The Northern Maidu

Tells the history and describes the culture of the Northern Maidu.

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1905 edition. Excerpt: ...be buried, if it is desired, in the ground of some other village; but, under any circumstances, the relatives may not take part in the burning until they have received a membership string or necklace for the ground in which the body was placed. After the body is buried, therefore, the mourners go to those who are in charge of the ground in question, and apply for such a string, so that they may take part in the next burning which is to be held. The owners or overseers of the burning-ground then give the applicant a string, for which payment has to be made in beads, furs, food, or other things. The so-called "strings" are necklaces of beads and cord, the number of beads and their arrangement varying with every burning-ground, so that from the string one can tell at once to what ground the person wearing it belongs. The arrangements of beads on the cord are varied thus: --o--o--oo--o--o--oo--o--o oo--o--oo--o--oo--o--oo ooo--o--ooo--o--ooo--o--ooo, etc. Having received such a string, the recipient is entitled to burn (or " cry ") for a period of five years. At the end of this time, if no other member of the family has died, the person may burn the string, or tell the one from whom it was received that he wishes it to be burned. When this occurs, he receives from the original giver the equivalent of the price paid for it. The strings are worn, while they are in the hands of the mourner, constantly as a necklace. Should other members of the family die before the five years are up, the string may be kept till five years from the date of the most recent death. It seems that strings are also given out under somewhat different conditions. From information obtained by Mr. Barrett, it appears that strings may be issued by the individual mourners, to...

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ++++ The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to ensure edition identification: ++++ The Northern Maidu; Bulletin Of The American Museum Of Natural History Roland Burrage Dixon, Huntington California Expedition, American Museum of Natural History Knicker-bocker Press, 1905 Maidu Indians

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Born in the northern region of the Sierra Nevada mountains, Marie Mason Potts (1895–1978), a Mountain Maidu woman, became one of the most influential California Indian activists of her generation. In this illuminating book, Terri A. Castaneda explores Potts’s rich life story, from her formative years in off-reservation boarding schools, through marriage and motherhood, and into national spheres of Native American politics and cultural revitalization. During the early twentieth century, federal Indian policy imposed narrow restrictions on the dreams and aspirations of young Native girls. Castaneda demonstrates how Marie initially accepted these limitations and how, with determined resolve, she broke free of them. As a young student at Greenville Indian Industrial school, Marie navigated conditions that were perilous, even deadly, for many of her peers. Yet she excelled academically, and her adventurous spirit and intellectual ambition led her to transfer to Pennsylvania’s Carlisle Indian Industrial School. After graduating in 1915, Marie Potts returned home, married a former schoolmate, and worked as a domestic laborer. Racism and socioeconomic inequality were inescapable, and Castaneda chronicles Potts’s growing political consciousness within the urban milieu of Sacramento. Against this backdrop, the author analyzes Potts’s significant work for the Federated Indians of California (FIC) and her thirty-year tenure as editor and publisher of the Smoke Signal newspaper. Potts’s voluminous correspondence documents her steadfast conviction that California Indians deserved just compensation for their stolen ancestral lands, a decent standard of living, the right to practice their traditions, and political agency in their own affairs. Drawing extensively from this trove of writings, Castaneda privileges Potts’s own voice in the telling of her story and offers a valuable history of California Indians in the twentieth century.