Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-04-21
Letter from CaliTornia.
THE INDIANS OF CALIFORNIA.

the Diggers. This name DelhS given W
them on account of their extreme filth
ness and wonted desire to subsist on
what anything else but brute and the
Moonie-eyed Celestials of China, would
detest. In many places, at the present
day, they are extinct or nearly SO, but In
other places are to be found in considers
BILE numbers. They are never found
living in houses, as many other more CIV
ilized tribes are, but protect themselves
from the inclemency of the weather by
making huts out of the bark of trees, set
ting it up in the form of an A tent. The
only place of admission they have is a
small hole next to the ground, and In or
der to gain an entrance have to lay down
and crawl in. But this is nature to them,
for they despise above all else any one
that is afraid of dirt. They generally re-
main in one place till one of their number
dies, then they burn their huts together
with the victim of death, and remove to
some other place.
They seem to have very small regard
to Women's Rights, for when they move
from place to place the fair ones--if such
you would call them-are at perfect lib
erty to carry the load of movable property
which they may have, no matter how
large it may be, the male class hardly
ever carrying anything but their guns,
they thinking themselves lords, and go
about the country with their guns upon
their shoulders and a few highly colored
feathers in their hair This, with few
old rags they may have picked up here
and there for clothing, constitutes their
lordship. Their living is what they call
continuation of luxuries, it being chief
ly composed of acorn bread, grasshoppers,
worms and bugs. Their bread most peo-
pie would call rather plain, but to see
these hungry creatures deyour it one
would surmise it was something extra,
and to them it is, for their devouring ele-
ments are very strong, as any one would
observe by seeing them eat once, and any
thing that will help to appease their ever
hungry natures they call buero, mean
ing very good. Their acorns are ground
by the females between two rocks, then
they dig a hole in the ground large
enough to hold about a bushel in this
they build fire, and when the
earth gets hot they remove the fire and
pour in their dough, leaving it there
generally over night, they mix the acorn
meat up with cold water, after the
hygienic style lately exposed in Brattle-
boro, with this exception, the Indians use
salt. Undoubtedly these Indians were the
first ones to indulge in this style of cook
ing, but TO think that any one in Vermont
would be so unwise and foolish as to take
the right from these poor Indians, very
likely without their consent, seems almost
beyond belief. They are we're partial to
grasshoppers, and their style of catching
them is this, first they dig hole in the
ground, about five feet square and three
feet deep, then they all, big and little go
back from the hole and surround it on all
sides, something as the good old shepherds
of your neighbor town, Pittsford, sur
round the hills of Chittenden while in
pursuit of Bruin, they commence a for
ward march, and the poor grasshopper's
death is evident, for the sight of the
Indians, without any other persuasion,
would drive the victim to the hole where
they would be gobbled up without any
mercy by the savage, not even waiting for
it to die. But they THAT is the grass
hoppers) are becoming learned, and to be
in fashion, have got Protective Union,
and when they-hear the Indians approach
ing they all strike and go for some other
section.
The pride of the female consists of this
one thing, dirt, for it is generally
understood that they are not to wash only
once in ten years, and apparently they
are not very good at keeping record of
the years, for many OF them do not bear
evidence of ever having experienced the
delights and cleaning effect that good
bath would have upon them. Neither sex
are hardly ever found with anything on
their feet, even in the winter but they
seem to have the instinct of the feathered
tribe, for when one foot gets cold, they
will balance themselves on the other one
and hold the cold one against their knee
till it gets warm. This applies to the
males, for when the females feel the
touching effect of the cold in their feet.
they sit down and take them in their lap,
and let them warm by the natural course.
Their mode Of dressing their hair is Of
the easiest method, cutting il off in front
so it just hangs TO their eyes, and the rest
hangs down their back, not, to POLITICALLY
say, in auburn tresses, but in masses like
50 much flax, and in fineness to compare
it to hogs bristles would be insulting the
hog.
But let me say word IN their favor.
that is in regard to honesty There can
not be a more honest set of people than
these generally are, that is till they be-
ceme acquainted with other and mere
civilized people, then they begin to steal
and kill, very likely this change is on ac-
count of their not knowing enough to be
dishonest before.
l would say more about them for there
is much that might be said. Rut l have
great respect for Mark Twains sincere
regard for his relations, for be speaks {" of
standing by the side of his venerable
father Adams tomb and moistening the
long undisturbed dust with tears of affec-
ton" We here in California think Mark
must have an extraordinary memory, and
if perchance he should read this it might
cause him to mourn on account of the
state of degeneracy these his brother NOR.
tails have reached, SO l will say adieu.
Ii. f. b.