f'A LI I ORNIA. 



51 



California, excited to exertion by seeing their companions praisrd 

 < -,, *!) an ,l rc \vauli d. Bui it is only upon tuch occasions 

 that they can te prevailed upon to shake off their in 

 nate sloth. The quality which is chiefly valued 

 among these savages is bravery, though they n 



ii together ignorant of its true nature, and even 

 destitute of mere animal courage. Their anger is 

 excited by the slightest causes, but as easily appeased, 

 and lasts no longer than while they meet with no re- 

 sistance. They are daunted by the least opposition, 

 and v !n 11 o;:n- overcome witli tear they will submit 

 to the lo\\vt iudignities. But if, on the contrary, 

 they have obtained any advantage, and their enemy 

 appears disheartened, tiny will prosecute their ma- 

 lice, and exult over them with the most childish ex- 

 travagance. It must be observed, however, that their 



is in general reserved for the enemies of their 

 tribi'. The 'greatest harmony prevails throughout 

 the horde. Quarrels are scarcely known among 

 tl: :n ; and though they m;iy be destitute of those 

 nobler qualities for which some savage nations have 

 been distinguished, they are also free from many of 

 their vices. They are neither obstinate, harsh, nor 

 cruel, but extremely docile and gentle, and easily per- 

 suaded to either good or evil. Inebriating liquors 

 were unknown in the country ; but they intoxicate 

 themselves with the fumes of wild tobacco, which, 

 however, is confined entirely to their festivals. 



Among the Californians, every uation or language 

 consists of several rancherias, more or less extensive, 

 according to the fertility of the soil, and each ran- 

 cheria of one or more families. They have no chiefs 

 or caciques among them, whose authority they ac- 

 knowledge either by tribute or external ceremonies. 

 The Cahfornian savage in all his actions is free and 

 unrestrained. He is entire master of his lib.erty, and 

 .knows no superior to whom he must give an ac- 

 counf. Every family governs itself according to its 

 own fancy ; and the natural obedience of children to 

 their parents, is forgotten as soon as the former are 

 able to provide for themselves. On some occasions, 

 however, they submitted to the direction of a leader, 

 especially in gathering, at particular seasons, the fruit 

 of the pilakaya, which constituted their principal 

 food, in their fisheries, and in their military expedi- 

 tions. But this dignity was obtained neither by 

 blood, by age, by suffrages, nor by a formal election. 

 He that was most brave, artful, or eloquent, assumed 

 the command, and his authority was established by 

 the tacit consent of his rancheria, who quietly sub- 

 mitted until the exigency was over which required his 

 direction. In the time of war, this leader sent and 

 received the messages to and from the adjacent friend- 

 ly states ; spirited his nation up to revenge ; inform- 

 ed them of dangers, and headed them in battle. But 

 their warlike expeditions were never undertaken, like 

 many savage nations, for the sake of plunder, or to 

 increase their ter: itories, but generally torevengesome 

 . affront or injury among private persons, as the nonour 

 of the whole rancheria was supposed to be affected by 

 an insult offered to any of its members. A more substan- 

 tial, though not such a common cause of quarrel, was 

 when one nation presumed to hunt, fish, or gather fruits, 

 where another nation had acquired a prescriptive right. 

 The offence was immediately followed by a dtcla- 



ii of war. Hostilities were commenced, and if *bfarntt. 

 the aggrieved party supposed i hem -! uuablr to 

 give battle to i s they apphed for succour 



to sunn- friendly ranthrria. Preparation* are then 

 made at openly, and with as much noiic and butlc 

 IS possible, in order t ttrtkr tcrn-r n.to th ir ad- 

 versaries, and by this meant obtain an easier victory. 

 y one vrat commanded to provide a sufficient 

 quantity of arrow*, which were made of reeds, curi- 

 ously p..int( -d with flint, but not poisoned ; at least, 

 if they used any ubstance for tint purpose, it waa 

 very blow in its operations, fur the Spaniards have 

 never been able to discover such a custom, nor have 

 met with any instance* of slight wound* occasioned 

 by these arrows proving fatal. They have also a 

 kind of wooden spears, with the points sharpened 

 and hardened in the fire, which they ue when they 

 came to close action, and which do equal execution 

 with those pointed with steel. They advance to the 

 attack with a It ud shout, and engage without any 

 regularity ; and the battle is decided, not so much 

 by conduct, strength, or courage, but by keeping up 

 their spirits against their innate cowardice, and by 

 shewing an apparent boldness, in order to inspire their 

 enemy with fear. The Calirornians do not, like many 

 American nations, eat their prisoners, or enemies 

 killed in war, although, when they have slain a chief 

 or leader of the enemy, they eat a small morsel of 

 his body in the field of battle, being impressed with 

 the idea, that it increases their courage. They burn 

 their dead, and deposit the ashes in a morai ; and, 

 like the Canadians, they scalp the vanquished, and 

 tear out their eyes, which they have the art of pre- 

 serving from corruption. In some of their battles, 

 immense numbers are slain on both sides ; and 

 many of the rancherias, in the south of the peninsu- 

 la, hare been totally destroyed by these intestine 

 quarrels. 



The ancient religion of this people, as far as can 

 be collected from the accounts of the Jesuits, u a 

 mixture of the most monstrous absurdities, of which 

 it is impossible to give any adequate description. In- 

 deed, these accounts vary so much, in many most es- 

 sential particulars, that we are not disposed to place 

 much reliance upon their accuracy. Father Venegas 

 prefaces his account of the Californian religion, oy 

 telling us, that all relations agree, that idolatry was 

 unknown in this country ; that the inhabitants had 

 neither creature nor image, to whom they paid any 

 kind of adoration ; nor any outward profession of 

 religion, either in festivals, prayers, vows, expiations, 

 er any public or private marks of addresses to God ; 

 and that they were involved in the same deplorable 

 blindness as their neighbours, on the opposite coast 

 of Cinaloa, of whom Father Rivas aays, that scarcely 

 any trace of religion was to be found among them, 

 nor did their external performances shew the least 

 knowledge of God. But we are at the same time 

 told, that they had among them a series of specula- 

 tive tenets, resembling many of the Christian doc- 

 trines, though mixed with a thousand absurdities ; an 

 order of priests ; and schools where their youth were 

 instructed in religious opinions. That they had aa 

 idea of the true nature of God, of the eternal gene- 

 ration of the logoff of the doctrine of the T: . 



