Si-Te-Cah facts for kids

The Si-Te-Cah (also called Saiduka or Sai'i) are a legendary tribe from the Paiute oral history. Their mummified remains were supposedly found in Lovelock Cave near Lovelock, Nevada, in the United States. Miners discovered these remains under four feet of guano (bat droppings).

Mining in the cave started in 1911, but authorities were not told until 1912. Sadly, the miners destroyed many important items. Still, archaeologists later found about 10,000 Paiute artifacts in the cave. These items included duck decoys made from tule plants, sandals, and baskets. Some of these objects are over 2,000 years old.

What Does "Si-Te-Cah" Mean?

The name "Si-Te-Cah" comes from the language of the Paiute Indians. It means "tule-eaters."

Tule is a type of fibrous water plant. According to the stories, the Si-Te-Cah people lived on rafts made of tule plants on a lake. They did this to avoid being bothered by the Paiutes.

Paiute Stories About the Si-Te-Cah

Paiute oral history describes the Si-Te-Cah as red-haired giants who ate people. The Si-Te-Cah and the Paiutes were often at war. After a long fight, different tribes joined together to trap the remaining Si-Te-Cah inside Lovelock Cave.

When the Si-Te-Cah refused to come out, the Paiutes piled brush in front of the cave entrance. They then set the brush on fire. This act destroyed the Si-Te-Cah tribe.

What Did Sarah Winnemucca Say?

Sarah Winnemucca Hopkins was the daughter of Paiute Chief Winnemucca. She wrote about a "small tribe of barbarians" who ate her people in her book Life Among the Paiutes: Their Wrongs and Claims.

She wrote that after her people defeated them, others called the Paiutes "Say-do-carah." This word means "conqueror" or "enemy." Hopkins also mentioned that the tribe they defeated had reddish hair. She even had some of their hair, passed down in her family. She owned a special "mourning dress" decorated with this reddish hair. Interestingly, Sarah Winnemucca Hopkins did not mention giants in her writings.

What Did Archaeologists Find?

Historian Adrienne Mayor wrote about the Si-Te-Cah in her book Legends of the First Americans. She believes that the idea of "giants" came from people setting up tourist displays. She suggests the skeletons found in Lovelock Cave were actually of normal size.

However, about 100 miles north of Lovelock, many fossils of mammoths and cave bears have been found. Their large leg bones could easily be mistaken for giant human bones by someone who isn't an expert.

Mayor also explained the reddish hair. She pointed out that hair color can change after death. Things like temperature and soil can turn very dark ancient hair into a rusty red or orange color. Another reason for the "giant" idea might be that the first remains found in 1911–1912 were of a man described as "giant" compared to smaller female skeletons.

Early Discoveries in the Cave

James H. Hart was one of the first miners to dig in the cave in 1911. He wrote that in one part of the cave, about four feet deep, they found "a striking looking body of a man 'six feet six inches tall.'" He noted that the body was mummified and had "distinctly red" hair.

Sadly, many human remains and artifacts were lost or destroyed during the first year of mining. One of the best adult mummies was even boiled and destroyed by a local group for their initiation ceremonies.

Some of the fiber sandals found in the cave were very large. One sandal, over 15 inches (38 cm) long, was said to be on display at the Nevada Historical Society's museum in Reno in 1952.

Evidence of Cannibalism?

The Paiute tradition says that the Si-Te-Cah people practiced cannibalism. This idea might have some truth to it. During an excavation of the cave in 1924, three human bones were found near the surface. These bones had been split open to get the marrow, just like animal bones were split. This suggests that cannibalism might have happened during a time of famine.