Chief Marin facts for kids

Chief Marin (born around 1781 – died March 15, 1839) was a very important Native American leader. He was known as the "great chief of the tribe Licatiut." The Licatiut were a group of Coast Miwok people who lived in what is now Marin County, California.

According to historical reports, he was baptized as a young man in 1801 at Mission San Francisco de Asís in San Francisco, California. Later, he moved to Mission San Rafael Arcángel in San Rafael, California. There, he served as an alcalde (which was like a local leader or mayor) during the 1820s. Chief Marin passed away on March 15, 1839, from natural causes. Both Marin County and the Marin Islands are believed to be named in his honor.

The Life of Chief Marin

Chief Marin first appears in official records on March 7, 1801. On this day, he was baptized with the name Marino at Mission San Francisco de Asís. He also got married on the same day to Marina Mottiqui. The records show he was about 20 years old then. His original Native American name was Huicmuse, and he came from the Huimen local tribe.

After his first wife passed away, he married again to a woman named Dona. Later, he married Juana. In mission records, Chief Marin was also listed as a godparent. His name was sometimes spelled Marin and sometimes Marino.

General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, a key figure in early California, spoke highly of Chief Marin in 1850. He called him the "great chief of the tribe Licatiut." General Vallejo was part of the committee that named the counties in California. He said that Marin County was named after Chief Marin.

General Vallejo shared a story about Chief Marin. He said that around 1815 or 1816, a military group explored the area north of San Francisco Bay. On their way back, they had a fight with Marin near the Petaluma Valley. Marin was captured and taken to San Francisco. However, he managed to escape! He went back to Petaluma, gathered his people, and worked hard to fight against the troops who were entering his land.

Vallejo's report says Chief Marin was captured again in 1824. After being set free, he went to the San Rafael Mission, where he passed away in 1834. While this report gives us important information, historians consider it "semi-historical." This means some parts might not be fully accurate or proven. For example, mission records show his death was recorded at the San Rafael Mission, but in 1839, not 1834.

Old Stories About Chief Marin

Some historians from the late 1800s, like Alexander Taylor and Hubert Howe Bancroft, shared stories about Chief Marin. These stories claimed that Marin and some other chiefs had lighter skin and were intelligent leaders. They suggested this was because they were descendants of a Spanish sailor from a shipwrecked ship.

However, these stories are not supported by facts. Historians today explain that believing such a background made someone a better leader was a form of racism and ethnocentrism in the 1800s. These ideas were based on unfair beliefs about different groups of people.