118 years ago a photographer captured a timeless moment of Ukiah’s past. On a sunny day, two new Pomo parents posed proudly with their little one and family dog.
Dad has the grin of new fatherhood and his hands hold his squirmy pup steady. The brim of Dad’s hat is wide and despite his youth his crows feet are distinct. He’s a man that has worked the land and it shows.
Mom appears at ease and curious. Her forehead is hidden under a curtain of dark bangs but her eyes peek through looking directly at the camera. She hold her newborn, a sleepy smush nestled in his traditional cradleboard.
Within traditional Pomo culture, the family was considered to be the most important social unit. Some Pomo dwellings were made for a single family, but many held several generations of a family who would often help Mom and Dad raise their newborn.
We do not know what Pomo Band the mother and father seen in this photograph came from nor the size of the dwelling they would go home too. But, it’s safe to say those two crazy kids and that baby had a whole lotta help.
The photograph is credited to Rena B. Shattuck, a standout as one of the North Coast’s earliest female journalists with bylines in periodicals throughout the region.
It’s been over a century since the photograh was taken and time takes its toll. That family is gone. The Ukiah these Pomo parents knew is now unrecongizable.
On the otherhand, the portrait offers us glimpse of an enduring human drive. The Pomo family portait is essentially the 1905-edition of the modern Ukiah mom who pays a photographer, load up kids and Dad, and they head to a pretty vineyard or oak trees.
Whether it’s a Pomo family from over a century ago or a family in Mendocino County today, we cherish our children and our families, desiring a family portrait before they all grow up.
It’s nice to know that some things don’t change.
