Indians of Lassen Volcanic National Park and Vicinity

Besides the main function of curing, other good powers of the shamans were the ability to foretell future events, to see what was going on at distant places, and to locate lost or stolen articles. Among certain tribes control of weather was also possible by Sucking Shamans—among others there were special shamans with weather power.

Evil powers of Sucking Shamans could cause illness or death. This was done by talking to the pain and sending it to the victim. The shaman might put it on the end of a willow stick and point it at the person while singing and smoking tobacco. This could go on all night. Transmission of the pain to the intended victim was facilitated by contact, such as sneaking up behind him and touching him, or by putting the disease pain in his food or under his doorstep. The bad pain might also be dispatched by blowing it through a pipe or putting it in the victim’s pipe, or by talking to the shaman’s own animal spirit, injecting the pain into it and then sending the animal to the victim. This power animal might just take it to the intended person, or it might actually attack and bite him. If the evil pain had been successfully sent, and the intended dire results occurred, the relatives of the victim had a moral right to kill the offending shaman, without fear of retaliation. It seems that the culprit was usually recognized—obviously often mistakenly. It follows that shamans’ lives were somewhat precarious, not knowing who was going to find damning evidence against them.

By somewhat the same means as described above shamans could steal a person’s spirit or soul, rendering that person liable to quick and sure death from the slightest accident or illness. Shamans could be hired to perform these evil powers.

Singing Shamans were dreamers foretelling the future and telling the living what their dead relatives wanted them to do. The Singing Shaman was always male among mountain Maidu. Our other tribes did not have this specialist, instead such powers were in the repertoire of the Sucking Shaman.

Among Yana and Yahi tribes, apparently, weather doctoring could be done by any shaman, and this was usually the case among Atsugewi. However, mountain Maidu had specialized Weather Shamans. These were men who were capable not only of producing rain, snow, or hail, but also fog and high winds, or ending any of these.

Rattlesnake Shamans were generally women among Atsugewi and men among mountain Maidu. They could protect people from rattlesnakes or cure bites. The latter was accomplished by sucking which removed snakes and snakes’ teeth from the wound.

Bear Shamans did not exist among Yana tribes. Among Atsugewi and mountain Maidu these were not specialists, instead bear power was an additional skill of Sucking Shamans. They were almost always men and pertained not to Black Bear, but only to the California Grizzly. They wore bear skin, hair, teeth, and claws and simulated the bear’s actions in treating patients. Bear Shamans were called primarily to minister to bear wounded persons from whom they sucked out bear blood and teeth.

Chapter XXXVII
MISCELLANEOUS MAGIC

All tribes of the Lassen region exercised miscellaneous more or less supernatural powers which one might term magic.

Examples were: carrying a turtleshell on one’s belt which rendered a person immune to rattlesnake strikes, or, among Maidu the rubbing of the root of Angelica breweri on the legs to keep rattlesnakes away. Poisoning of persons could be done by some skilled people (not shamans) by rubbing an unspecified substance on their hands and then touching the victim’s body; this could drive him crazy or kill him.

To mountain Maidu the number five was sacred and lucky according to Dixon.

Charm stones, usually in pairs were found by many fortunate Indians. They were smooth and rounded and were especially effective if possessing rings or other special markings on them which were actually surface traces of mineral veins. Quartz crystals, rare in this volcanic region, were also highly prized as charm stones. An ideal storage place for charm stones in their special basketry containers was in a rattlesnake “den” where such snakes tended to hibernate in the winter. At any rate charm stones were kept hidden and the owner would secretly rub them on himself to gain good luck in gambling or in other pursuits which involved much in the way of chance.

Prayers for a variety of reasons were offered simply by the individual. It was common practice every few days or so to make token food offerings at mealtime for no specific reason. The bits of food might be thrown to the east or into the fire.

* * * * * * * *

Thus ends this resume of the customs and beliefs of the tribes of the Lassen region—tribes virtually extinct as such today—tribes which once lived here among the scenic beauties of Lassen Volcanic National Park. We, the descendants of the relentless conquerors of these local Indians, come here now to enjoy ourselves and to refresh our bodies and spirits. As we do this on the lands of the vanquished, we owe them not only a moment of thoughtful reverence, but also whatever kindness and aid we are able to give their descendants.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Dixon, Roland B.: BASKETRY DESIGNS OF THE INDIANS OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

Feb. 12, 1902, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, Vol. 17, Part 1

Dixon, Roland B.: MAIDU MYTHS

June 30, 1902, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, Vol. 17, Part 2

Dixon, Roland B.: THE NORTHERN MAIDU

May 1905, Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, Vol. 17, Part 3

Garth, Thomas R.: KINSHIP TERMINOLOGY, MARRIAGE PRACTICES, AND BEHAVIOR TOWARD KIN AMONG THE ATSUGEWI

July 1944, American Anthropologist, Vol. 46, No. 3

Garth, Thomas R.: EMPHASIS ON INDUSTRIOUSNESS AMONG THE ATSUGEWI

Oct. 1945, American Anthropologist, Vol. 47, No. 4

Garth, Thomas R.: ATSUGEWI ETHNOGRAPHY

Feb. 1953, Anthropological Records, University of California, Vol. 14, No. 2

Gifford, E. W. and Klimek, Stanislaw: CULTURE ELEMENT DISTRIBUTIONS: II, YANA

1936, University of California Publications in American Archeology and Ethnology, Vol. 37, No. 2

Heizer, R. F. and Whipple, M. A.: THE CALIFORNIA INDIANS

1951, University of California Press

Klimek, Stanislaw: CULTURE ELEMENT DISTRIBUTIONS: I, THE STRUCTURE OF THE CALIFORNIA INDIAN CULTURE

1935, University of California Publications in American Archeology and Ethnology

Kniffen, Fred B.: ACHOMAWI GEOGRAPHY

1928, University of California Publications in American Archeology and Ethnology

Kroeber, A. L.: HANDBOOK OF THE INDIANS OF CALIFORNIA

1925, Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin. No. 78

Kroeber, A. L.: CULTURE ELEMENT DISTRIBUTIONS: XV, SALT, DOGS, AND TOBACCO

Feb. 1941, Anthropological Records, University of California, Vol. 6, No. 1

Mason, Otis T.: REPORT OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM

1902

Merriam, C. Hart: CLASSIFICATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE PIT RIVER INDIAN TRIBES

Smithsonian Institute, Vol. 78, No. 3

Pope, Saxton T.: THE MEDICAL HISTORY OF ISHI

May 15, 1920, University of California Publications in American Archeology and Ethnology, Vol. 13, No. 5

Sapir, Edward: THE POSITION OF YANA IN THE HOKAN STOCK

June 1917, University of California Publications in American Archeology and Ethnology, Vol. 13, No. 1

Sapir, Edward and Spier, Leslie: NOTES ON THE CULTURE OF THE YANA

Sept. 1943, Anthropological Records, University of California, Vol. 3, No. 3

Sauer, Carl O.: EARLY RELATIONS OF MAN TO PLANTS

Jan. 1947, Geographical Review

Vogelin, Ermine W.: CULTURE ELEMENT DISTRIBUTIONS: XX, NORTHEAST CALIFORNIA

June 1942, Anthropological Records, University of California, Vol. 7, No. 2

Waterman, T. T.: THE YANA INDIANS

Feb. 1918, University of California Publications in American Archeology and Ethnology, Vol. 13, No. 2

ASK
THE MAN IN THE
NATIONAL PARK SERVICE UNIFORM

He’ll be glad to help you!

BE PROUD OF
LASSEN VOLCANIC NATIONAL PARK!

As a citizen of the United States it belongs to you. Keep it unspoiled for your next visit and for future generations by helping to:

1. Prevent forest fires.

2. Protect the flowers, the animal life, and the rock and mineral formations.

3. Keep it clean.

This booklet is one of a series prepared by the Loomis Museum Association, a non-profit distributing organization sponsored by the Naturalist Department of Lassen Volcanic National Park. The Association is dedicated to the accumulation and dissemination of information concerning the history and natural history of this park. Toward this end it has published the following books available by mail. The post office address is Mineral, California. During the summer, these publications are also available at the Loomis Museum sales desk at Manzanita Lake, Lassen Volcanic National Park.

For mail orders please add 12% for postage and packing. If the addressee is in California also add 3% sales tax. Prices are subject to change without notice.

Transcriber’s Notes

• Silently corrected a few typos.
• Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook is public-domain in the country of publication.
• In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by _underscores_.