All About Pocket Knives

This little basket is from a tribe that once lived our area. It's an open top (no lid) 5" fairly shallow little basket, most likely used to hold a women's odds and ends (beads, thread, needles and such) so I was told.

I've often thought it would be cool to go and stay in an authentic Indian village for a week or so to experience the day to day life of the time.

gary

Gary,

Until you can spend that week, see if you can find a copy of a book tltled

ISHI In Two Worlds by Theodora Kroeber Pub. University of California Press

It's a fascinating account of a Native American, the last of his tribe, who had stayed hidden until he wandered out of the brush, and his introduction to the modern California of 1911.

Photos, and discriptions of some of his skills and crafts. Reading it is like taking a trip on a time machine, as seen from Ishi's point of view.

Fran

That basket is very interesting gmusic Thanks. Looking forward to seeing future posts in this forum. s-k

Sauconian wrote:Gary,

Until you can spend that week, see if you can find a copy of a book tltled

ISHI In Two Worlds by Theodora Kroeber Pub. University of California Press

It's a fascinating account of a Native American, the last of his tribe, who had stayed hidden until he wandered out of the brush, and his introduction to the modern California of 1911.

Photos, and discriptions of some of his skills and crafts. Reading it is like taking a trip on a time machine, as seen from Ishi's point of view.

Fran

YES! It is a good book, Ishi was the last of the Yahi tribe, of the Yana people. The Yana people (4 goups) lived around the area of the 1848 James Marshall gold discovery, primarily the southern most group, the Yahi.

Ishi died when Alfred Kroeber was in Europe of tubrculosis. Against Ishi's wishes an autopsy was performed. At one point his body was given back - except his brain which by now may have been corrected.

Also of interest, he never spoke his own name - not something his tribe did. There is also a debate whether Ishi was a full bloded Yahi or not. All the spear and arrow points had more in common with the Wintun tribe, not Yahi. Ishi's spear points and arrowheads are identical to those of the Wintun.
California's Native American culture is incredibly diverse, I lived amongst the Pomo who had a complex system of counting. But even amonst the Pomo there are 7 distinctly different dialects and an unknown number of tribes.
I spent 2 semesters in college taking California Native American studies and some across the USA. Living in tribes, food was real plentiful here in California in Central California especially. My ex wife is of Coast Miwok descent. I did have a lot of fun with these clases and met a few Indians, the Pomo group that they were from preferred Indian over Native American.

gmusic wrote: I've often thought it would be cool to go and stay in an authentic Indian village for a week or so to experience the day to day life of the time.

gary

Been there, done that, got the T shirt.