Memories of a Massacre
I study the Nomlaki language of my tribe. Our language is considered the southern most extension of the Northern Wintun dialects. On the northern side of the spectrum are the Wintu dialects.
Several years ago, I was fortunate enough to be given clearance by the late linguist, Alice (Schlichter) Shepherd, to access her volumes of recordings in which the late Norēlmaq (Hayfork Wintu) elder, Grace McKibbin, was documented. Between 1975 - 1980, about 450 tracks were recorded, and which equal about 51 hours and 19 minutes.
I have listened to every track at least twice.
When I need to clear my head, or get my thoughts off of other subjects, I play my Wintun language recordings. Lately, I’ve been randomly selecting tracks from the Shepherd/McKibbin recordings.
Today, with my headphones in, I cruised around our Hawaiʻi Kai Costco listening to a conversation between Alice, Grace, Tina McGuinness, and Carrie Dixon about the Bridge Gulch Massacre of 1852.
The following is what wikipedia has to say about the massacre:
“The Bridge Gulch Massacre, also known as the Hayfork Massacre or Natural Bridge Massacre, occurred on 23 April 1852, when more than 150 Wintu people were killed by about 70 American men led by William H. Dixon, the Trinity County sheriff.”
“The massacre was in response to the killing of Colonel John Anderson by the Wintu. The Americans tracked the Wintu to a part of the Hayfork Valley known as Bridge Gulch, where they had made camp. They waited until early morning before attacking, to ensure that nobody could escape. When daylight broke they attacked the Wintu, who were just beginning to awaken. More than 150 Wintu people were killed, with only two or three infants surviving the attack. Those Wintu killed in the massacre were not responsible for the death of John Anderson, who was killed by Wintu from a different band.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_Gulch_Massacre)
Grace McKibbin’s great uncle, “Bucksin” Bob Brown, later told little Gracie that he was the sole survivor of the massacre.
Here is what Grace McKibbin explained to the ladies:
GRACE: This is my Uncle Bob’s dream song. He was kind of a legend anyway. He was just a Christian man…believed in all the gods. This is the song he sang…that’s the one that got away up there––Natural Bridge––when he was just about eight years old, I guess.
Tina: He was a survivor, huh?
GRACE: Uh-huh.
Tina: What was his name?
GRACE: “Buckskin Bob” they called him sometimes. “Bob Brown” they called him.
[*sings song*]
That’s kinda hard, too many words in it.
He said, “Our spirit is going to Heaven when we pass by.”
He said, “That’s where we going––into Heaven.”
He used to believe in all that, you know? I guess that’s how he got away. All the rest of the kids was all killed but him. He just went up that little blind gulch on the other side of that Natural Bridge.
TINA: Wasn’t there one girl, Gracie?
GRACE: Huh?
TINA: There was one girl outta that, in Weaverville.
GRACE: Huh-uh. Uncle Bob said there was nobody. Just only him.
TINA: They claim there was one girl that got away and she’s…some people in Weaverville raised her.
GRACE: Hmmm. That’s what I heard…and I asked him and he said, “No, nobody. Nobody couldn’t get away. He said they just murdered them just right and left…babies in the basket, they just tromped on ‘em.
TINA: Oh gees!
GRACE: And little kids just walking––they’d just grab 'em by the leg and smash 'em into the tree.
TINA: Good God!
GRACE: Oh, it was terrible. He said when…he just laid right down just like he was dead, you know? And soon as that black powder, you know? They shoot someone with that black powder gun they used to shoot…it just…everything was just smoke! Then, that’s the time he just went right up that gulch. He said he just crawled up there. Went way up there. Got up on top of someplace…he knew all that trail, you know? He got up there and went down into Kingsbury. His dad and his brother lived over there. Told them they were all murdered.
TINA: That was good he had some folks to go to.
GRACE: Mm-hmm.
TINA: Otherwise, he might not’ve made it, you know?
ALICE: Yeah.
* * * * * * * *
I don’t imagine that many people outside of the Wintu communities, or who haven’t listened to these recordings, have heard the Wintu side of the story.
This is just ONE example of probably dozens––if not hundreds––of stories from California which cannot truly be completely comprehended unless both sides of the story can be heard.
May the souls of our massacred relations rest in peace.
