The Round Up: Nome Cult Walk (Konkow Trail of Tears)

The Nome Cult Walk was one of several military-enforced relocations of Native Americans throughout California in the mid-1800s. During those moves, Native Americans were not only taken from their tribal lands but were also forced to live with many different tribes. Sometimes those people forced to live together had been longtime rivals. One result of the Nome Cult Walk relocation was the creation of the Round Valley Indian Tribes. This federally recognized tribe exists today and includes the Yuki, Wailacki, Concow, Little Lake Pomo, Nomlaki, Pit River, Maidu and Nissinan tribes.https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2013/11/21/tribes-remember-nome-cult When they came to the Konkow Valley or Concow as the gold seekers would say, they took them by force and rounded them up like cattle with what they had on their backs. Once gone they would burn and destroy their villages if escape did happened there was nothing to come back too. They were forced to march on foot for over 100 miles that ended up being a 2-week journey for then when they left there was 461 Konkows. They military would use scare tactics with them they would threaten to beat the women and children if anyone tried to escape. And when the women were too slow due to their child, they would help lighten their load by beating the babies against trees and rock. When army official followed the trail, he seen malnourished Indians some still alive but too weak that were getting eaten alive by wild hog they incorporated into this region. Once the journey was over there were only 277 left ... They were forced to incorporate themselves with other Indians that were taken as well. The Konkows had their Nopani (Headman) Tome-ye-nem who tried to take care of his people the best he could. When the President Grant wanted the "Bad Indians" found they used Tome-ye-nem he was known for his great tracking and hunted down all the hostile Indians known as the Mill Creek Indians or the Tiger Indians. After a few years of being a good Indian to the whites in charge he begged for them to let him, and his people go they were starving and wanted to go home after a while they gave in and let the Konkows return to their homelands.