hidden for fear of being killed. But very soon after he
arrived in the city they took him to a formal dinner
party. He sat there unperturbed by this unfamiliar rit-
ual, just observing, and then ate the way everybody
else did. He was full of wonder, completely curious
about everything, and seemingly not afraid or resent-
ful, just totally open.
When Ishi was first taken to San Francisco, he
went to the Oroville train station and stood on the
platform. When the train came in, without anyone
really noticing, he simply walked away very quietly
and stood behind a pillar. Then the others noticed
and beckoned to him, and they all got on the train to
San Francisco. Later, Ishi told Kroeber that for his
whole life when he and the other members of his
tribe had seen that train they had thought it was a
demon that ate people, because of how it snaked
along and bellowed smoke and fire. When Kroeber
heard that, he was awestruck. He asked, “How did
you have the courage to just get on the train if you
thought it was a demon?” Then Ishi said, quite sim-
ply, “Well, my life has taught me to be more curious
than afraid.” His life had taught him what it meant to
be a child of illusion.
Let the World Speak for Itself 35