Off the Santa Barbara Coast of California is San Nicholas Island, an
island that looks like a dolphin sunning itself in the sea. Abundant wild
life: cormorants, sea gulls, sea elephants, abalone, otter, dogs,
dolphins, and devil fish in habited the island as well as the Ghalas-hat
Indians. The Ghalas-hat
Indians traded otter hides/pelts for trinkets (beads) from the ships such
as that lead by Russian Captain Orlov and his Aleut hunters. Captain Orlov
and his hunters killed twenty seven of the Ghalas-hat Indian warriors due
to the miss negotiated worth of otter pelts.
One of those killed was Chief Chowig, he had three children Ulape
Wonapalei (Karana) and Ramo, whom had lost their mother a few years
earlier. After the death of
twenty seven of their tribe a new leader was elected Kimki.
After a grief stricken winter the next spring Kimki decided that he
would take a canoe and row for many days to the east to make a place for
the tribe amongst the people there, he never returned.
Matasaip then became the leader of the Ghalas-hats’, and when the
next ship came he made the decision to have the tribe leave the island
with white men that came specifically to take them away from Ghalas-hat.
In the rush to pack their things and board the ship Ramo was left
behind, while gathering his spear. Wonapalei
feeling obligated to take care of her brother jumped overboard and swam
back to her little brother. Brother
and sister than lived on the island gathering food and water, anxiously
waiting for the ship to return for them.
Ramo declares himself Chief Tanyositlopai and tries to prove to his
sister he is now a man by attempting a task only the men in the tribe had
done. On his way to attempt the task Ramo is surrounded and killed
by the wild dogs of the island, leaving his sister alone.
Wonapalei lives on the island alone for the next 22 years making
friends of the animals, and solving numerous obstacles during her
isolation. Finally two
springs after a big tidal wave and earthquake had come a ship came to get
her and took her across the sea into the morning sun.
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