Chief Francisco Patencio

This book contains material gathered by Kate Collins in her conversations with Chief Patencio of the Palm Springs Cahuilla. This material was gathered when Collins was gathering material for Margaret Boynton's Stories and Legends of the Palm Springs Indians. It is interesting both as a small supplement to that book and as a testament to how the material from that book was gathered. Collins is much more a character in this book than the editor of that book was. It is likely that Boynton and the other workers at the Palm Springs Desert Museum all gathered material in the same way, writing it down after the fact, sometimes including themselves as a character and sometimes not. It is therefore a warning to readers of that book as well -- the material comes from Chief Patencio, but he is not the author. As with any "as told to" book, the person who writes the material down is an editor and a redactor who includes material or does not include material -- and who might misunderstand material. Nevertheless, it is interesting as one of the few compilations of material from a Desert Cahuilla leader, knowledgable in the ways of his people, from the early twentieth century.… (more)

This is a fascinating book -- a collection of stories told by Francisco Patencio, net ,or chief, of the Cahuilla at Palm Springs, California. Part of the book tells of his life, and part of it relates the legends and life-ways of the Cahuilla. It isn't great literature in the traditional sense -- some parts are hard to visualize, it doesn't follow a clear organization, and it's not comprehensive in any way, leaving open so many questions -- but it's a tantalizing look into the mind of a great Cahuilla. Patencio lived an interesting life and was well-versed in the ways of his people. Definitely worth a read to anyone interested in Southern California history, Native American peoples, or comparative mythology.… (more)