The villages of this group are mostly taken from Barrett (1908, pp.
280-283) indicated below by (B). Those taken from Merriam's notes are
distinguished by (M). The information given with each of the villages is
sometimes a direct quotation but most often is paraphrased.
1. netce'l[=i]gût (B). At a point about 9 mi. nearly due W of
the town of Laytonville and about 3 mi. SE of the confluence of the
E fork of the South Fork of Eel R. with the South Fork of Eel R.
This village is on top of the ridge separating these two streams
and is on the property of Mr. Jacob Lamb.
2. yictciLti'ñkût, "wolf something-lying-down creek" (B). On
the S bank of Ten Mile Cr. at a point about 5 mi. WNW of the town
of Laytonville.
3. sentca'[=u]kût, "rock big creek"; or kave'mato (Northern
Pomo dialect name), "rock big" (B). On Big Rock Cr. at a point
about 1-1/2 mi. from its confluence with Ten Mile Cr., or about
5-1/2 mi. nearly due W of the town of Laytonville.
sen-chow´-ten (M). Kato name for their village at Big Rock,
about 4 mi. N of their present rancheria in Long V.
4. ka'ibi, "nuts in" (B). On the NE bank of Ten Mile Cr. at a
point about 3 mi. downstream from the town of Laytonville.
5. neb[=o]'c[=e]gût, "ground hump on-top" (B). On what is
known as the Wilson ranch at a point about 1 mi. W of Laytonville.
6. seLgaitceli'nda, "rock white run-out" (B). About 300 yds. E
of the house on what is known as the "old" John Reed ranch about 1
mi. N of Laytonville.
7. bûntcn[=o]ndi'lyi, "fly settle-upon under" (B). Just NW of
Laytonville and but a short distance from the place now occupied by
the Indians near Laytonville.
8. ko'cbi, "blackberry there" (B). About 1-1/2 mi. WSW of
Laytonville and on the SW bank of the Ten Mile Cr.
9. tc[=i]b[=e]'takût, "fir tips creek" (B). About a mile SW of
the town of Laytonville and about 1/2 mi. up the creek which drains
Cahto V. from its confluence with Ten Mile Cr.
che-pa-tah-kut (M). A former village in the northern part of
Long V. on the James White place.
10. dist[=e]gû'ts[=i][=u], "madrona crooked under" (B). On the
western side of Long V. at a point about 2 mi. SSE of Laytonville.
11. t[=o]dji'Lbi, "water? ... in" (B). At the site now
occupied by the Indians at Cahto. This site is on the W bank of the
small creek running from Cahto into Ten Mile Cr.
12. bûntcten[=o]ndi'lkût, "fly low settle-upon creek" (B). On
the N bank of the northern branch of the head of the South Fork of
the Eel R. at a point about a mile SSW of Cahto.
13. kûcy[=i]'[=u]yet[=o]kût, "alder under water creek" (B). On
the N bank of the South Fork of Eel R. at a point about 3 mi. SW of
Cahto. This site is about 1/2 mi. E of the ranch house on the Clark
ranch.
14. ne'[=i]yi, "ground under" (B), probably signifying that
the village was situated under a projecting ridge. On the S bank of
the South Fork of Eel R. at a point about 3 mi. S of Branscomb.
15. s[=e]ne'tckût, "rock gravel creek" (B). On the NW bank
of the small stream known as Mud Springs Cr., which is tributary
to the South Fork of Eel R. This site is about 3 mi. a little S
of E of Branscomb. There are on this creek, and not far from this
village site, several springs which flow a very thin blueish mud,
thus giving the creek its name.
16. tontce'kût, "water bad creek" (B). About 1/4 mi. W of the
South Fork of Eel R. and about 1 mi. SW of Branscomb.
17. senansa'^{n}kût, "rock hang-down creek" (B). On the E bank
of the South Fork of Eel R. at a point about 1-1/2 mi. downstream
from Branscomb.
In addition to this list, there are two other sources of information on
villages. First, Curtis (1924, 14:184) presents a list of six villages,
almost all of which it is impossible to locate. None of the names
corresponds to any given by either Barrett or Merriam, and they are
therefore suspect as village names, though they may be valid place names
and are certainly good Athabascan. In the list below Curtis' orthography
has been changed slightly. The changes follow the pattern set by Curtis
in his Hupa village lists (Curtis, 1924, Vol. 13).
_Curtis List (1924, 14:184)_
chunsandung, "tree 1-1/2 mi. W of Laytonville
prostrate place" on the site of the cemetery
tsetandung, "trail emerges At the foot of the mountain
place" W of Laytonville
totakut, "water center" N of tsetandung. On a knoll
down which water flowed
on two sides
chekselgindun, "they N tsetandung
killed woman place"
yitsche Ltindung, "they found wolf place"
seyuhuchetsdung, "old stone house place"
The second source is the notes of Goddard, who did extensive work in
the area in 1906 (Goddard, 1909), though mostly on language and myth.
His notes contain information on two villages, neither of which can be
located because the township and range coördinates have been changed
since the time of recording and also because the name of the creek
mentioned does not appear on maps in my possession. The two cards
bearing the information have the penciled notations 51 and 52 written
on their corners. This indicates that Goddard had recorded at least 50
other sites for the Kato, a conclusion which is further corroborated
by his own statement (Goddard, 1909, p. 67). Our information on Kato
villages is therefore correspondingly incomplete.
_Goddard List (Goddard, Notes)_
ne^{=e=}[-l]soki, "ground blue tail" SW sec. 26, T. 22 N.,
R. 15 W. On a flat 200 yds. N of Blue Hill Cr. and 150 yds. W of
the river. There are 3 deep pits on the eastern edge of the higher
flat. Bill thought there were 3 others 100 yds. S where a white
man's house had stood, ne'^{[-l]}s[=o]k[=i] k[=i]yahûn.
t'un[-l]tcintcki, "leaves black tail" W sec. 26, T. 22 N., R.
15 W. On the higher bank 50 yds. N of tûn[-l]tcintckw[=o]t, the
next creek N of Blue Hill Cr. and 400 yds. W of the river. There is
timber W. Dr. Wilson used to live there. The site has been plowed.
Bill counted six places where he thought houses had been.