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Enrique Rodriquez became the headman of the Costanoan Rumsen Tribe upon the passing of Jocefa Silva in 1927. Enrique conducted a prayer vigil that lasted all night, with tribal members taking turns singing with clapper sticks and rattles for Jocefa Silva who had carried the leadership through the end of 19th Century into the 20th Century. Jocefa Silva refused to accept the conveniences of the modern world. Until her death she lived in the Native American way of life. She lived in a rustic wood shack with a dirt floor. In the house she had a large room where she conducted Rumsen tribal meetings. The first act upon being made headman, Enrique was to conduct a census of all Costanoan Rumsen Carmel tribal members living in the Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Many of the tribal members were working on the Lucky Baldwin Ranch, Fredrick Louis's Diamond Bar Ranch and Revel English's Sierra Vista Stock Farms (later became "The Old English Ranch") Richard Guird's Chino Land and Water Company. These ranches had formerly been Spanish/Mexican land grants. Enrique Rodriquez had an old barn on his property in Duarte. There he would bring tribal members together where they would learn about their culture by making baskets, soap root brushes, rattles, clapper sticks, story telling, tribal History and participate in songs and dance. Upon the passing of a tribal member Enrique would summon all the members of the tribe to the barn where he would hold tribal memorial ceremonies. Sometimes during the summer months Enrique would call the tribe to get together and travel a long distance to celebrate some significant ceremonial gatherings. The tribe would go and travel pretty far, they would eat and sing and sleep there maybe three or four days. While the elders were having a meeting, children were not allowed to be there. After the ceremony the elders would get together, eat, tell stories, sing and dance and have a good time. |
