500 Years Dwelling Among Savages, Introduction

“500 Years Dwelling Among Savages” is the title of compiled thoughts that usually came to me at dawn. It is neither poetry nor Philosophy, neither wisdom nor prophecy. It is a collection of thought that often came to me through my Elders, and sometimes came in dreams.

The resistance presentation was put into my numen by talking with Elders or Councilpersons to emerge later when haydutsila (thought thinking and producing a product) ground off the rough edges.

My spiritual brother, Erik A. Matilla, wrote the forward. He now resides with his family in Southern California.

I will continue my crusade to correct errors in anthropology and the meaning of our languages. For instance, the identity of the people is not Achumawi, but Itam Is (First People), neither is it Atsugewi, but Aw’te (The people created to dwell here). My mother emerged from Itam Is, my father from Aw’te. Today the society-at-large calls the Aw’te, “Hat Creeks,” and the Itam Is, “Pit Rivers.” There was no “Pit River” before 1858. Anthropology named it “Pit River.” For all of the seasons before that it was (thus remains) It Ajuma (The Big River).

I will post many thoughts from this manuscript expecting that someone somewhere will collect them so our spirit of resistance will not perish. I begin with the message in my brother’s foreword which was a dream of Grampa Ramsey Bone Blake to somehow gather the chiefs and head men from the tribes upon this hemisphere to show: Jeu himal, jeu hataji, jeu Is: One mind, one heart, one people.

Let us begin with the manuscript’s foreword by my brother.