Chief Solano

Sem-Yeto, "Chief Solano"
Born about 1798[1]
Suisun Bay Area, California, USA
Died about 1851
Yulyul village, California, USA
Occupation Chief
Parent(s) (father) Sulapy[1]

Chief Solano, original native name Sem-Yeto, meaning "brave or fierce hand", and christianed at about age ten with the Spanish name Francisco Solano, was born about 1798-1800 near Suisun Bay, California in California. Sem-Yeto was a famous chief and leader of the Suisunes tribe, a Patwin people of the Suisun Bay region of California. Chief Solano was a charismatic, tall and notable Native American leader in Alta California, because of his alliance, friendship and eventually the support of his entire tribe to General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo of Sonoma, in military and political excursions around Sonoma County and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Sem-Yeto was described as tall, 6 feet 7 inches (200 cm), handsome and brave.

Biography

Childhood 1800-1823

Sem-Yeto was born in the Suisunes Bay region of California, and lived there the first years of his life. He was baptized at the San Francisco Mission on July 24, 1810, and there given Spanish name of Francisco Solano.[1] The recorder noted he was a Suisun, about 10 to 12 years old ("como de 10 a 12") with native name Sina, and that his father's native name was Sulapy, and his mother was deceased.[1] It also records both his parents as gentiles (meaning not recruited nor baptized). He presumably grew to adulthood at the mission.

Notably, this baptism took place two months after the tragedy of his tribe losing their men in Moraga's raid of 1810 of the Suisunes.[2] Sem-Yeto was possibly captured as a child in Moraga's raid of 1810, or else because of losing so many adults in the raid, his tribe brought him within two months of the battle to the mission to live. The raid of 1810 had demoralized the tribe, and instead of fighting or moving inland, many that year chose to join the mission and stop fighting. Others believe it was more the next year that the move to the mission occurred, giving support to the view that Solano was among the approximately twelve children taken hostage in the battle.

For seven years he lived at the San Francisco Mission, where he learned Spanish. In the 1820s he reached manhood and became known as the leader of his people, as Chief Solano.

Sonoma 1823-1846

In 1823, Sem-Yeto moved to the present-day town of Sonoma, California, to help build and populate the mission in the Mission San Francisco de Solano, along with many of the Suisunes tribe who had grown up at the San Francisco Mission. Mission Solano was the final Franciscan mission north of the San Francisco Bay and built under Mexican rule. Traveling from the San Francisco Mission to the Sonoma Mission was a good move for Suisunes, they were much closer to their homeland at the second mission.

In 1835, however, the Mexican government began to close down and secularize the missions, dispersing the land and properties. General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo was sent to Sonoma to become the commandante of the new pueblo project, to administer the secularization of the mission, and to keep military control in the region. Chief Solano and the Suisunes became allies of Vallejo. In addition he became a very valuable patron and friend to Chief Solano.

Their first meeting and treaty was remembered by General Vallejo as taking place in June 1835, according to the book Historica de California on Vallejo's first day arriving into present-day Sonoma County: General Vallejo recounts sailing into Sonoma in 1835, just assigned by the Mexican military to extend Mexican domain in the North Bay to maintain a Mexican stronghold against the Russians at Fort Ross. Vallejo described coming to San Rafael, stopping to form an alliance with a Coast Miwok tribe there, then proceeding past Novato to the Rancheria of Captain Pulpula near present-day Schellville where he found over 3000 curious Native Americans amassed, led by Chief Solano. Vallejo pitched tents and dispatched messengers to ask all Native Americans in the region to make treaties with the Mexican government. Vallejo claims that within 48 hours a gathering of 11,000 natives had formed, and only a third of them seemed friendly to him. He remembers Chief Solano acted as his interpreter, and remembers how Chief Solano urged and harangued the gathering crowds to be friendly to the arriving Mexicans, persuading them that alliance meant Mexican military aid, and suggesting they could better punish enemy tribes. Thus Chief Solano not only formed an alliance with the Mexicans, he also gained a following, from many natives in the region in addition to his own tribe, the Suisunes.[3]

Once the alliance with General Vallejo was formed, Chief Solano and the Suisunes led many expeditions with the object of quelling the other tribes of the region, the "Wappo, the Satisyomis (aka Sotoyomes) a Wappo tribe, and the Cainameros" (aka the South Pomo Indians of Cainama in the region toward Santa Rosa)[4] who were attempting to throw off Mexican domination. Chief Solano led both military expeditions against the other tribes, and some peacemaking missions. His main reputation was a man of peace. Chief Solano eventually helped to keep the peace between the region's Native Americans and the Mexicans. A peace treaty was signed in 1836.

In order to impress the Mexican Government, Vallejo arranged for and sent Chief Solano with 100 of his warrior Suisunes down to Monterey, California to impress and seek military support from Juan Bautista Alvarado, governor of Alta California (1836–1837, 1838–1842). Chief Solano and his warriors traveled the distance, but missed meeting Alvarado.[5]

When the small pox epidemic of 1837 decimated the Native American population of the Sonoma-Marin region, Chief Solano was one of the few natives to be vaccinated, and thus survived.

Chief Solano was one of only two natives to receive a land grant rancho from the Mexican Government, due to his friendship and support of General Vallejo. (The other native to be granted land was Camilo Ynitia). He received four square leagues in 1842 known as Rancho Suisun, however he was not able to retain it for his people after his death, most of the land went to Archibald A. Ritchie in 1857, another section to J.H. Fine. Rancho Suisun was recorded in California state records as follows:

"Suisun (Ritchie) #91-A, Solano Co., Grant of 4 sq. leagues (including Suisun [Fine], #91-B), made in 1842 by Gov. Alvarado to Francisco Solano. Patent for 17,754.73 acres (71.8508 km2) issued in 1857 to Archibald A. Ritchie. In T 5N, R 2W, MDM."

"Suisun (Fine) #91-B, Solano Co., Grant of 4 sq. leagues (including Suisun [Ritchie], #91-A), made in 1842 by Gov. Alvarado to Francisco Solano. Patent for 482.19 acres (1.9514 km2) issued in 1882 to J. H. Fine. In T 5N, R 2W, MDM."

— California Ranchos: Patented Private Land Grants Listed by County, Shumway 1988:105

Chief Solano remained a leader of many regional banded tribes and an influential ally and friend of General Vallejo until the Mexicans lost control of the state in 1846.

California Statehood 1846-1850s

In 1846, at the end of the Bear Flag Revolt when California became part of the United States, General Vallejo was taken prisoner by Americans at Sutter's Fort and presumed dead. Chief Solano thought he had lost his closest ally so fled north and found refuge with tribes as far north as Oregon, Washington and possibly Alaska. He returned to California in 1850 and died soon after of pneumonia at the old Yulyul village site in Rockville.[6]

The Legends

The following legends exist about the popular chief:

Heir of Chief Malica 1817

One legend (unconfirmed) that has been handed down is that Sem-Yeto was the heir of Chief Malica and was present as a child at the tribe's captured and mass suicide of 1817.[7] In this legend, young Sem-Yeto was convinced by Chief Malica to flee the battleground suicide as the rightful leader of the remaining people of the tribe, with the few that fled into the hills. For six years from 1817-1823, Sem-Yeto's whereabouts are not recorded, possibly he lived freely in the hills, or lived with another tribe, or was captured and was Christianized, then he turned up to bring the people to the Mission of Sonoma. However for this to be true, Sem-Yeto was not living at the San Francisco Mission all that time. (Note: the battles that Sem-Yeto is alleged to have survived, that of 1810 and 1817 have several similarities: both are a legend of a childhood leader being saved from a fiery battleground death to become the leader of the people. It sounds like this legend might have simplified two battles into one battle and placed Sem-Yeto at the scene with Malica, in order to emphasize his leadership of the people.)

First baptism at Sonoma

The Mission San Francisco de Solano of Sonoma records that a "Francisco Solano" was one of the first natives baptized in the mission 1823/24. Some say that was Sem-Yeto. By all accounts Sem-Yeto move to the mission in its founding years with his people and was present at the time, however, if he was already baptized at the San Francisco Mission, theoretically he would not need to be baptized again. So the first baptism at the mission in Sonoma might be another neophyte named after the same Catholic saint. Genealogists may look into if the Chief baptized twice. There is an entry in the ledger but is it him? Possibly, Sem-Yeto went through baptism at Sonoma as a sign to all his people to come be baptized and join him.

Recognition

In a Fourth of July speech of 1876, General Vallejo describes a deep friendship and appreciation for Chief Solano who in the speech he said should be called a prince. The speech was reprinted in The Sonoma-Index of Dec. 4, 1880.[8]

A statue of Chief Solano was sculpted by Bill Huff in 1934. It was first mounted on a rock above Cordelia, later moved to a library in Fairfield.

Solano County is named directly after Chief (Sem-Yeto) Solano.

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Early California Population Project Database: Baptism ID SFD:04024
  2. ↑ Milliken 1995:255.
  3. ↑ The story of the alliance, per Historica de California, as retold by Lynch 1997:14-15.
  4. ↑ Lewis & Co., 1891, mentions the Satisyomis were generally known as the Guapo. This would be the Wappo.
  5. ↑ Fink 1972:74-75.
  6. ↑ In addition to the references listed, mission records and mission registers will show genealogical details of his family, and Solano's life was witnessed and described by his widow in her old age
  7. ↑ "Tragic Demise of People of the West Wind"
  8. ↑ Lynch, 1997:14-15.

Sources