Finding the Lone Woman

Excerpt from Carl Dittman's memoir, “Narrative of a Seafaring Life on the Coast of California."

… I began to look about me & finally discovered at a distance on the N.E. side of the ridge & about halfway to its top, a small black object that from where I stood looked like a crow seated on a bush. I thought I saw it move, & so went towards it. I soon discovered that it was the Indian woman. She was seated within an inclosure similar to those already described so that until quite near her I could only see her head & shoulders. I approached her cautiously & was enabled to get within a few yards of her unobserved as she had her face turned from the direction in which I had come. While I was still some distance away two dogs, probably the same we had seen the day before began to growl whereupon she gave a yell & they went away; but she did not turn around. From this point I could plainly see our men searching about on the sandy flat, & I signaled to them by placing my hat on the ramrod of my gun & raising & lowering it until I succeeded in attracting their attention, when I made signs for them to come. The old woman saw them also, as every few minutes she would look toward the flat, shading her eyes from the sun with her hand & talking rapidly to herself. While the men were coming towards me I had an opportunity of observing the old woman & her surroundings. She was seated cross legged on the ground & was engaged in separating the blubber from a piece of seal skin which was lying across one knee & held by one hand. In the other hand she grasped a crude knife, a piece of iron hoop thrust into a rough piece of wood for a handle & held so that the back of the hand was turned down, scraping & cutting from, instead of towards her. Just outside the inclosure there was a high pile of ashes & bones showing that she had lived in this place some time. Baskets of grass & vessels of the same material made in the shape of a flagon & lined with asphaltum, used to hold water, were scattered about. On a sinew rope stretched between two poles several feet above the ground were hanging pieces of seal blubber, while near her was the head of a seal from which the brains, already putrid were running. Her covering consisted of a single garment of the shag’s [cormorant] skin, the feathers out & pointing downward, in shape resembling a loose gown. It was sleeveless, low in the neck & was girded at the waist with sinew rope. When she stood up, as I afterwards observed, it extended nearly to her ankles. She had no covering on her head; her hair which was thickly matted, & bleached & a reddish brown, hung down to her shoulders.

As soon as the men came near enough I made signs for them to spread out, & approach her in a circle, lest she should attempt to escape. While they were still some distance away, but sufficiently near to prevent her escape, I stepped around in front of her, but instead of seeing her startled & alarmed, I was surprised to have her bow & smile, as though it was a delight to see me & my visit an everyday occurrence. She began a rapid talking & gesticulating, all of which was wholly unintelligible to me. As fast as the men approached her she also bowed, smiled & talked to them. They all sat down in a circle around her while I made signals to Nidever who was in sight to come to us. After some delay he came up & we sat down with the men. Taking some roots from two bags or sacks made of grass she placed them in the coals & as soon as they were roasted she passed them around making motions for us to eat. One of the roots was what is commonly called carcomite [blue dick] among the Californians; the other I do not know the name of. The Indians among our men tried to talk with the old woman but did not succeed in making themselves understood, neither could they comprehend her language.

• Listen to memories of visit to San Nicolas Island in 1853

  
  

  Carl Dittman finds the Lone Woman at one of her camps.

  Date created:

  10/14/2020