12 THE YOKAIA, ETC. 
the ocean, and fell sick before he traveled far, whereupon he vomited up 
this lake. 
Besides the Senel, there live in this vicinity the So-ké-a, the Lé-ma, 
and the Si-a-ko, very small tribes or villages. 
THE KO-MA-CHO. 
These Indians live in Rancheria and Anderson Valleys, and are a 
branch of the great Pomo family, although more nearly related to the Senel 
than to the Pomo proper. Their name is derived from their present chief, 
whose authority extends over both valleys. 
One custom is observed by the Komacho, which I have not heard of 
among the Pomo or any other Indians in the State. It is the levying of a 
kind of free-will tax on the people for the support of the chief. Every 
autumn, on the occasion of the great annual gathering which prevails quite 
generally throughout California upon the ripening of the acorns, they bring 
up their voluntary contributions to himself and to the members of his family 
as regularly as the medieval Englishman paid his Rome-scot on Lammas- 
day. Dried salmon, acorn-bread, fine buckskins, baskets ornamental and 
baskets useful, strings of shells; all these are acceptable. Also, when one 
of the chief’s family dies all the tribe assemble at his wigwam to condole 
with him, and each brings an offering according to his several ability, for 
himself or some member of his family. 
Their principal anniversary dance is the watermelon dance. It is cele- 
brated with the same sacred costumes of feathers, and with very much the 
same manner of chanting and dancing as have been described in the chap- 
ters on the Pomo. ‘They stand around the fire in two circles, the women 
outside, and the men dance or rather stamp with one foot only, while the 
women simply sway themselves to and fro and swing their handkerchiefs. 
Like the Senel, they frequently torture themselves in behalf of their 
sick relatives. When any one dear to them is lying at the point of death 
the squaws are stricken with the wildest frenzy of grief, and fling into the 
air handful after handful of their most valuable shell-money. Then they 
suddenly fall to the earth as if in a trance, where they lie motionless and 
lifeless for hours, like those smitten by the “power” in a negro revival. 
