Indians of North America -- California Search this
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Folklore
Date:
May, 1889
Scope and Contents:
Fourteen stories have original in Curtin's hand (difficult to read), plus a typed copy; one story has typed copy only. Typed material totals 56 pages.
Local Numbers:
NAA MS 269
Local Note:
These stories had been catalogued for many years as Wintun myths recorded by Powell, and are so described in Harvey Pitkin's Wintun bibliography, International Journal of American Linguistics, Volume 28, Number 1, 1962, page 47, item 48. I recognised in 1960 that the myths were in Curtin's writing, and indicated this on the microfilm copy sent to the University of California, Berkeley, April, 1960. However, in 1966 I noticed that the names of the Karok towns of Katimin and Panomnik (Panamenik), the Karok term for Coyote (piqnefitc) and the word Karok, appear throughout the stories, and consequently recatalogued the manuscripts as Karok at that time --MCB.
National Museum of Natural History (U.S.). Department of Anthropology Search this
Smithsonian Institution. Department of Anthropology Search this
Smithsonian Institution. United States National Museum. Department of Anthropology Search this
Container:
Box 43
Type:
Archival materials
Scope and Contents:
Includes Indians, painting of; Indians: California Maidu, Chinook, civilization of, Kansas, mythology, Mohave, Navaho, Paiute, Oregon-Washington, population, bannocks, Eastern Washington, Quinaielt, Wintun, photographs, San Luis Rey, and tribes settled in Cherokee Nation; industrial areas; insects—folklore; Irish folk ballads; Iron age in America; ivory; jargon; Java; Israel; and Kabyles.
Collection Restrictions:
Some materials are restricted.
Access to the Department of Anthropology records requires an appointment.
Collection Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Collection Citation:
Department of Anthropology Records, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
In handwriting of a scribe. Contents: "Tirumenasa and The daughters of Tsararokkiemila." 17 pages. Places: Pitt River. "Berit loses the Daughter of Taretkiemila and his own hair by dreaming of Kahit." 6 pages. Places: Mt. Shasta. "The Journey of Sedit and Poharamasherit to the land of Puidalladekiemila. 30 pages. Places: Pitt River, Lassen Butte. "Death of Suptcit and Resurrection of the Nompatits by Winispukic." 10 pages. Places: Sacramento River. "Sedit buys three barks of Nohlospatkilis." 8 pages. Place: Stillwater. "Sulaloimis at Nelwakut." 16 pages. Places: Sacramento River, Anderson. "Sedit and Kalihuri at Dekesnorton." 10 pages. Places: Sacramento River. "Tsileuherit and the Tcitiwirik Sisters." 10 pages. Places: Sacramento River, Lassens Butte. ""Kuril splits himself and becomes the Man and Woman Kukipiwit." 7 pages. Places: Redding, Rockbridge (near Shasta City). "Memtulitkiemila and Tsuratkiemila on Puimem." 9 pages. Places: Pitt River. "Pitisherit and Klakherit." 26 pages. "The Birth of Walokitila and Tumukitila." 19 pages. Places: List of geographic locations with this myth gives "Wintun name" and translation. "The visit of Puipawinmak and Tsikipatharamas to their brother Topiwaikalalti in the land of Topitcikiemila. 23 pages. Places: Sacramento River, Redding, Pitt River, McCloud River, places near Anderson, and Shasta City, Stillwater.
"Hlutcustcinaila and Nopyarhpak's daughters." 27 pages. Places: McCloud River. Sedit "wolf" (coyote) in Wintun.--Curtin, Wintun vocabulary. Manuscript #841, recorded 1888-1889, Shasta County, California.
Local Numbers:
NAA MS 3535
Local Note:
These myths have been catalogued for many years as "California myths" on the basis of place-names, but have not been more specifically identified. However, three stories mention Sedit, "wolf" (or "Coyote") in Wintun (see Curtin, Manuscript Number 841, Wintun vocabulary recorded 1888-89, Shasta County, California); and one story gives the "Wintun name" in a list of geographic locations. Presumably all of the stories are Wintun.--MCB, 5/66
Other Title:
Tirumenasa and The daughters of Tsararokkiemila
Berit loses the Daughter of Taretkiemila and his own hair by dreaming of Kahit
The Journey of Sedit and Poharamasherit to the land of Puidalladekiemila
Death of Suptcit and Resurrection of the Nompatits by Winispukic
Sedit buys three barks of Nohlospatkilis
Sulaloimis at Nelwakut
Sedit and Kalihuri at Dekesnorton
Tsileuherit and the Tcitiwirik Sisters
Kuril splits himself and becomes the Man and Woman Kukipiwit
Memtulitkiemila and Tsuratkiemila on Puimem
Pitisherit and Klakherit
The Birth of Walokitila and Tumukitila
The visit of Puipawinmak and Tsikipatharamas to their brother Topiwaikalalti in the land of Topitcikiemila
Indians of North America -- California Search this
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
undated
Scope and Contents:
Includes notes on "Nosa" (Yana) myths and customs from "Jake," October 13, 1884 ?, 1 page; "Nosi" story, 1 page; miscellaneous vocabulary notes, partially identified as Nosa from Curtin's vocabulary Number 2060, 9 pages; fragment of a draft concerning analogies between Magyar and North American Indian myths, 3 pages; vocabulary notes, unidentified language (not Nosa), 4 pages. 18 pages total.
Local Numbers:
NAA MS 269-a
Local Note:
Found with Curtin's Karok myths, which had formerly been catalogued as Wintun myths recorded by Powell; therefore these notes had also formerly been assumed to be Wintun, and are incorrectly listed in Harvey Pitkin's Wintun bibliography, International Journal of Linguistics, Volume 28, Number 1, 1962, page 45, item 12.
General:
Previously titled "Miscellany in Curtin's handwriting."
Topic:
Language and languages -- Documentation Search this
In addition to Modoc materials, there are items which relate or may relate to the Shasta, Achomawi, Wintun and Yana. Possibly not all are in Curtin's handwriting.
Contents of file: (1) "Modoc Words." February 23, 1884. 34 pages total: vocabulary 24, 2 pages; myth, 2 pages (note on outside cover reads, "One Kumush story in this book"); notes on several myths which are identified by number only, 6 pages. This entire item may belong in file 2569. (2) "Customs. Information given by Jesse Pitt." Modoc. 9 pages, numbered 421-9. Marked "not to be used in "Modoc Myths;" see letter 7/8/12." This notation is crossed out. (3) "Medicine. The Doctor. This information was given by Koalak'aka. I afterward questioned the old men at Klamath Agency and found out that it was accurate." 8 pages numbered 414-20. Same notation as above, crossed out. (4) "Names of Places on the Triangle East of Redding and South of Pit River. Achomawi ? 30 pages. (5) Personal names, Achomawi ? Shasta ? Wintun ? Yana ? 15 pages. (6) Item moved to Yana vocabulary # 2060 (5/66) (7) Vocabulary. Tribe ? 6 pages. Mentions terms relating to Mt. Shasta page 2; Redding, page 3, Pit River, page 4, Maj. Redding, page 5, Stillwater, page 5. (8) Miscellaneous vocabulary notes. Tribes ? 7 pages.
Local Numbers:
NAA MS 3538
Other Title:
Modoc Words
Customs. Information given by Jesse Pitt
Medicine. The Doctor.
Names of Places on the Triangle East of Redding and South of Pit River
Partly in Powell's handwriting, most in hand of a clerk. Also 21 pages vocabularies and notes in Powell's hand, apparently Wintun, found with Curtin's Karok myths (Number 269) and added to this file (4/60).
Contents (In Powell's hand) 1 page. Introduction 49 pages. Numklactawa creates the Sacramento River 9 pages. Hot, the Great Musician 7 pages. Vegetal food provided 5 pages. Light and Darkness 10 pages. [Ages of the Wintuns] 3 pages. Thunder and Lightning 2 pages. The Wind Maker 1 page. The Origin of the Rainy Season 3 pages. Sed-it is caught in a tree: a Tar-baby Story 8 pages. Ber-rit- the Giant of Mt. Shasta 2 pages. Blue-jay, the Medicine Woman 2 pages. The Buzzard aspires to the Chief 7 pages. The Comet-Goddess 1 page. Whirlwinds 1 page. Wak-porc, the God of Fire 8 pages. Wo-mul-num-kai-a, the Red-headed Woodpecker 6 pages. To-ri-has, the Bald Eagle 3 pages. The Great Magician 8 pages. Bul-ti-hok, the Screech Owl1 page. Tul-tcu-her-ris 9 pages. [No-dal-mo-no-ko, an orphan] 11 pages. Lightning and Thunder & other stories (Powell's hand) 23 pages. [Ka-het, the Monster Bat] 1 page. Portion of paper (?) pages 17, 32, and 38 to 50 incl. (Powell's hand) 3 pages. Notes on medicine, word lists, list of Indians from whom Wintun Mythology was procured, etc. One sheet is dated November 12, 1880 7 pages. 204 pages total.
Local Numbers:
NAA MS 794-b
Local Note:
Note: The second part of this file is incorrectly listed in Harvey Pitkin's Wintun bibliography, International Journal of American Linguistics, Volume 28, Number 1, 1962, page 47 at the end of entry 48 (Manuscript 269 by Curtin) instead of at the end of entry 47 (Manuscript 794-b).
