NEWS

Repatriation
To Return to the country of one’s birth or citizenship.
" All Tribes have ancestor remains in boxes on shelves, somewhere, warehoused. We want to see them returned.”
The Big Valley Tribal Chairman has just received a Draft Notice of Inventory Completion for Human Remains and Associated Funerary Objects from Lake County. This notice states that a detailed assessment of the human remains and associated funerary objects was made by Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology professional staff in consultation with representative of the Big Valley Rancheria of Pomo Indians. The 115 cultural items include 10 lots of shell beads, 10 stone beads, 30 clam shells, 5 stone chips, 9 stone knives, 5 bone fragments, 3 ceramic fragments, 29 buttons, 9 nails, 3 metal toy fragments an 2 obsidian fragments.

In 1908, human remains representing one individual and associated funery objects were donated to the Peabody Museum by Lewis H. Farlow. The human remains and cultural items were collected by Grace A Nicholson in 1908. Museum records indicate that these human remains and cultural items are from the grave of a known individual named Captain Posh-ka of the Kuh-lah-na-pi Tribe of Pomo Indians. The grave was located near Kelseyville. In 1906, in an effort to salvage the grave from road construction, it was excavated by William Benson, a Pomo and nephew of Captain Posh-ka. The Museum and Big Valley Tribe have been unable to identify lineal descendents of this individual and notes indicate that he had no children. This Tribal member was buried in 1870.

These human remains and associated funerary objects are considered to be affiliated to the Big Valley Rancheria of Pomo Indians. Repatriation of these human remains and associated funerary objects to the Big Valley Rancheria of Pomo Indians may begin after a public notice period if no additional claimants come forward. It is anticipated that repatriation of these remains and funerary objects will take place at the NAGPRA Review Committee Meeting in Kelseyville during the Spring of 2001.

When the treaty of 1851 was negotiated with the Federal Government, it mentions a Chief Pri-e-to and his captains as negotiators for our tribe. Captain Posh-ka surely was one of the captains involved in these negotiations. Captain Posh-ka is a very important ancestor for our Tribe and must be returned home to his people, his lake and his land.

Prior to the 1860’s our ancestors cremated those who had passed on. This change started when traveling Catholic priests came through Lake County, and, in converting tribal members, taught them to substitute burial for cremation.

Before the Catholics changed our ways, bodies were cremated face down with the head to the south. That was the direction the soul would go. By the face being down it was easier for the soul to arise. The person’s possessions would be put on the pile before it was set on fire. It was believed that the persons could use the objects when he or she arrived at the other side. Beliefs of an after life varied from tribe to tribe. The spirit of the dead person stayed with the body for four days, then left for Heaven , generally located over a big body of water to the south. Heaven was a wonderful place; nice buildings, plenty to eat, many flowers, no enemies and beautiful surroundings. Sometime the spirit of a bad person was not accepted in heaven, then it might return in the form of a coyote or screech owl. Some bad spirits were taken to heaven's sweat house, where they were thrown in the fire to remain forever. Some spirits stayed on earth and roamed around to haunt people who had done wrong. Spirits showed as hshadows if seen in daytime, or as a bright light, if seen at night.

September, 2000