1h. THE FRENCH SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION TO CALIFORNIA, 1877-1879

Editor's Preface

Part I of the following account is a translation of those portions of

E.T. Hamnys account of the Pinart and de Cessac expedition which concerns the
activities of the two explorers in California.1 Part II, which is somewhat

longer and more detailed, is a translation of de Cessacts report of his experi-
ences on the same expedition.2 De Cessac seems to have been in California from
the end of 1877 to the middle of 1879; Pinart, on this expedition', did not stay
for as long in California.

The translation from the French is by my wife, Nancy E. Heizer, and I here
express my appreciation for her willingness to perform this favor.

Except for the most vague references to the activities of de Cessac at
Santa Barbara, and to a single citation seen by me to de Cessacts published

article on the sculpture stone "fetishes" from San Nicolas Island, the French
expedition of 1877-1879 has gone unnoticed, and often unknown. Of de Cessacts
controversy with the unnamed representative of the Smithsonian Institution

(identifiable as Paul Schumacher), little seems to be knownm, though the corre-
spondence files of the Smithsonian Institution and local Californ.a newspapers
of the period might contain illuminating sidelights.

The linguistic recording of de Cessac and Pinart has not completely vanished.
The Bancroft Library possesses copies of Pinart's vocabulary lists, and they are
of sufficient importance today to warrant publication, permission for which has
been granted me by Dr. George P. Hammond, Director of the Bancroft Library. Of
de Cessacts ethnographic notes on language and customs of the Chumash and

Costanoan tribes, nothing has been published, and presumably they still rest
somewhere in the archives of some museum in Paris.

The archaeological4 collection amassed by de Cessac remains unpublished5,

but it is today of great importance and deserves study, For one thing, the col-
lection was made nearly 75 years ago and was immediately taken off to France.
It therefore represents a single discrete lot of material culture which might

serve as a check sample with which we could judge the reliability of some of the
elaborately carved stone objects which in recent years have been making their

appearance. One may hear convincing arguments that these specimens are fraudu-
lent antiquities, but only a careful comparison with the older Santa Barbara

collections made 50 or more years ago, and now deposited in Berkeley, Washington
Cambridge and Berlin would settle the question satisfactorily. A second reason
why de Cessacts collection deserves publication is because there accompanies the
individual specimens a record of their identification according to the Chumash
natives to whom de Cessac displayed the materials. Such a record, in view of
the extreme paucity of cultural information on the Chumash tribe, would be
invaluable.

In addition to the above points, and the general justification for calling
attention to this little known expedition, de Cessacts report is of interest in
containing information on the acquisition of the famous Boscana account of the
Juaneno Indians attached to Mission San Juan Capistrano.
1. See 'Notes and bibliography" at end of article.

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Let us hope that some enterprising student will shoew the necessary energy
and initiative to locate the de Cessac records and make them, at long last,
available to everyone, and that he, or some other, will find it possible to
study and publish the archaeological collection.

R.F. Heizer

Director, UCAS

I. Hamyts Report of the Pinart-de Cessac Expedition

"Upon arrivino in California, II. Pinart found his collaborator in possession
of all sorts of documents, no less important nor precious than those he himself
had brought. M. de Cessac, who Admiral Serres had transferred to San Francisco,
after having provided him the means of ending his explorations begun at Ancon,
established himself in the California base, and being even more fortunate than

his American predecessors, in this curious region, had in a few mtionths assembled
an incomparable collection of objects of all sorts, used by the Indians before
the quite recent importation of metals.

After having excavated for four months with a perserverance frequently

crowmed with success in the stations and the caves of Santa Cruz, and having dis-
covered at Ana Capa, which had always been supposed to be deserted, a little

ruined town, which was a fishing place for tribes which have completely disappeared
today, our traveler followed the coast of Santa Barbara county for more than 100
kilometers, exploring the remains of destroyed villages at Cape Concepcion, the

workshops for the manufacture of the stone weapons of Point Pedernal; then cross-
ing the Sierra of Santa Yhez, he came across the lengthy valley at Pirissima.
He collected ethnographic objects of the Choumas Indians by hundreds.

Meanwhile he drew up the geologic map of the islands of the neighboring

coast, made a considerable botanical collection, and finally collected numerous
conchological, carcinological and icthyological, specimens.

We shall not follow M. de Cessac in his crossing and recrossing of the

Sierras, where he lived the life of the Indians in the company of old Raphael,
whose confidence he had gained, and through whose aid he tried to reconstruct
the past of the people of Samala.

We find him a little later at San Miguel, [a(nd] at San Nicolas, where he

gathered new ethnographic collections, which were even more important than the
previous ones, and where he made up the geologic map. Still later, he was at

Santa Barbara where he copied the most interesting manuscripts on the old missions,
and where he procured Boscana's unpublished text, which is so precious to the
ethnographer, the linguist, etc., on the San Juan Capistrano tribe.

On the second of July, M. Pinart rejoined his companion at Santa Barbara,
and the two travelers together started to study the remnants of the tribes of
Monterey, Soledad, and San Antonio. 14. Pinart reached Tulare Lake, where he
collected a complete skeleton and some Yo-Kuts skulls, while M. de Cessac

initiated a study of the coast of San Luis Obispo. The two inrestigators met
again shortly afterward, at San Buenaventura) only to part once more."

E* T. Hany

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II. L. de Cessac 3 report on his activities in California.

"San Francisco - My stay in San Francisco was not of long duration, Desirous
of mak   the best ossible use of the long months which separated me from the
time the Seignelay had to return, and not finding any truly useful scientific

work to undertake in the immediate neighborhood of this great city, I decided to

profit by an offer which had been made me by some compatriots to explore an island
which the American archaeologists had made famous several years since, and of
which a large part was in the handl of a French wool-merchants' company.

Santa Cruz [Island). Santa Cruz, the name of this island, is situated 17 or
18 mles off the coast of California, from which it is separated by the Santa

Barbara channel, The representatives of the Smithsonian Institution, to whom I
just referred, limited themselves to- exploring the shores where they made abun.
dant collections. After having followed their footsteps for some time without

success, I decided to go into the mountainous interior of the island, and was not
long in discovering flint quarries which had not before been reported, near which

were found workshops, sane of which were established on the vast plateau and others
of which were in numerous caves. I was the first to discover the existence of
many caverns which had served for habitation as well as graveyards.

I also made, while pursuing my ethnographic studies, a geological relief map
of the island, and my collections were enriched with quite a number of botanical
samples and a larger number of specimens of the marine fauna.

Ana C      [Island]. My trip to Santa Cruz took about four months. I then

went E"the neighboring islets known by the name of Ana Capa. The 6explorers who
preceded me there believed this spot never to have been inhabited,.  I was

immediately convinced that not only had this little group served as a gathering
place for indigenous fishers from Santa Cruz, but that several families had even

lived there. I discovered traces of a little village where I collected two skulls
and a basin (mortar?], as well as a small number of collection objects.

The geology of these islands interested me particularly, the nature of the
rocks being exclusively volcanic trachyte. Here again I made interesting
collections.

Coast of Santa Barbara.  I returned toward the month of January, 1878, to the

neighboring mainland, and, coming up the coast of Santa Barbara, I discovered the
sites of former Indian villages, but the success of my digging at SAnta Cruz had
exited the zeal of the members of the Smithsonian Institution, and their

researches had very nearly exhausted the coastal sites,  I succeeded, however, in
collecting various skulls belonging to diverse tribes. At Point Concepcion I

obtained quite a number of carved stone tools, pots, mortars, pestles, etc,, and

at Point Pedernal I discovered an important workshop for stone and jasper weapons.

Hoping to find unexplored cemeteries in the interior I decided to cross the
Santinez (Santa Ynez] mountains to go down the valley of Lompoi [Lompoc) and

Purissima. In spite of a very careful exploration, it was impossible for me to
discover a single trace of cemeteries or of former Indian villages, I found

nothing but a small flint chipping workshop which did not yield a single piece of
value.

Valley of Santinez [Santa Ynez]. Pushing further south and forward into the
mountains Tlied     at the valley of Santinez (Santa Ynez] which lies between
the mountains of the saaae name and the San Rafael range. Here there stands a
former mission which is still in quite good state and is even cared for by a

cure, I went through, without any results however, the archives and library of
this mission, As the priest had told me that quite a number of Indians lived in
the neighborhood, through him I became acquainted with these natives. It was
soon possible for me to discharge the Spanish Californians who had served as

scouts and guides up till then and replace them by Indians, I even succeeded

in gathering a vocabulary of the Samala language or the Santinez dialect. This
vocabulary amounted to over 1200 words. Moreover, I put together the basis of
a grammar which I hope to finish later. In addition I penetrated bit by bit

into the confidence of my men, particularly one of them named Raphael, a man of

about 60 years of age, very intelligent besides.  His uncle, doctor and magician
(sorcier) of the tribe had, before his death, been able to teach him the tradi-

tions, beliefs and religious ceremonies of their ancestors. Y7 old Indian could,
therefore furnish me with the most precise and numerous data on the past of his
people. Ais information was controlled by the help which I obtained afterward
from 3 other Indians of the same group. When the Samala were at my complete

devotions I noted the location of the formler villages, and visited these spots
with them, They made me acquainted with the location of the cemeteries which
were, however, recognizable as such because of limestone flagstones which pro-
truded slightly from the ground.

Raphael consented, without great regret to dig those of Hounhounata (vulgo
Jonata), Anaboui and Socounoutnon with me. these 3 localities, yielded to me,

among other precious pieces, magnificent utensils of large size. A part of the
cemeteries only demonstrated a relatively very recent period, since, together

with various glass beads (perles de verroterie) I collected iron instruments and
indeed, even a pottery plate of Spanish manufacture. It was unfortunately impos.
sible to find the smallest bone fragment of any value. The strongly alkaline

condition of the soil had caused all organic material to disappear. This disap-
pointment is very common in California, and such a cemetery where one notes the
burial of 100 bodies never yields the smallest phalange.

The rainy season, which prevailed during this part of my explorations,

contributed not a little toward making my researches difficult. I returned to

Santa Barbara, recording on my way three Indian inscriptions painted on sandstone
on the summit of the Santinez mountains.

I returned to Santa Cruz [Island] to get the ethnographic part of my collec-
tion which I had left in storage. I brought it back to Santa Barbara, and

exhibited it in a large space, where, bringing my Indians and an old Indian woman
who was the last survivor of the natives of Santa Cruz, whom I had the happy

fortune to meet some time before, I showed them my treasures. I obtained thus
the name and usage of practically the entirety of the objects.

Meanwhile may researches and their happy result, having awakened the "lpatriotic

or "interested" touchiness of various sorry souls, notably one of my archaeological
competitors, I was forbidden to excavate a very important cemetery in the very
town of Santa Barbara.7  I succeeded, however, thanks to the help of an Italian
gardener who tilled this site in obtaining a number of skulls (seven or eight)
which were almost enough for study. It was only a matter of money, discretion
and whiskey.

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Not content with paralyzing my efforts, my adversaries sourghlt to force to
make ine leave the nimainland and to restrict my researches solely to S~anta Cruz

Island. In this plot, I was officiously informed by several of the people with
whom I had formed close relations, that there was a law forbidding the export of

Indian antiquities. They would shult their eyes, I judged, if I limited myself to
exploring Santa Cruz Island which was thie property of a comnipany which was exSclu-
sively French; but if I cont.1inued to collect on the mainland, nay, even on the
neighboring islands other than Santa Cnioz, I would run the risk of seeing ray

Collections seized the moment I sent theem off to France. Although little reassured
I confess, against the bad wishes which were thus expressed to me, I nevertheless
pilt on a bolcl front, and supposing that with a little daring I might succeed, a
techinique which hiad already served me well in other countries. I chartered, as
soon as possible, a schooner, and, with my men, was taken to San Mi'Xguel Island
and later to San -N11icolas Island.

San -iJu el Island. The first of those islands is unusual because of its chipped
flint jasper and agate arrowpoints. I could collect there a great number of

SllMlS, somei, skeletons and isolated basins as well as very beautiful ornaments,
numerous bone tools and an extremely interesting series of mortars ranging from
the first rough draft to the perfect achievement.

IVNr natuLral history collections received at the same time a notable addition.

After a stay of approximately three wreeks which allowed me to make a geologi-
cal map of the Island the schooner cane to pick me up again, and toward the end
of May I debarked at the island of San il'icolas.

San Nicolas Island. This island does not belong to the Santa Barbara group.

7           muated 4 i:L1es further south and 57 miles from the coast, it belongs to the
San Pedro channel group.

I observed irrmediately great differences between that which I discovered here
and that whEich I had heretofore encountered. If a great many of the objects were
sizailar to those of other localities which I had visited, there was also a great
niumiber which showed the stamp of quite special originality.  i will cite, among
others, the fetishes in bird and fish form of which I collected an important

series of the greatest interest. One can follow in the collection which I brought
back_, the whole story of the wor1?-anship of these amulets from the grossest first
draft to the most finished production. The stone vases were also of a far from
ordinary worlamianship. The mortars and their pestles were first rate pieces and
unique to this day for their beauty of profile and delicacy of execution.

The decorative ornaments of stone exhibited equally remiark-able beauty. It

is the same for the hooks of HaIliotis shell in al.l stages of manufacture. I only
speak f.rom memory of the flutes, whistles and other bone implements.

It seems interesting to me, however, to mention the discovery on San Nicolas
Island of several objects which are the incontestable proof of the trip which the
Kodiaks made to this island during the first years of this century. The Russians
had brouaht them here to use in the hunting of sea otters and seals.

I thi.nk that it is unnecessary to add that from the anthropological point of
view, 1 obtained fine results on this island, of which the geologic rmlap could

lead equally to good ends. The marine fauna there contained species which I did
not possess before (echinoderms and molluscs). The flora is practically absent,
besides the flowering season was past, and I could collect no botanical specimen
of any wrorth.                     - 10 -

As to the terrestrial fauna, it is the same in all the California islands

as that on the continent, poorer, however, than the latter, Now I had a number
of specimens of the continental fauna: it seemed to me preferable to neglect

momentarily this branch of' the zoology. I feel sorry, however, I admit, not to
have been able to obtain one type of fox wi,,hich is considered unique to this
island oproup.

The time which ended the charter contract for my schooner camne, and I

returned to Santa Barbara. I believed it was necessary to take certain precautions
in thie landinlg of nmy archaeological collections, because I was not without certain
fears on t-he subject. All went in the best manner in the world. I was soon

absolutely certain that no law of the United States forbade the export of Indian
relic s .

The point of departure for this whole story, was the step attempted by an

Amlerican exrplorer, who was close to the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.,
for th-'e -purpose of presenting a prohibitive law to the American Congress. The
secretary refused, and exportation remained free (legal).

I did waith my new collections the same that I had with previous ones. In
placing,, thoiii before the view of the Indians, I got exact information on the use
of these objects, their method of manufacture, and so forth.

The campaign had been rugged. In the midst of quicksand and frightful storms
it hlad been accomplished. I needed a few weeks rest. I profited by it in doing

in Santa Barbara mission, some research which was crowned with unexpected success.
I found there some extremely imnortant documents relating, to the history of the
Indians of the territory of the old California missions. I was able, besides,
to obtain an criminal manuscript of Father Boscana, who was the missionary of
the C)ld San Juan Capistrano Mission, a manuscript wh ch was very valuable for
the etbLnor aihy, the linguistics etc., of this land,

Thus matt-ers stood on the second of July, 1878, the date on which K. Pinart,
care to rejoin me on returning from France where he had gone after coming back
from Oceania., Together we left for San Ft'ancisco, where we stayed only a few

days, only to go back down to Montereyr, where I had been long awaited by one of
my Ca'-lifornia friends. While my colleague occupied himself with linguistics, I
collected tb1irough th--e Indians extensive information regarding the religious and
cosmogonic beliefs of their ancestors, their habits, their manners, and their
custorm-1s .

T.,y friend took i. Pinart and me to the ruins of Soledad -emission, then to

San Antonio, there thee priest, a half breed Hexican gave us interesting informa-
tion. He miade us acquai nted with the last Indians who lived in the neighborhood
of the mission. YSr friend was able to gather from them vocabul'aries of their

lang,-uacge, but it was rract-ically impossible to get, at this time, any notion of
their habits and customs. It was only during another trip that I made in this
region for tih'e purpose of making -)aleontological, botanical and zoological

collecti onCJ that I succeeded in allying myself with two of these Indians. I hope
to get frorm, them somve day quite coiplplete and accurate details, if I can judge by
th;}ose w"ith which thviey already supplied mie duriing, the several hours that the farm
worlk, with whaich they were occupied as laborers, permitted thern to devote me.

San LLuis. OurL trip to San Antonio lasted ap-nroxLiately one week. Traveling
always towviard the south, I directed myself to San Luis Obispo, an interesting

region, still uincnown to -me, As for m-y colleague, he turned toward the north to

. 11 .

continue his linguistic studies in the region of four or five missions located

between San Francisco and Dlonterey. Arriving at San Luis early in August, I left
at the beginning of September, I used this time to make a general reconnaisance
of the county, and to make for myself connections which allowed me a month and
a half later., to continue rmy studies more attentively and fruitfully in that
ploe.

I returned to Santa Barbara then to take the most valuable part of my col-
lections there and to send them to San Luis, which had to be for several months
the center of ray activities. At Santa Barbara I started a collection of ethnic
types which was destined later to grow, and of which i bring back the plates.

I was preparing to return to San Luis when I received a telegram from my
colleague, letting me know that he was at San Buenaventura, the seat of an old

mission, situated about 20 kilometers to the south of Santa Barbara. Because of
the desire which he expressed to me, I went to join him. M. Pinart informed me
then of his iumminent departure for Sonora. Ile advised me, during his five or

six months absence, to return to France, where material and personal interests
called me.

At Santa Barbara, coning upon the old Indian woman, of whom I have already
spoken, as well as an old Indian man, who was -the only remaining Santa Barbara
native, I was able from their information to reconstruct the ethnography of the
Chumash., who inhabited these islands.

Since ray colleague was preparing to leave for Guaymas, I returned to San

Luis and started the study of that region. The penurious financial situation in
which I found myself from that time did not permit me to dream of undertaking
a new important excavation. I had to limi.t my studies of this sort, but I was
able, nevertheless, to procure a superb Tichos Indian skeleton as well as some
skulls,

Leon de Cessac

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NOTES AND BIB.IOGRAPHY

19 J. P. Harrington, "Exploration of the Burton Mound at Santa Barbara,

California"   Bureau of American Ethnolog, Annual Report No. 44, 1928

(p. 66). D.B.TRogers, Prehistoric M'ian of the Santa Barbara Coast. Santa
Barbara Museum of Naturre itfa B!iT             9VT2aT)7

2. E.T. Ha-ay, "Rapport snr la Mission de in, Pinart et de Cessac dans les

deux iAeriques". Archives des .Missions Scientifiques et Litteraires,

Ser. 3, Vol. 9, pp2 3M27T&{rT'1'he translation prlited here is taken
from pp. 328-329 of this article,

3. Leon de Cessac, "Rapport sur une Passion au Perou et en Californi.e."

Archives des ii1ssions Scientifies et Litteraires, Ser. 3, Vol. 9

pp. 333-3rjT., TT2, Thle translation printed here is from pp. 336-3g3 of
this article.

4. De Cessac often uses the word "ethnographic" to mean archaeological research

or specimens--. i.e. material culture items.

5. With, of course, the exception of his article on the San ilicolas Island

"fetishes" printed elsewhere in this Report.

6. This claim was made, and is occasionally still made. De Cessac may have

stated this observation partly to show his rival, Schumacher, was in error.
A second account of an archaeological site on Ariacapa Island is given by

L. G. Yates, "Notes on the Geology and Scenery of the Islands FormlinLg the
Southerly Line of the Santa Barbara Channel."  American Ge2logist, Vol. 14t,
pp. 43-52.

7. Probably the Burton Mound. See note 3.

8. De Cessac is strangely reticent of the way in which he accomplished the

feat of acquiring the manuscript of the Boscana account. Perhaps, as in
the case of the Italian gardener who tilled the site in Santa Barbara

(probably the lDurton Mound), it was only a matter of money, discretion and
whiskey.

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