Otherwise, they lived off the bounty of the land, ocean and river, including fish and shellfish, and acorns from the native Black Oak. The Pomo mined obsidian to make tools and cultivated tobacco for ceremonial uses. The valley was sheltered from yet accessible to the ocean and so provided cooling ocean breezes along with inland warmth. The Russian River Valley was richly forested and provided an abundance of wild game, fish, fruits and berries in a temperate climate. ![]() The Pomo of the Russian River Valley built their dome-shaped Wickiups, temporary dwellings made of poles tied together at the top and thatched with mud and reeds, along the banks of the Russian River in summer and farther up the hillsides in winter. Others believe that the name Sonoma came from the Pomo words tso ("earth place") and noma ("village"). Jack London, among others, thought the name meant "valley of the moon" after the Pomo legend that when the moon rises farthest to the north, it will show its face seven times between the seven peaks of the Sonoma Mountains. The Pomo called their land Sonoma, perhaps a combination of the Pomo words sono ("big nose") and ma ("land") after a tribal chief. Around the turn of the century, scientists named the Native Americans of Sonoma County "red earth people" or "poomo," but the Pomo called themselves the Pat-Win ("open people" or "people who lived outside"). Indian SettlementĮxperts believe the Pomo settled in Sonoma County, particularly along the Russian River (which they called Shabaikai meaning "long snake") as early as 5000BCE. But when the Indians did venture forth through the forest, they found a paradise of life giving resources. ![]() It would have been barely penetrable for Native Americans 5000 years ago, as indeed it was for European settlers until the logging of the forest began late in the 19th century. The entire valley, all the way down to the river banks, was likely covered with a dark and dense forest of ancient redwoods. In fact, the river's twists and turns come from eons of struggling against this tremendous force. Even before the flow of the Russian River was augmented by the diversion of hydroelectric runoff from the Eel River, it was formidable enough to push its way through the mountains being forced upward and eastward at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |