The Pomo

Anderson Valley has been populated for at least five thousand years. Pomo is the name given by early white ethnographers to the indigenous people of northern Sonoma County, most of Mendocino County, and much of Lake County, whose languages shared a common origin. Within this grouping, there are seven distinct languages. They’re sometimes referred to at times as dialects, but in truth they are distinct from one another as any of the Romance languages. It has been estimated that in 1830 there were over twenty thousand Pomoan-speaking people residing in seven major groupings throughout the three counties. Anderson Valley was home to speakers of two of the seven Pomoan languages.

The Late Pomo or Ma-cu-maks of the present day Yorkville area spoke the central Pomo language. Those of the Boonville area west to Navarro were called—and called themselves—Tabahtea (Tah-bah-tay) Pomo and spoke the Northern Pomo language. Altogether they had nineteen known village sites, with an estimated population of around 600 in 1855. The four major villages were “Late” (Lah-tay) on the west bank of Rancheria Creek, about one mile west of Yorkville, “Lemkolil” (Lem-ko-lil) on the northeast bank of Anderson Creek one mile downstream from Boonville, “Tabate” (Ta-bat-ay) on the northeast bank of the Navarro River two miles west of Philo, and “Katuuli” (Ca-tool-i) fifty yards south of the old town of Christine, near the present day Christine Woods south of Navarro.

A typical small village might contain 20 to 30 individuals, probably all from the same family. They built houses of brush or redwood bark, often using willow for the framework. These houses were usually for the women and children. The men stayed communally in a larger men’s lodging, or “fire house.” Larger villages, of up to 300 people, usually had a large ceremonial house often referred to as a “round ” or dance house. It was in these “round” houses that people from all the surrounding villages would gather for weddings, seasonal ceremonies, and other social events.

Anderson Valley Pomos moved according to the seasons. They stayed in their main village sites during winter months and moved to outlying camps at appropriate times for hunting, fishing, and gathering of acorns and other foods and materials. Many varieties of clover, miner's lettuce, and even the new growth tips of fir trees were gathered. Seeds from flowers and grasses were gathered for “pinole” (ground up grass seeds). Many varieties of nuts and berries and even wild grapes were available. Roots and tubers such as Indian potato and wild onion were dug in the fall. After the first rains, acorns from the tan oaks were collected, dried, and stored in large quantity.

The native people also depended heavily on venison and fish. Some archeologists examining the ancient village sites say the ancient economy was “salmon, salmon, salmon.” In the fall before the rains, many Pomos went to the ocean to gather seaweed, shell fish, fish, seal meat, and salt. Returning to their villages, they often set fires that cleared the forest of underbrush and also helped to control the bugs that could infest acorns.

The Pomos were excellent hunters and trappers, using many techniques to take their prey, most commonly the bow and arrow and basket-weave traps. Woven fish traps were extensively used, and quail were caught in woven traps sometimes fifteen feet long. Hunting was done far from the villages to keep animal life around the villages abundant.

The Tabahtea (Tah-bah-tay) were from the Taa-Bo-Tah, or Long Valley (which we now call Anderson Valley). They created a very complex religious and social life, including an elaborate money and counting system. They traded for clams from Bodega Bay, which they then fashioned into money. To turn the clams into currency, the Tabahtea cut them into pieces, drilled holes so beads of shells could be inserted, and then ground the shells into smooth, round beads which were then strung on necklaces of usually two hundred beads. They were very beautiful! The Pomos also created very beautiful and complicated dance regalia used in ceremonial and social gatherings.

The Pomos are also renowned for their excellent baskets, considered by many to be among the finest in the world. Ranging in size from huge 4 to 5-foot storage baskets to miniature baskets no bigger than the tip of your little finger, they were both utilitarian and objects of beauty, often given as gifts within the community. These baskets were used for carrying, gathering and cooking, and were so tightly woven they would hold water.

In 1849 the California gold rush brought a influx of white Americans and Europeans into this area, creating great pressure on the native people and, tragically, resulting in diminishing populations. By 1900 there were few Native Americans left in Anderson Valley. Some died from communicable diseases to which they had no immunity; others were forced to relocate to reservations, first on the coast, and then most likely in Covelo.

Today many Pomos still live near their ancestral homes in Mendocino, Lake, and Sonoma Counties.

Books Note: Indian Summer, written by Effie Hulbert tells the story of the Ma-cum-muk Indians in Yorkville as seen through the eyes of a young white girl. This intriguing book is available through the Historical Society and at the Little Red Schoolhouse Museum in Boonville.

Bibliography

The Ethno Geography of the Pomo and Neighboring Indians; S.A. Barrett, 1908
Handbook of the Indians of California; A.L. Kroeber
Anthropological Records 16.3 The Aboriginal Population of the North Coast of California; S.F. Cook
Handbook of North American Indians, Vol. 8, California; Robert F. Holzer Vol. Editor
Indian Summer; Effie McAbee Hulbert
The Pomo Indians of California and Their Neighbors; Vinson Brown & Douglas Andrews