Deeper Than Gold: A Guide to Indian Life in the Sierra Foothills

by Brian Bibby, Dugan Aguilar (Photographer)

Brian Bibby brings together the present and the past—both ancient and recent—in a fascinating compilation of anecdote, myth, recollection, and reflection. Five years in the making and the result of almost thirty years of dedicated work among California’s native communities, Deeper Than Gold is a tribute to the people who know Gold Country best. Witness a visual history with family photographs from private albums and stunning original work by renowned photographer Dugan Aguilar (of Paiute/Pit River/Maidu heritage). This gorgeously designed book offers an intimate view of the remarkable and persistent people of Gold Country whose culture continues to evolve and thrive in the area around Highway 49.

Genres: History

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Liam Townsend · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brian Bibby 's Deeper Than Gold reveals valuable fragments of the mostly-lost history of the Maidu, a people who once spanned the land between Yosemite, Chico, Sacramento, and Nevada County. Tales of the Nisenan, a Maidu subgroup, were predictably tragic: inevitably, their entire population was murdered or displaced in the wake of the gold-fever that struck areas like Grass Valley following '49. Yet unlike many books documenting the plight of indigenous Americans, Bibby deftly touches on the legends, lore, and language of these once abundant natives. This is a worthwhile read; the Nisenan surely deserve to have the memory of their people preserved and shared.

[Eugenio Negro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent reporting and photography, deeper and more precise detail than I expected when I took it off the shelf. A must-read for all serious California fans. I already wish I could like, start nonprofits and get free money like my neighbors do and just enlarge those rancherías before the jarheads and cops develop the WHOLE Sierra foothills. Anyway.
The details about native plant use and specific village places and natural features with mythological-psychological identities, nevertheless pale in comparison to chapter five, to read which felt like finding something I'd been looking for for a really long time, even having studied linguistics and anthropology as much as I have. What's in chapter five? You better just read it! Highly recommended!