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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Oct. 14, 2001, Gov. Gray Davis signed Senate Bill 41, which requires new educational information and materials be introduced in California school to boost California Indian culture and history.

As a fourth grade teacher I applauded these efforts. It wasn’t all that long ago that textbooks ignored this important, and vast subject – California Indians.

Unless a teacher took great pains to enhance the curriculum with outside sources, it appeared that California Indians ceased to exist after the end of the 19th century.

Some of the Indian tribes of what we now call Lake County included the Pomo, Miwok, Patwin, Yuki and Wappo Indians.

Wappo Indian territory included southern Middletown, the valley of the Napa River by Yountville, the base of the Sonoma Valley, also near the Geysers and Geyserville/Russian River area.

It is more than likely that they traveled to Clear Lake, as well as the Pacific Coast during the summer months, as there was a Wappo fishing village at the south shore of Clear Lake, near Soda Bay. Some of the Wappo probably made annual summer excursions to the Pacific Ocean as well.

The name “Wappo” is said to have come from the Spanish word, “guapo” – which in some usages means brave – a name given to them in Mission era time.

No one can be sure just how large their numbers were initially, but by 1908 there were, sadly, only 40 Wappo counted.

Wappo belongs to a small family of languages including Coast Yuki, Yuki, and Huchnom. Wappo has always stood as a separate language, being the most unique, or different of the four.

Laura Somersal, the last speaker of the Wappo language felt that “c o-noma” might have been the origin of the name for Sonoma. It meant “abandoned camp.”

The archaeology of Napa Valley shows occupation from about 2,000 to 4,000 years ago. They may have been the first settlers after the people of the Borax Lake complex.

Archaeologists wonder about the division of the Wappo language by Pomo land from other languages to which it is related.

Did the Pomo interrupt and separate the Wappo, or did a group of Yukian speakers migrate? The evidence is scarce, but seems to lean toward migration.

They were probably always in the minority, and it appears that they got along well with the people around them.

One of the few known exceptions to their generally nonviolent reputation among the other tribes was the Wappo-Pomo war.

The Wappo seemingly attacked the Alexander Valley Pomo, which had carried off some Wappo supplies of acorn – an important food staple. Unfortunately, because of the two attacks, an unspecified amount of Pomo were killed.

The Pomo sought after peace, which was readily established, but the Pomo never returned to their Alexander Valley villages.

Other times of retaliation occurred during the Mission era, when Napa Valley Wappo fought bitterly against the Spanish.

They fought to keep their lifeways, but many were kidnapped to work the missions. Some were held at the mission at Sonoma between 1823 and 1834.

Another time of altercation occurred because of a disagreement over the Cole and Kelsey creeks fishing rights that ended in the Wappos using their digging sticks to create a diversion of the creeks near their mouth.

Somersal related a story about a gathering of Indians in the Russian River area who had decided to leave, for good, their permanent homes, for a great religious gathering.

As their numbers swelled, and the amount of Indians gathering became “too great,” the army was called in to disperse, or drive off the Indians, They fled to Clear Lake. Among this group was Somersal’s grandmother.

A Wappo village, like many other tribal villages, was usually conveniently located on a creek or near other water sources. Their village included one or two sweat houses.

Their chief could be elected, or chosen for any given position. It wasn’t uncommon for there to be more than one chief at a time. In Wappo society a woman could become a chief as well as a man could.

The chief had four main tasks: assuring dealings with other villages, both in times of peace and strife; domestic functioning of the village; ceremonies; and dispersing news. The position of chief was held until death.

In the Wappo culture, the birth of a baby was followed by one of the most complex customs to be found in North America.

For at least four days both the baby’s parents were confined to their beds, under strict taboos whose purpose was to secure the welfare of the child.

The games played by those of the Wappo tribe were like those of the Pomo: the game of shinny, the grass game, dice, and a variety of guessing games, and games involving comparisons of the players’ strength and physical prowess.

Homes of the Wappo included grass huts over poles. Each house had a door and a smoke hole. If more than one family shared a dwelling, there was a smoke hole for each family living there.

Tools utilized by the Wappo included wedges, fire drills and axes. There were tools to scrape animal skins, and there were shells and baskets for dishes.

Wappo Indians were known as skilled basketmakers, having been influenced by the master basket weavers, the Pomo.

The Wappo, like other tribes used clamshell bead money, and magnesite cylinders were in use both for money and decoration.

Exceptional qualities of the Wappo included both their humbleness and kindness in spirit. They greatly loved their children, and had a tendency to spoil them. Children were usually raised by any senior female relative.

They dearly loved their lands and families; however, property ownership per se was not held as a concept. It was believed that if someone owned something, then it was at the expense of someone else.

Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is an educator, potter, writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and “Native Americans of Lake County.” She also writes for NASA and JPL as one of their “Solar System Ambassadors.” She was selected “Lake County Teacher of the Year, 1998-99” by the Lake County Office of Education, and chosen as one of 10 state finalists the same year by the California Department of Education.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has a wide range of dogs of all ages that are in need of new homes.

The dogs available this week include mixes of border collie, boxer, cattle dog, Chihuahua, hound, Labrador Retriever, pit bull, Rottweiler, terrier and shepherd.

Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.

If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.

In addition to the animals featured here, all adoptable animals in Lake County can be seen here: http://bit.ly/Z6xHMb .

The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).

'Smee'

“Smee” is a young male Chihuahua with a short tan coat.

He's in kennel No. 2, ID No. 4736.

Female Chihuahuas

These two female Chihuahuas have short multicolored coats.

They're in kennel No. 3a and No. 22, ID Nos. 4637 and 4636, respectively.

'Luther'

“Luther” is a male pit bull terrier mix who is listed in "urgent" need of a home, as he has been at the shelter since Feb. 28.

He has a short black coat with white markings.

Shelter staff said he is great with other dogs, both male and female, is very sweet and while he gets excited he doesn't jump on people.

He walks well on a leash and has basic commands.

In addition, he allows handling of his ears, mouth, paws and allowed nail trimming, has no food guarding, avoided cats and didn't mind the horses.

He's in kennel No. 4, ID No. 4511.

Female boxer mix

This female boxer mix has a short gray coat with white markings.

Shelter staff said she needs basic leash training, but is manageable for her size. She also allows handling of her ears, mouth, paws and body, and tolerated nail clipping without pulling away.

She has no food aggression, and would do great in a home with no cats. Staff said she has been tested with another dog and got along well.

They believe she will be happiest in a quiet home and will form a very strong bond with her handler.

She's in kennel No. 5, ID No. 4551.

'Cali'

“Cali” is a female Labrador Retriever.

She has a short yellow coat.

She's in kennel No. 6, ID No. 4683.

Cattle dog-pit bull terrier

This male cattle dog-pit bull terrier has a short white coat with black markings.

He's in kennel No. 7, ID No. 4694.

Male shepherd mix

This male shepherd mix has a short brown coat with white markings.

Shelter staff said he needs leash training but is very manageable, and in the play yard came when called when food was used as a motivator. He doesn't know basic commands yet, but did volunteer the behavior when another dog was doing it for treats.

He has no food aggression towards people or dogs, and allows handling of ears, mouth, paws and tail without any problems. He avoided the cats.

He's in kennel No. 8, ID No. 4560.

Labrador Retriever mix

This young male Labrador Retriever mix has a short black coat with white markings.

He's in kennel No. 10, ID No. 4738.

Rottweiler-border collie mix

This female Rottweiler-border collie mix has a short black coat with tan and white markings.

She's in kennel No. 11, ID No. 4722.

This female Labrador Retriever mix puppy is in kennel No. 15f, ID No. 4681. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Labrador Retriever mix puppy

This female puppy is a Labrador Retriever mix.

She has a short brown coat with white markings.

She's in kennel No. 15f, ID No. 4681.

Male Chihuahua mix

This male Chihuahua mix has an all-white coat.

He's in kennel No. 17, ID No. 4591.

'Snowball'

“Snowball” is a female Chihuahua mix with a short tan and white coat.

She's in kennel No. 19a, ID No. 4705.

'Smokey' and 'Sandy'

“Smokey” and “Sandy” are two Chihuahuas in need of a new home.

They are in kennel No. 19b and 19c, ID No. 4706 and 4707.

Hound-Labrador Retriever mix

This female hound-Labrador Retriever mix has a short white coat with black markings.

She's in kennel No. 21, ID No. 4641.

Female Chihuahua

This female Chihuahua mix has an all-white coat.

She's in kennel No. 23, ID No. 4733.

'Bronco'

“Bronco” is a male cattle dog mix.

He has a short white and brown coat.

Shelter staff said he needs some basic training and has a lot of potential.

He's in kennel No. 24, ID No. 4592.

Female pit bull mix

This female pit bull mix has a short gray and white coat.

She's in kennel No. 25, ID No. 4588.

Male pit bull terrier mix

This male pit bull terrier mix has a short brown coat with white markings.

He's in kennel No. 27, ID No. 4673.

'Rosie'

“Rosie” is a female boxer-pit bull mix.

She has a short brown brindle coat with white markings.

Her adoption fee will be less expensive due to already being spayed.

She's in kennel No. 32, ID No. 4670.

To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

Newsflash: Assembly of the next great space observatory, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), is now underway at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Launch target: 2018.

JWST is an infrared telescope, which means it will sense the heat of stars and galaxies millions and even billions of light years away.

Eric Smith, JWST Program Director and Program Scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC said, “It will show us the first stars and galaxies that formed in the early universe. We’ll be able to watch the universe light up for the first time!”

A really big mirror is required to collect light from objects more than 13 billion light years away. The telescope’s mirror is so large – 21 feet 4 inches across – that it will have to be folded with its sunshield when it's time to fit in a rocket for launch.

There are 18 mirror segments, each 4.3 feet in diameter, that have recently been mounted on the structure that will ultimately hold them in place and let them perform as if they were part of a single giant hexagonal mirror.

Once the telescope is fully assembled and attached to the instrument module, the whole unit will be vibration and acoustic tested.

Final cryogenic testing takes place at Johnson Space Centerin early 2017in the same vacuum chamber that tested the Apollo lunar lander.

Then the telescope will be integrated with the spacecraft and sunshield at Northrop Grumman in Redondo Beach, California.

Next, it will be placed in a special transportation container on a large ship to voyage from California through the Panama Canal to Kourou, French Guiana, where it will catch a ride to space on an Ariane 5 rocket supplied by the European Space Agency.

And then?

In addition to showing us the universe’s first “fireworks,” the world's largest infrared telescope will be a canny explorer of planets circling faraway stars.

JWST will be able to carry out detailed, high precision followup studies of the myriad of exoplanets other telescopes have been flushing out of hiding.

“It will be like taking a deep breath of an alien planet’s atmosphere,” Smith said.

The JWST telescope will be very good at observing and taking spectra of gas giant planets where it could detect, water, carbon dioxide and methane among other compounds.

It will also be used to take some spectral data on smaller planets. Webb will also zoom in to study newly discovered super Earths.

Using a technique called coronagraphy, the telescope will even be able to find planets on its own.

There will no doubt be surprises – in addition to exoplanets – along the way.

“The science community is very creative,” said Smith. “They’ll think up things for JWST to do that we never even imagined.”

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – The sixth and final grading period has commenced.

At this time Carlé High School is looking at a graduating class of 34 students that have finished their credits and all other requirements for graduation.

Congratulations graduating class of 2016 – we couldn’t be prouder.

The Student of the Week for the week of April 4 was Vanessa Gonzales. Congratulations!

The proud Dan Maes, who was the nominating teacher, had this to say: “Vanessa Gongales was selected as Carlé’s student of the week because of her solid work ethic in all of her classes. Vanessa demonstrates a positive attitude by doing what she is supposed to do.”

Carlé High School’s gold level students from the fourth grading period had a field trip led by teachers Angie and Alan Siegel to Mackerricher State Park.

They spent their day knee-deep in tide pools and with their spare time, had lunch on the beautiful beach of this amazing park.

“It was amazing, we all had a lot of fun learning about tide pools and seals and hanging out on the beach. It’s definitely something we should repeat next year,” said gold level student Andrew Astorga

The student of week for the week of April 11 was Nick Begins.

Another proud teacher, Alan Siegel to be exact, had nothing but amazing things to say. “Nick is incredibly helpful and he is kind to everyone around him. I hear nothing but positive things from the people he surrounds himself with. He comes to school everyday early to set up for the morning bulletin without being asked. It’s his kind of positive attitude that made my decision so easy to nominate Nick. Congratulations!”

Prom is planned for May 6. The whole student body is going to be involved in the voting of the theme this year.

This week there will be a poll for the students to pick a theme that they desire. The one theme with the most votes will be this year’s prom theme. We have: “A Night in Wonderland,” “A Night Under The Sea” and “A Night Under The Stars.”

The winners of our economic survival game were: First place, Nick Begins and Daniel Salazar; second place, Stephani Utley and Vincente Padilla; and third place, Nicole Arlitt. Congratulations! Plaques to commemorate their success were made for three places by the media class.

Secretary Barbara Dye crunched all the numbers and was pleased to announce gold level students for the fifth grading period. These successful students are: Andrew Astorga, Nick Begins, Destiny Blevins, Kayla Doyle, and Brianna E. Legg. Congratulations!

Brianna E. Legg and Candice Safreno are students at Carlé Continuation High School in Lower Lake, Calif.

THE BOSS (Rated R)

Comedy is tricky, at best, for even the funniest comedians.

The delightfully funny Melissa McCarthy has had her share of hits (“The Heat” and “Spy”) but also the occasional misses (“Tammy”), and thus she’s aware of the minefield in this business.

“The Boss,” a collaboration between McCarthy, her husband Ben Falcone and Steve Mallory for the script duties, is best categorized as a hit-and-miss comedy, even though much of it is a family affair as her husband also served as director and even has a bit part.

Reaching into her comedic bag of tricks from her formative days at the Los Angeles-based improv troupe The Groundlings, McCarthy has resurrected her tone-deaf, self-help finance guru Michelle Darnell as the titular, larger-than-life character in “The Boss.”

Aside from the opening scene flashbacks to her childhood days of being bounced around from foster home to foster home, with brief stints at a Catholic orphanage, Michelle blasted her way through life to get to the pinnacle of business success.

Described as the 47th wealthiest woman in America, Michelle Darnell is introduced at the top of her game, holding sold-out seminars in Chicago’s United Center, offering self-help career advice like someone trying to sell a course in house flipping.

As a confident, powerful woman wrapped in a cocoon of entitled wealth and privilege, Michelle is planted in the upper echelons of celebrity. She eschews the customary rules of civil engagement and operates without much regard for the status of others.

Meanwhile, her former lover and business competitor Renault (Peter Dinklage), operating in full vengeful mode, triggers her downfall by giving the feds all the ammunition needed for her indictment on insider trading, which is followed by a stint in federal prison.

Upon release from custody, the ruthless Michelle is prepared to resume her extravagant lifestyle until she has the rude awakening that she has nothing – no minions, no friends, no money and no assets.

In desperation, Michelle turns up at the apartment of her former executive assistant and struggling single mother Claire (Kristen Bell), seeking temporary refuge on her couch.

Living in cramped quarters with her young daughter Rachel (Ella Anderson), Claire is not thrilled that her former boss has insinuated herself into their lives for the dubious prospect of getting a fresh restart.

Working off a family recipe, Claire bakes brownies that are very popular with her colleagues at an exceedingly boring office workplace, where the only bright spot is the putative romance with co-worker Mike (Tyler Labine).

In true Darnell fashion, Michelle devises a shady business model for a new venture, a brownie empire guaranteed to catapult her back into the big leagues while giving Claire a real opportunity to build a solid future in the business world.

Some of the funniest situations involve Michelle’s natural instinct to fight dirty in a scorched Earth approach. As such, she creates Darnell’s Darlings, a brazen for-profit version of a revered scouting organization.

Michelle’s brainchild morphs into a motley crew of misfit girls peddling brownies made by Claire’s recipe. The girls are dressed in red berets and denim jackets, and looking like a revolutionary guard, they have all the attitude and swagger of the Black Panthers.

Not only do Michelle and her Darlings disrupt meetings of the Dandelions, a nonprofit girl’s organization selling cookies under the tutelage of the nice but flustered Scout Leader Sandy (Kristen Schaal), they are ready for a street brawl, which eventually happens.

Of course, the fight scene of the competing baked goods sellers is a bit violent and mean-spirited, with some markedly gratuitous swearing that for obvious reasons causes “The Boss” to deservedly earn its R rating for language, among other excesses.

“The Boss” also strikes a somewhat discordant note of sentimentality about family. For obvious reasons, Michelle is a despicable character, but the soft core of the story is that she seeks redemption by eventually bonding in a familial way with Claire and Rachel.

It may be satisfying that Melissa McCarthy gives her character enough heart, in her backstory as an unloved orphan and now as a reformed person, that she becomes more congenial, if not entirely lovable.

But the central point for “The Boss” is not whether McCarthy’s ribald Darnell proves to be likable after all; it’s about the goofiness of the once and future business honcho sustaining comedy gold in all facets of a loosely focused plot.

As I mentioned, “The Boss” is a hit-and-miss but still has a good share of laughs.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – April’s Fireside Chat at Gibson Museum will feature local historian Gene Paleno.

A resident of Witter Springs for almost 50 years, Paleno has collected local history and now shares it in his newly release book, “Lake County History: A Mystical Adventure in Time.”

He will sign copies of the 450-page tome for interested attendees.

The chat will begin at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 30. The museum closes at 5 p.m.

Now nearing his 90th birthday, Paleno has developed a wry, humorous look at the world he lives in that always delights his audiences.

He had earlier written 15 novels and books of fiction and nonfiction. Of this most recent work he said, “History can be too strange or too ridiculous to be ignored.”

Paleno also will appear at the second anniversary celebration of the Gibson Museum & Cultural Center on May 14.

That event is themed “A Look at Life in the 1860s” and will be headlined by two authentically portrayed skirmishes by the American Civil War Association, as well as fashions, food and music of the period.

Paleno will delve into his book about the Civil War to offer information about the surprising depth of Californians’ participation in that war.

There is no charge for the April 30 fireside chat, although donations are welcomed as Gibson is entirely funded by voluntary contributions.

Seating is limited and reservations are advised.

The Gibson Museum is located at 21267 Calistoga St. (Highway 29) in Middletown, directly opposite the community center. Call 707-809-8009 or write This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.