The Northern California Indians, No. I [pp. 325-333]

I1872.] THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA4 INDIANS.'
cial outcasts, Indian Pariahs, who can morning, bear a very suspicious resemintermarry only among themselves. blance to horsed-tracks.
There prevails in this tribe a juster The sweat-house is constructed endivision of labor than among the East- tirely underground, smallish and oblong,
ern Indians. The men build the wig- puncheoned up inside, covered with a
wams; kill the game, and generally bring flat roof level with the earth, and airit in; construct the fishing-boats, weirs, tight, except for the little hatchway at
and nets, and catch the salmon; cut and one side. It is church, theatre, cafd
bring in all the fuel for the sweat-houses; chantant, dormitory, sweat- bath, and
help to gather acorns and berries; make medical examination- room in one; and
the fish-gigs, bows, and arrows. The it is consecrated exclusively to mascuwomen gather and bring in the firewood line occupation. Lapitean says, among
used for secular purposes; carry in all the Eastern Indians the men never enthe acorns and roots; weave the bas- ter the private wigwams of their wives,
kets; generally bring in and dry the sal- except under cover of darkness; but
mon; perform all the work of the scul- here, the case is reversed, for it is the
lery; make the clothes. Squaws also men's apartments that are sacred. No
constitute more than half of the "medi- squaw may enter the sweat-house, on
cines," and officiate as midwives. Yet penalty of death, except only when passthey are regarded as drudges, and the ing her examination for the degree of
Cahroc word for "woman" is asisicitat- M.D. During the rainy season, when
vdn, which signifies "water-carrier," fires are comfortable, they are kept burnfrom the two words, asisick and tatvan. ing in the sweat- houses day and night;
The Cahrocs have a conception of a and there are always enough of them in
Supreme Being, whom they call Chareya. each village to furnish sleeping accomThe root of this word is the same as the modations for all the adult men thereof.
first syllable of "Cahroc," and also cal- In summer, the Indians occupy the
Zeh, or caliy, in the Russian River dia- common cabins, or brush-wood booths,
lects, signifying "above;" but, with the with their wives; but in winter, they
curious accretive capacity of Indian lan- sleep by themselves in the sweat-houses;
guages, it is expanded into the compli- and I suspect they use the terrors of recated idea of "The Old Man Above." ligious taboo to banish the squaws from
Chareya sometimes descends to earth, them, in order to enjoy the warm and
to instruct the prophets (or medicines), cozy snuggery themselves. But, airwhen he appears as a venerable man, tight as they are, and heated perpetualclad in a close-fitting tunic, with long, ly (for, once kindled, the fire must never
white hair flowing down his shoulders, be suffered to go out until spring), the
and bearing a medicine-bag. When cre- atmosphere in them is villainous beyond
ating the world, he sat upon the Sacred description.
Stool, which is still preserved by the Of numerous fables and coyote stories
Chareya- Indian, and on which he sits, in vogue among the Cahrocs, related by
on the occasion of the great annual gifted squaws to their children, I will
Dance of Propitiation. But, as among give here one specimen, which is not
all the tribes of northern California, the entirely unworthy a place in that recoyote is the real and practical object of nowned old book written by one AEsop:
veneration. They also believe in spooks, FABLE OF THE ANIMALS.
or demons, called aibaroin, who run
after people at night in the forest, and In the old days, a great many hundred
leave tracks, which,-when seen in the snows ago, Chareya, sitting on the Sa
331