Eunice Xash-wee-tes-na Henry Bommelyn (February 6, 1927 – April 23, 2012) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

Tolowa The Tolowa people or Taa-laa-wa Dee-ni’ are a Native American people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethno-linguistic group. Two rancherías (Smith River and Elk Valley) still reside in their traditional territory in northwestern California. Tho ...

cultural advocate,

Tolowa language The Tolowa language (also called Chetco-Tolowa, or Siletz Dee-ni) is a member of the Pacific Coast Athabaskan, Pacific Coast subgroup of the Athabaskan languages, Athabaskan language family. Together with three other closely related languages (Lo ...

proponent, and tribal

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

. Bommelyn was the last living person to speak

as a native

first language A first language (L1), native language, native tongue, or mother tongue is the first language a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period hypothesis, critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' ...

; Bommelyn led the effort to revive fluency and teach the language. She uncovered and recorded the

genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

of the Tolowa from the present to the 1790s. Her genealogical records are used to determine the membership and enrollment of the Smith River Rancheria, the

federally recognized tribe A federally recognized tribe is a Native American tribe recognized by the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs as holding a government-to-government relationship with the US federal government. In the United States, the Native American tribe ...

Tolowa people The Tolowa people or Taa-laa-wa Dee-ni’ are a Native American people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethno-linguistic group. Two rancherías (Smith River and Elk Valley) still reside in their traditional territory in northwestern California. Tho ...

Del Norte County, California Del Norte County ( Spanish for "Of The North") is a county located at the far northwest corner of the U.S. state of California, along the Pacific Ocean adjacent to the Oregon border. Its population was 27,743 as of the 2020 census, down from ...

. Bommelyn was the mother of

Loren Bommelyn Loren Me’-lash-ne Bommelyn (born 1956) is a tradition bearer for the Tolowa tribe. He has dedicated himself to preserving the traditional songs, language, and basketry. He is the foremost ceremonial leader of the tribe, and its most prolific ...

, a ceremonial leader and basket weaver.

Early life

Bommelyn was born Eunice Henry on February 6, 1927, in the village of Nii~-lii~-chvn-dvn, located on South Bank Road along Smith River in

. She was the youngest of nine children born to Billie Henry and Alice Charley Henry. Her maternal grandparents were Westbrook and Delilah Charley and her paternal grandparents were Ik-fu-yu-wan and Jane Henry. Her mother, Alice Henry, required that she attend high school. In 1947, she became the first of her nine siblings to complete high school upon her graduation from Del Norte High School in

Crescent City, California Crescent City ( Tolowa: ''Taa-’at-dvn''; Yurok: ''Kohpey''; Wiyot: ''Daluwagh'') is the only incorporated city in Del Norte County, California, of which it is also the county seat. The city is on the North Coast of California and had a tota ...

. She found a job within the local

lily ''Lilium'' ( ) is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with large and often prominent flowers. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in much of the world. Most species are ...

bulb In botany, a bulb is a short underground stem with fleshy leaves or leaf basesBell, A.D. 1997. ''Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology''. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K. that function as food storage organs duri ...

farming industry after high school. There she met her future husband, James Bommelyn, who had moved to Del Norte from

Trinity County, California Trinity County is a county located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of California. Trinity County is rugged, mountainous, heavily forested, and lies along the Trinity River (for which it is named) within the Salmon, Klamath Mounta ...

, to find work. James Bommelyn reportedly jumped on her truck and refused to leave until she agreed to go on a date. The couple married in 1950 and had four children.

Preservation of Tolowa heritage

Eunice Bommelyn joined the Inter-Tribal Council of California (ITCC). She was highly active in the preservation of Tolowa customs and language. She reintroduced the Nee-dash dance, which had been outlawed in 1923 along with other Tolowa indigenous religious ceremonies. The Nee-dash dance is now taught to Tolowa children. Bommelyn purchased the Jane Hostatlas allotment along the Smith River, which is still used for Tolowa ceremonies as of 2012. She taught Tolowa language classes. Bommelyn also handmade the only fishing nets which are still utilized by the Smith River Rancheria. Bommelyn publicly opposed the

Indian termination policy Indian termination describes United States policies relating to Native Americans from the mid-1940s to the mid-1960s. It was shaped by a series of laws and practices with the intent of assimilating Native Americans into mainstream American soci ...

, a federal policy which advocated the assimilation of Native Americans and

Native American tribe In the United States, an American Indian tribe, Native American tribe, Alaska Native village, Indigenous tribe, or Tribal nation may be any current or historical Tribe (Native American)#Other uses, tribe, band, or nation of Native Americans in ...

s into mainstream society while eliminating traditional customs. A tribal historian and genealogist, Bommelyn traced the genealogy of the Tolowa as far back as the 1790s. Her genealogy research led to the end of a Tolowa taboo which had traditionally prohibited speaking a deceased person's name. Her genealogical records are used as the basis to determine current membership in the Smith River Rancheria. On April 7, 2012, Bommelyn was honored by the 5th Annual Humboldt State California Big Time and Social Gathering, a gathering of five California Native American tribes, for her contributions to the preservation of Tolowa language and customs.

Death and tribal remembrance

Eunice Bommelyn died in Crescent City, California, on April 23, 2012, at the age of 85. Her family cut their hair to sever a connection between themselves and her spirit. She was buried by her grandchildren at the How-On-Quet Indian Cemetery, which overlooks the Smith River. The Tolowa did not perform the Nee-dash dance in 2012, in memory of Bommelyn.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bommelyn, Eunice 1927 births 2012 deaths Tolowa people Native American activists American genealogists Native American language revitalization Historians of Native Americans People from Del Norte County, California American women historians Activists from California Historians from California 20th-century Native American writers 21st-century Native American writers 20th-century Native American women 21st-century Native American women