they chose.
The influx of Strangers since the discovery Of gold has
been great that the quiet Of the has been disturbed
new order of things has commanded to which they will
not or cannot adapt themselves; still their old customs have
been in some measure broken up The whites have intro
duced into their midst what to them Injuries which they
have been accustomed take Of BY stealth or
robbery, whenever opportunity presents ITSELF Their rights
have not always been respected in many instances abuses
nave been pactsed upon them and from these facts
TO see the Of much trouble. mutual hatred exists
between them and the mining community and their charac
tiers different that this feeling hardly be eradcated
from either party Where that hostile feeling exists one
party the other must prevail until the weaker psry be.
comes extinct is,.g4 g.. ag
We will now take hasy glance this people they have
conducted themselves in war; citing few instances IN the
winter OF ls4S49 the people in the vicinity Of Suffers fort
often received accounts Of Indian depredaons in the north
and some time in February, about thirty murders committed
by them various occasions had been heard from. The
victims principally Oregonians In the latter part of
February l849, company of about sixty horse and foot
left Suffers fort to cbastse the Indians They took the d.
recon of Suffers mill Culoms and the Indians fed be-
fore them. Some Of the mounted overlook the natives
and several were killed while trying escape. quantity of
| stolen property recovered in this expedition.
Further depredatons committed and few weeks
after another company Of about twenty whites left The region
Of Cuoma and followed the Indians their encampnen
Suffers mill between and three hundred Indians sort
Of trial given to thsm after which thirty OF their num-
Der shot, The rest released From that time very
little trouble had with the Indians in the northern mines
till the winter Of lS4950. Of what hss lately taken place
among them readers have already had accounts Il will
be seen that the des between the whites and natives
have been principally in the winter and early in the
spring The inference therefore, that the danger this sea-
is past Sc
Such the character Of the race with whom the difficulties
in California various occasions have arisen II NOT our
purpose at this time to discuss the morality Of the course pur-
sued by both parties in relation each other But we have
seen that the natives Of California have given no evidence Of
skill in warfare Almost all their Of violence have been
peperated in seathy, cowady manner and never have
they attempted any extended or general plan
Nav Yhouaf houo -