The Winslow mail., 1899-06-29
LAST OF THE RACE.
A Remnant of Oldest of California
Indian Tribes.
Aged Survivors Of ihe Tanches with
whom VIII Die the Name Of
u Once Feared and
respected People.


On the high table land of Fl Dorado
county. between the north and middle
forks of the CcSumnes river and among
tie lofty Sierra peaks, lives remnant
OF the Oldest of old Californian tribes.
Once, ages before California knew the
face Of white man, the race was 5000
strong straight and powerful.
The tribal name was Tanche (the cat)
one feared and respected throughout
the mountains. Now but FIVE are left.
Civilization and time have all but ex-
terminated the race; still the wonder
full vitality of the old stock remains,
for these five are not only tribally the
most ancient of North American ma
tives, but individually are the oldest
in the world.
With these five will die the name of
Tanche, for the youngest is 90, and the
cid grandmother, Unchupus, has al
ready seen 145 California winters.
When Sutter was first heard of by the
Indians, Unchupus' great-great-gran
daughter was married and had three
children almost grown. Of the present
survivors, Oc, the daughter, is l20 years
old; UnchHp, the son, is 102; Elomia.
the niece, is 9S; while Burnt jim, the
grandson, is l04. Burnt jim once had
an Indian name, but upon the advent Of
the whites he acquired the fre-water
habit and during celebration had a
sudden burst Of convivialty which
landed him face down in the camp fire.
This second christening dubbed him
Burnt Jim" on the spot.
The quintet, with the exception of
old Unchpus, wait on themselves and
work for their living Of game, roots and
acorns.
They have no legal standing, no prop
erty and no agency. Under the law
they are but trespassers upon the un-
improved land of the whites-ignored
and unmolested.
The old grandmother is sleeping out
her second century, She wakens merely
to take nourishment. Her hair is as
white as carded wool and her flesh has
wasted away from inactivity until
naught but skin and bone remains
they have to lead her like a baby-of
an zsni.1l:lte vvrfr izIe-xvI1er she wa ks
These old Indians, having no children
luxe 0hQ IHUlulIH; NaiIHS no anna, o..
Of their own, they have persuaded two
families OF young Indians from an
other tribe to camp on their grounds
Toward them they display the greatest
affection, but to strangers they are in
variably taciturn and cold.
Their habits and crude novels resem-
ble those OF the wild animals among
whom they have lived; still they have
their own ideas of law, and to these
and he ancient rites of the Tanche
they cling with tribal fanaticism. One
Of their customs as tribe has been the
privilege of the daughters, between the
ages of l3 and 20, to sell themselves il
marriage. the proceeds going to the
parents and no dowry to the wigwams
Of their lords.
On a small knoll in the center of the
camp stands the oldest powwow wig
wan in al! America. 1t is circular, IS
feet in diameter, and the walls are OF
upright slabs, four feet high. 1t was
built 1870 years ago from crude cedar
carried ~ miles OH the backs of the
braves and chopped out with stone axes.
Originally the walls were seven feet
high, but the structure has been moved
three times and made smaller as the
Ranches were gradually stricken down
Four huge logs II feet high support the
center Of the cone-sharcd roof; and be-
tween these was built the pov-wow fire
ON state occasions, when the chiefs sat
at council and watched the smoke curl
up through the opening at the top.
Here are kept their dancing gear
bright caps Of crow and yellow-hammer
feathers ard queer rattes Of split
sticks. At celebration the drum
seems to have been the main part Of the
entertainment. for it is a colossal affair
Of resonant boards built over hole in
The ground and operated by the stamp
ING feet Of the biggest buck in the tribe.
During dance the squaWs we're kept
busy cooking, and the rule was eat and
dance, Canc6 ana eat, uutll III thoii
fanaticaI excitement the bucks, rolling
like swine at trough, shrieked, yelled
and gorged themselves until they fell
scnscIcss or dead.
One Of their old traditions is that
some day the dead Indians will all re-
turn and restore the game so'ruthiessly y
slaughtered by the whites. Until that
time arrives a beautiful Indian princess
is supposed to come once year to the
cornell wigwam-cailed forth by hor-
rible and mythical incantations-and
advise them what to do that no famine
may be visited upon them.
Their cooking is interesting%although
not particularly appetizng. Having no
metal saucepans, they use water-tight
grass baskets. Into these they put
acorn meal and water to the consistency
Of starch, then drop in hot rocks that
give the stuff warm mif not cooked
taste. The soup is well Stirred, poured
out into water-tight grass bowls an
eaten with much gusto.-San Francisco
Examiner.