When I was a little boy, after my mother died I came to live with Captain Charlie at the rancheria in Jackson Valley, that would have been about 1915 or 1916. I lived with Captain Charlie for several years; he taught me many things...He'd take me out in the country, [sometimes] in areas where there were Indian cemeteries...We weren't supposed to look right at them, supposed to look the other way. Couldn't pick up anything from nearby. You weren't supposed to go there, except for funerals and special times. That's how I learned respect for those things...I've had a lot of experiences through my life, about the Indian things...I learned when I was young, from the elders.
Since the 1940s, when I first started getting acquainted with archaeologists, that's been my interest - to [use this knowledge] to protect these things. Years ago, archaeologists used to dig up these things and not talk to the Indian people about it...We told the archaeologists a lot about our culture that they didn't know. We identified a lot of the artifacts, what they were for, how they were used...and that they shouldn't be sold or displayed in someone's house...Today the situation is much better. We have more protection than we had years ago. The people [archaeologists and others] are more aware of how these remains should be treated...
William "Bill" J. Franklin, Sr.
Sloughhouse, California
Tribal Elder, Ione Band of Miwok
Founder, California Indian Dance and Culture Group
Former member, Native American Heritage Commission
Previous Page |
|
|
|
Next Page |