ead of Potter Valley, at which region they merged with
the Pomo. They were a river people, with their villages all placed on
the banks of the Eel and one or two of the larger tributaries.

The original modern ethnographic account of the Huchnom was by Barrett
(1908), whose description of villages is accepted almost verbatim by
Kroeber in the Handbook (pp. 202-203). A more recent account, derived
from one informant, is given by Foster (1944, pp. 225 ff., App. 1).

Barrett describes and shows on his map 13 villages, of which 11 are
on the Eel and 2 on Tomki Creek. Of the former 5 are located close
together along the boundary between the Huchnom and the Northern Pomo.
This territory is shown on Foster's map as being within the confines of
the Pomo; hence some confusion might arise, were it not that both
Barrett and Kroeber are very positive in ascribing the sites to the
Huchnom, not the Pomo. Barrett's map is undoubtedly more accurate for
this area than Foster's.

Barrett calls all these "old village sites," as opposed, for example,
to modern inhabited villages. He makes no distinction as to size.
Kroeber in taking over Barrett's list refers to them as "main
settlements." Foster states (p. 227) that "village organization and
society in general were about like the Yuki." Hence it could be
inferred that the 13 places were all of the nohot type, and thus that a
total population of 2,470 is implied.

This may not, however, be entirely justified. Kroeber says _settlements_
not _communities_ and Barrett says _villages_. Reference therefore may
have been to individual dwelling places not to groups or constellations.
Foster begs the question entirely by referring merely to the work of the
previous investigators as "ample." On the other hand, if the Huchnom
organization was similar to that of the Yuki, as Foster avers, then at
least some of the names mentioned must have been community capitals, or
nohots, the smaller villages peripheral to which have been forgotten.

We have a few additional items which are helpful. The northernmost
village, _cipomul_, is said by Foster's informant to have been the
residence of a "captain." Hence it was a principal village or nohot.
Three villages are stated by Barrett (and so shown on his map) as
having been located on both banks of the Eel River. Such extension
suggests a size greater than that of a small parasitic hamlet, whether
or not they may be regarded as nohots. Moreover the distributi