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0/ wnv4NAndrew Genzoli•p «.**' £ L' ~ c 4\ i '^ ^ ' \ iy«« Ir£ rs, CT .....A*\ eg__lt;lt; I yc * r- ko »«cCo.A STIRRING INDIAN TALE — When Ishi In ahoTwo Worlds, by Theodora Kroeber, was published, ^reA4k m A a .it was hailed as an outstanding book about a now ”ua* 'BNextinct Indian and his tribe. It was an anthropo- mo| logical study of Ishi’s life and his times, fairNow, the author has gone even deeper into the TIshi story, with a new book, Ishi, Last of His Tribe. ‘,l The new volume is beautifully illustrated with draw* ings by Ruth Robbins, and comes from Parnassus moj Press, Berkeley. The price is $3.95, a small fare roufor a great reading thrill. wa;At first, it was my feeling the author had simply tr*cgone ahead and produced another book about Ishi.But, as 1 read, I found she had breathed life into thename, bringing it very much into reality. The storyis simply written, it is easy to understand. So easy,that at times you find your emotions deeply affected,your sympathy for Ishi reaching out in the hope youcould bring him back and explain the things hedidn’t understand. You’d like to befriend him.1SaiThe story has a beginning before 1911, but as .ar as the white man is concerned, the great discovery of the last of Yana was made that year. __mrMrs. Kroeber’s husband, Alfred Kroeber. waschairman of the Department of Anthropology and ajrCurator of the Museum of Anthropology of the Uni- ^versitv of California when Ishi was discovered in* _1911. He and Ishi became close friends. Professorand Mrs. Kroeber and their four children came toihinutoiknow many Indians, some of whom visited their j.jr home in Berkeley. The Indians worked for Kroeber, dictating to him the words of their language, andtelling him the Way of Life of their people.so?railieTurning to Mrs. Kroeber’s author's note. thestory of Ishi is a story from history. Ishi was an x American Indian born in 1861 or 1862. His tribe was1 iedCMc*nithe Yana, and his parents belonged to the souther-most of the Yana who called themselves the Yahi. tjn‘The Yana lived in the western foothills of Mount doLassen, in northern California. They were old on the sal land, their ancestors having lived there for three or nr four thousand years or more. The land belonged to he no one before them; they were its first native sons.” waA dozen years before Ishi was born, the goldrush brought white men to California, and into Yanacountry. By the time he was ten years old, the *°whitemen had killed or driven the tribesmen from 10thoir homes until only the young boy Ishi and a hand- ®uful of other Yr.hi were left. Unknown to the white (swlsoDiscovery of the Yana village was made in 1908 when a power company’s work crew came across it.It was in 1911 that Ishi was found in the corral of aslaughterhouse outside Oroville.Ishi was taken to San Francisco’s Parnassus af Heights, to make his home in the Museum of Anthro-pology of the University of California. There he w shared the secrets of his people with Kroeber and -others..A V« 1 \ J A ' ' V * I V. I * »■» • » » » » - - - - - — ---—men, they hid in canyons, living as best they could inthe old Yahi wav.Wixt111The storv unwinds in a beautifully flowing manner. As you plunge deeper into its pages you findyourself unwilling to stop reading. As you enter the | last pages you still cannot put the book down. I read •» on until 2:20 a.m. There is poetry, love and understanding in the lines as only Theodora Kroeber is p able to transmit such a feeling for the Indian people, p.. .. . « • * • « a ifVII TYou know this if you read Mrs. Kroeber’s The In- dland Whale.CLshi's first hours in captivity are those of a man ti who has had reason to distrust the white man. He Kis offered a cup of coffee, a bowl of soup and bread, tlHe shakes his head in refusal.The food and drink is probably poisoned. Tn any case, I do not eat while these saldu (whitemen) 3of no manners, these noisy demons stare at me. rIshi has watched the Sheriff, the Headman,”for whom he gradually shows trust. The white menvare crowding into the jail to see the captive. . . The air is thick and foul. After some hours the sheriff ,came with more food, but Ishi shook his head. JWill he say I must eat? It is no matter; I cannot.r‘Someone laughted when Ishi turned away from t the offered food. The sheriff said some words; he rdid not raise his voice, but the room became quiet, cHe pointed toward the outside. At first no one mov- t ed; he spoke again, the crowd began to move drag- t gingly toward the entrance. There were a few un- t derbreath comments. This time the sheriff spoke, ihis hand moved toward the firestick in his belt. :There was a rush as of stampeding deer, then ithe room was empty except for the sheriff, his help- \er, and Ishi.4 *The sheriff turned to Ishi and said something •which Ishi understood the meaning if not the words,‘This is better’.From this point, lshi’s days improve. He is interviewed, an effort is made to understand him. His1tIintelligence helps him get ideas and words over tohis new friends. There are many adventures before1Ishi reaches his new home in San Francisco. (i]It. is not mv intention to divulge more of theorv, for it would only spoil it for you. *As soon as you can, get yourself a copy of Ishi, ast of His Tribe. It is so written as to be underood by children and adults. There are lines foric thoughtful to ponder. There are lines in which a hite man can reflect upon the cruelty of his elders,% . « t* I' A A J ni their ambitious, heartless effort to grab and set-e.Theodora Kroeber has produced a book for which_ * ile can be justly proud.
Newspaper Details
Eureka Humboldt Times
Eureka, California, US
Fri, Sep 25, 1964
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Full Page
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USA 28 Oct 2022
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