A River Divided The Story Biography Of Chief Coppa Hembo

Coppa Hembo was a fascinating historical figure. Born of a Maidu father and Washoe mother he would rise to become the primary Huuk (Chief ) for nearly 50 years over the Hill Nisenan band of the Southern Maidu, with authority over the Maidu and Washoe people living on the Divide between the forks of the Natoman (American) River. As a young man he had been attacked by a grizzly bear which he managed to kill, permanently disfigured by the mauling he was given the name Coppa Hembo (Grizzly Bear Killer). He would lead his people in battles against slave raiders but managed to keep his people out of both the First and Second Indian Wars of El Dorado County continuing to live in peace with the horde of invading miners. Coppa Hembo's leadership included arranging for his people to be vaccinated against small pox in 1852. His reputation for wisdom and impartiality found him serving as both a judge and keeper of the peace for both Indians and non-Indians. A staunch proponent of education he arranged to help the local school system during conflicts arising from the American Civil War. He would guide his people into full integration into the American society thus saving them from being rounded up and herded onto reservations. His is not a story of tragedy but instead one of triumph for a true American Hero.

Coppa Hembo was a fascinating historical figure. Born of a Maidu father and Washoe mother he would rise to become the primary Huuk (Chief ) for nearly 50 years over the Hill Nisenan band of the Southern Maidu, with authority over the Maidu and Washoe people living on the Divide between the forks of the Natoman (American) River. As a young man he had been attacked by a grizzly bear which he managed to kill, permanently disfigured by the mauling he was given the name Coppa Hembo (Grizzly Bear Killer). He would lead his people in battles against slave raiders but managed to keep his people out of both the First and Second Indian Wars of El Dorado County continuing to live in peace with the horde of invading miners. Coppa Hembo’s leadership included arranging for his people to be vaccinated against small pox in 1852. His reputation for wisdom and impartiality found him serving as both a judge and keeper of the peace for both Indians and non-Indians. A staunch proponent of education he arranged to help the local school system during conflicts arising from the American Civil War. He would guide his people into full integration into the American society thus saving them from being rounded up and herded onto reservations. His is not a story of tragedy but instead one of triumph for a true American Hero.

The history of the West from the Natives perspective and the world wide forces affecting them are rarely found in our history books. For the tribes in the West the history before the 1840’s is poorly understood and when taken out of context seems to make no sense to the casual reader. In particular the history of the Natives in Northern California seems to be completely overlooked. These people had a turbulent history prior to the Gold Rush of 1849 and while run over in the flood of immigration their history continued . This fascinating part of our Nation’s history and the context in which it occurred is the heart of this work.

The original inhabitants of the Lake Tahoe Basin the Washoe are a fascinating people. With a history in the Sierra Nevada stretching back 9000 years they are the oldest tribe in California. They have a fascinating history before and after the coming of the Americans. In American history the Washoe guided Kit Carson and Charles Fremont through the Sierra Nevada, later they were the first to bring food to the stranded Donner Party. The Washoe have tribal lore that speaks of the Si Te Cah tribe, long believed to be just an ignorant savage fantasy, recent discoveries have proven they are true. The Si Te Cah otherwise known as Sasquach or Bigfoot truly did exist and their mummified re-mains have been found in several locations. From a population numbering approximately 1,500 people whos homeland stretched from Mono Lake in the South to Honey Lake in the North the Washoe were reduced to only 500 people in 1866 with no land to call their own. They persevered and are still living in their homeland as friendly, hardworking, creative American citizens.

There is considerable interest in relocating grizzly bears to California. Several environmental groups as well as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have made considerable efforts toward this end with estimates that California would be suitable habitat for some five hundred grizzly bears. How did they come up with that figure, and where do they believe these animals will live? The reality might be a little bit of a shock for some people, maybe even the very nature groups themselves. Take a look at the pictures above, one is a Grizzly bear the other a isn?t, which one is which? It is even possible that we already have Grizzly bears here in California. For or against, here is an overview of the issues and proposals and the dynamic issues you probably had no idea about concerning this highly intelligent species.

The history of the West from the Natives perspective and the world wide forces affecting them are rarely found in our history books. For the tribes in the West the history before the 1840's is poorly understood and when taken out of context seems to make no sense to the casual reader. In particular the history of the Natives in Northern California seems to be completely overlooked. These people had a turbulent history prior to the Gold Rush of 1849 and while run over in the flood of immigration their history continued . This fascinating part of our Nation's history and the context in which it occurred is the heart of this work.

The Osage Indians were a powerful group of Native Americans who lived along the prairies and plains of present-day Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The Osage: An Ethnohistorical Study of Hegemony on the Prairie-Plains, now available in paper, shows how the Osage formed and maintained political, economic, and social control over a large portion of the central United States for more than 150 years.

The period from 1900 to 1950 was a unique time in America, It saw the greatest environmental disaster to date, The Dust Bowl, coupled with the financial disaster of the stock market crash of 1929. Life was often lived much closer to the land, This period is often referred to as "The Good Old Days" by those who lived them. Here this time is experienced as seen through the eyes of an Osage Indian Bill Nixon (Redcorn) in his following of Wah Kon Tah (The Way). It is a time capsule of this unique period and the forces that bind families, traditions and the science and technology of our ancestors to the present day, with meaning and reverence.