The following ethnographic data are taken verbatim from Merriam's notes.
According to the Hoopah, as told me by James Chesbro of Burnt
Ranch, the First People are called Kit-tung´-whi or Devil People.
They used to fight and kill and eat one another. Later they turned
into animals. After the Flood real (Indian) people came.
In early days the Indians used to get drunk from inhaling
the fumes of Indian tobacco (Min´-t[=a] itch´-wah) which by deep
breathing they would take into the lungs. Their word for drunk is
Ho-n[=a]^{ch}-w[)i]h^{ch}. The expression for "many people drunk"
is Yah, ho-n[=a]^{ch}-w[)e]^{ch}.
The word for an old person is Kis´-te-ahn; for an old object,
Tah´-ne.
There are two words for good: Chung-whoom for a good or kind
person; and Noo-wh[=o]m for a good thing or object. A bad person is
To choong-k[=o]m, "not good person"; while a thing that is not good
is To noo^{ch}-k[=o]m, "not good thing."
Chin-tahs, "slow", is said to mean also "heavy"; but the word
given me for heavy is Nit-tahs´.
The word Ho´-chit, meaning real or genuine, occurs frequently:
Thus, deerskin tanned with the hair on is called Ho´-chit te,
te being any blanket or toga. Similarly, the ordinary woman's
apron made of pine nuts and braided grass is Ho´-che ke´-ah; the
woman's hat, H[=o]-che k[=o]s´-tahn, or real hat; moccasins, Hoch
y[=a]´-che-tahl; the bow, H[=o]-ch[)e] tsitch-ting; the stone
arrow-point, H[=o]-ch[)e] tin-ti; Indian or wild tobacco, H[=o]-che
Min´-t[=a]-itch´-wah; the elkhorn box or purse for valuables
H[=o]´-che kin´-chah.
The Hoopah say that their people did not use the nose-bone or
nose-stick, but had a name for it, which is Hun-choo whang-i. They
say these were worn by the Indians farther north.
The women tattooed the chin, usually in three broad vertical
bands similar to those of the Klamath River tribes. Tattoo marks
are called Wil´-tahch´.
Place names: All place names along the rivers were at one time
the sites of villages or rancherias. The village always takes the
name of the place.
The name for house is H[=o]n´-tah or Hun´-tow; the ceremonial
house, M[=a]´-min sin-til; the sweathouse, Tah´-'keo; the menstrual
lodge, Mintch'; the brush wickiup, M[=a]´-nah-si; the brush blind
or hut for concealing the hunter Kew´-wong wil´-min.
They say that they never burned the dead, but buried them
in graves dug exactly knee-deep by measure. The grave was called
Hot-yung ho-sin. The body was fastened to a slab of wood of the
proper length, and when laid in the grave was covered with the
belongings of the dead person and then with earth.
While they do not burn the bodies, they burn clothing and
other belongings. But the Chemareko of Hyampom burn their dead.
They believed in an evil spirit or Devil called Kit-tung´ hwoi.
A peculiar custom was practised in extending a certain
courtesy to an enemy who wanted to cross the river but had no boat.
If a person having a canoe crossed the river, and his personal
enemy found the canoe, he would go and sit down near it and await
the return of the owner. When the owner came, he would back out
into the stream and then push the bow ashore at the nearest point
to his enemy, and the enemy would step in and sit down, neither
speaking a word. The owner would then paddle across the stream to
his own side, and the enemy would jump out and proceed without
remark.
There were two kinds of doctors: the real doctor or shaman,
sometimes known as "dance doctor," called Kit-ta tow, and the
medicine doctor, who never danced, called Kim-mow-chil^{ch}-weh.
Gambling Game: the common gambling game, Ke-now-we, was
played with a bunch of slender sticks 7 or 8 inches long, called
Hol-che-king. One of these, Hung ("ace" or "lucky stick"), has a
black band around the middle. The game consists in guessing in
which hand the opponent holds the marked stick. There are eleven
points or guesses. One stick is given up at each wrong guess.
Small hailstones are called Klew-hahn min-nah from Klew-hahn,
"an eel," and min-nah, "eyes," from the resemblance of small
hailstones to the white eyes of the eel. Big hailstones are
Ke´-lo-ung-hot.
An earthquake is Nin mah-ah tin-n[)i]^{ch}-chwit, meaning
"turns over on edge of world."
Money: The unit of value, which we call "money," consisted
of the valuable kind of dentalium shells, long specimens of which
reached from the base of the finger to the base of the terminal
joint. This was called Ho´-che naht-te-ow or "real money." Small or
broken dentalium shells, from half an inch to an inch in length,
were called Mit-tatch, and were used for beads.
Scalps of the great pileated woodpecker or cock-of-the-woods
(_Ceophlaeus pileatus_), called Kis^{l}-t[=a]-ke-'keo, also passed
as money.
_Names of mammals and birds._--The Grizzly Bear had two names:
M[)e]-ch[=a]-e-sahn and Me-kwo ah.
The Mountain Lion or Cougar is called Min´-ning m[)i]^{ch}
'hl[=a]-til-loo, meaning "kills with his face."
They speak of a spotted Panther of large size called Kit-sah´,
which has not been seen for a number of years. It used to make a
great noise.
They speak also of a Water Panther (mythical) called
Ho-tsi´-tow, said to live in holes close to the water of lakes and
pools, never in rivers or on land. Its head and shoulders were
heavy and covered with long shaggy hair, but the hinder parts were
nearly naked.
The Otter is called 'Kl[=o]k-e-te-til-le, meaning "he likes
salmon."
The Weasel--and this is particularly interesting--is called
Klew^{ch}-m[)u]-hung, meaning "snake's husband"--a term doubtless
suggested by its snake-like form and actions.
The Mole is called Min-ni´ [)e]-ting, meaning "eyeless"; the
Bat Haht-la nah-mut, "night flyer."
The Porcupine is 'K'yo. Its quills, usually dyed yellow, were
used to ornament basket hats; and also to pierce the ears for
earrings. When a quill was stuck lightly into the lobe of the ear,
it would slowly work its way through.
The common gray Ground Squirrel (_Citellus beecheyi_) is
called Ts[)e] 'ket-yahng-a, meaning "rock sitting on."
The Jack Rabbit, oddly enough, is called Nah^{ch}-ah-tah
'hits-'hlah-hahn, meaning "dry ground deer."
_A Hupa ceremonial gray fox skin._--The skin was _cased_
(opened along the hind legs, the belly not slit lengthwise). The
front feet had been cut off but the skin of each leg was slit in
six or seven strands or narrow ribbons about three inches long.
The skin had been turned inside out and decorated in places;
then turned and left with fur outside. The skin of the hind legs
was painted deep red. The tail also had been slit open on the
underside and the skin painted with the same red paint, and a tuft
of pure white feathers four inches long was sewed to its tip.
The most surprising marking was a double ring or belt band of
red and blue painted around the inside of the skin about two inches
above the base of the tail (and therefore hidden when the skin was
fur-side out). The two bands, each about half an inch wide, were in
actual contact all the way around--the anterior one deep red, the
posterior deep blue.
The skin itself is of interest as being unmistakably the dark
northwest form of the species _Urocyon cinereoargenteus_. The upper
parts are very dark grizzled; the dorsal stripe from neck to tip of
tail is almost pure black and the tail is about an inch broad. The
flanks, inner-sides of legs, and undersides of tail are fulvous,
palest on the belly. The specimen is an adult male.
_Sayings about birds._--Dove (_Zenaidura_). Called Mi-yo.
Mi-yo, the Dove, was a great gambler. He always gambled all winter.
Once when gambling someone told him that his grandmother was dead.
He said there would be plenty of time to cry next summer. So he
kept on playing. When summer came he cried for his grandmother. And
every summer we hear him crying for his grandmother.
Hummingbird. Called Ko-sos. Ko-sos, the Hummingbird, was a
war bird. His bill was like a long needle. With it he pierced his
enemies. Once he told another bird to start from one end of the
world and he would start from the other. They did this and met in
the middle where they danced.
_Notes on adjacent tribes._--Yin´-nah´-chin ("South People,"
Chemar´eko). Extended from Hyampom northerly to Cedar Flat,
easterly along main Trinity to Canyon Creek; and northerly between
the high mountains that form the divide between French Creek and
North Fork Trinity River on the west to Canyon Creek on the east,
as far north as Rattlesnake Creek. (Previously learned from the
Nor´-rel-muk of Hay Fork, a Wintoon Tribe, that the dividing line
on the west between themselves and the Chemareko, called by them
Hyembos, lay along Minor Creek.) Language wholly different from
Hoopah. The Hoopah say that the presence of this tribe on Trinity
River west of Cedar Bar, and on lower New River, is a comparatively
recent intrusion.
Klo´-m[)e]-tah´-wha ... Salmon River Indians. Ranges south
over summit to Grizzly Creek and headwaters New River. Language
wholly different.
Ho-ning wil-tatch (meaning "tattooed faces") ... "Yuke" of
Covelo region. Round Valley. Also called Devils, Kit-tung-whoi--a
name applied to the First People, who finally turned into animals.
Language wholly different.
_Geography._--There used to be a great fall in Trinity River
at a huge rock which stood in the middle of the river at Burnt
Ranch. Below the fall was a big pool and eddy, which at the proper
season was full of salmon. Everybody came here to catch salmon.
Indians from several tribes met here and feasted and had a
"big time." Finally a terrible earth slide came down the side of
the canyon and moved the rock away. This destroyed the falls.
This occurred during the boyhood of my informant. He tells
me that besides the Hoopah the Indians who used to visit the pool
below the falls for salmon were Poliklah from Wetchpek on Klamath
River, 'Hwilkut from Redwood Creek, and Chemareko from Hyampom.
They used to camp a little below the falls.
_Hoopa Geographic Names_
Hoopa V. Nah-tin-noo
Main Trinity R. Hahn
Trinity R. "up and down" Hahn-nuk-ki
Bull Cr. Mis-tes-se ah-tung
("sliding place")
Mill Cr. Mis-kut e-ta-e-tuk ne-lin-na-kah
(correct name) and Tsol-tsah muk-kah
(nickname from rock with female
mark)
Socktish Cr. Chan-ta-kot ne-lin-na-kah
Hostler Cr. Tsa-mit-tah ("between two rocks")
Site of present settlement Toos-kahts-tung-kah
in Hoopa V.
Campbell Cr. Tish-tah-ah-tung mu-mahn-chung
ne-lin-nuk-kah
Tish Tang A Tang Cr. Tish-tahn-ah-tung ne-lin-nuk-kah
Horse Linto Cr. Hahs-lin-nak-kak
Raccoon Cr. Se^{ch}-ki-uk-kah ("white rock")
Willow Cr. Ho-whah-chal-tung
South Fork Trinity 'Hlal-tung (at junction with main
Trinity)
South Fork Trinity Ye-sin-ching-ki (whole river)
Madden Cr. Tilch-wetch uk-kah
New R. Ye-tok ne-lin-nuk-kah
Forks of New R. Tsa-nah-ning-ah-tung
Ironside Mt. (east of New Tsen-nen-kut
R. mouth)
High Rocky Ridge (northwest Ta-se-tahn-ne-kut
of New R. mouth)
Trinity Summit Ridge Mung-kin-ne-kow-a-kut
Berry Summit Ho-e^{ch}-kut mit-ta-kahn
Redwood Cr. Ho-e^{ch}-kut ne-lin-nu-kah