Hoffman.] 372 [March 19, 



Vocabulary of the Waitshum'ni Dialect, of the Kawi'a Language. Tule 

 Agency, Cal. By W. J. Hoffman, M.D., Washington, D. C. 



{Read before the American Philosophical Society, March 19, 1SS6.) 



The material relating to the accompanying vocabulary of the Wait- 

 shum'ni, or Waiktshum'ni, dialect of the Kawi'a language of California, 

 was collected chiefly in 1882, but some verifications were made at a subse- 

 quent visit to Tule Indian Agency in 1884. The agency headquarters are 

 located eighteen miles east of Porterville, on the south fork of Tule river. 

 The Indians occupy log dwellings, and most of them raise cereals and 

 some fruit. The habitable portion of the agency, or reservation, is nearly 

 two miles in length, and varies from one hundred yards to half a mile in 

 width, either side being flanked by towering ridges of the Sierra Nevada. 

 Game is exceedingly abundant, and game birds, especially the valley 

 quail, are found in almost every copse and grassy lawn. 



These Indians manufacture exceedingly fine and durable basket- ware, 

 the coils consisting of three or more strands of long grass, the stitching 

 together being accomplished by using thin strands of split roots of natural, 

 or artificial colors — usually black, red and white. The design which may 

 be denominated a typical one, consists of a sort of serrated character, run- 

 ning straight,- or diagonally from the centre to the periphery. The figure 

 of the Yo'kut — man, also figures on drinking-vessels, and on women's 

 conical hats. Their food being chiefly obtained from the agent, requires 

 but little exertion on the part of the natives to subsist satisfactorily ; but 

 during the autumn great quantities of acorns are gathered, and pounded 

 into meal at such places where this fruit occurs in greatest abundance. Here 

 too, one finds cavities in the boulders which have been made to serve as 

 mortars. The meal is placed in conical baskets, when water is poured 

 over it to extract the bitter principle, after which it is boiled into a mush 

 and eaten cold, the hand serving as a spoon. 



But few good crania can be obtained at this day, the one common Indian 

 burial-ground being carefully and unceasingly watched, not so much for 

 fear of losing the bones of their relatives, but on account of their supersti 

 tions regarding the dead. In general appearance, these Indians resemble 

 the Pah-Utes of the Nevada side of the mountains. Their personal clean- 

 liness does not give them much care, but there are times when several 

 may be found taking a wash in the river, after having submitted to a very 

 severe sweat-bath in one of the low and partly underground sweat houses. 



These are but three or four feet from floor to ceiling, and measure about 

 six feet in diameter. The entrance is low, and about two feet in diameter. 

 A small opening near the ceiling, at the point opposite the entrance, serves 

 as an exit for the smoke from the fire, which is built immediately inside 

 the door, after the bathers have entered and huddled together. During 

 this scorching and sweating process, singing is kept up, and when the 

 proper stage arrives, all of the occupants rush down and into the water. 



