Chief Marin

Chief Marin (born about 1781, died March 15, 1839) was the "great chief of the tribe Licatiut" (a branch of Coast Miwok native to present-day Marin County, California), according to General Vallejo's semi-historical report to the first California State Legislature in 1850. Historical records indicate that he was baptized as a young man at Mission San Francisco de Asís (of San Francisco, California) in 1801 and eventually moved to Mission San Rafael Arcángel (of San Rafael), where he was an alcalde in the 1820s. Marin died on March 15, 1839 of natural causes. Marin County and the Marin Islands are believed to be named in his honor.

Biography

Marin first appears in the historical record on March 7, 1801, when he was baptized as Marino at Mission San Francisco de Asís, and also married on the same day to Marina Mottiqui. The recorder wrote in the baptismal register that he was about twenty years old ("como de 20"), that his native name was Huicmuse and that he came from the Huimen local tribe. The identities of his parents were not provided, typical of Franciscan baptismal entries for adult Indians.