The
Cahuilla
Iviatim
in their own language, are Indians (Native Americans) with a common
culture whose ancestors inhabited inland areas of southern California
2,000 years ago. Their original territory included an area of about
2,400 square miles (6,200 km²). The traditional Cahuilla territory
was near the geographic center of Southern California. It was bounded
to the north by the San Bernardino Mountains, to the south by Borrego
Springs and the Chocolate Mountains, to the east by the Colorado
Desert, and to the west by the San Jacinto Plain and the eastern
slopes of the Palomar Mountains.
(Baskets
typical of Cahuilla palm fiber construction earlier in this century.)
The
Cahuilla lived from the land by using native plants. A notable tree
whose fruits they harvested is the California fan palm. The Cahuilla
people also used palm leaves for basketry of many shapes, sizes and
purposes; sandals, and roofing thatch for dwellings. The Cahuilla
lived in smaller groups than some other tribes.
The
Cahuilla did not encounter Anglo-Americans until the 1840s. Chief
Juan Antonio, leader of the Cahuilla Mountain Band, gave traveler
Daniel Sexton access to areas near the San Gorgonio Pass in 1842. The
Mountain Band also lent support to a U.S. Army expedition led by
Lieutenant Edward Fitzgerald Beale, defending the party against
attacks by Wakara and his band of Ute warriors.
During
the Mexican-American War, Chief Juan Antonio led his warriors to join
Californios led by Jose Carmen del Lugo in attacking their
traditional enemy, the Luiseño. Lugo led this action in retaliation
for the Pauma Massacre, in which the Luiseño had killed 11
Californios. The combined forces staged an ambush and killed 33-40 of
the Luiseño warriors, an event that became known as the Temecula
Massacre of 1847. (Academic historians disagree on the exact number
of deaths; Luiseño oral tradition holds that more than 100 warriors
were killed.) In the treaty ending the war with Mexico, the US
promised to honor Mexican land grants and policies. These included
recognition of Native American rights to inhabit certain lands, but
European-American encroachment on Indian lands became an increasing
problem after the US annexed California.
During the 1850s, the Cahuilla came under increasing pressure from waves of European-American migrants because of the California Gold Rush. In addition to the influx of Anglo-American miners, ranchers and outlaws, and groups of Mormon colonists, the Cahuilla came into conflict with the neighboring Cupeño tribe to the west. When the California Senate refused to ratify an 1852 treaty granting the Cahuilla control of their lands, tribal leaders, including Juan Antonio, resorted to attacks on approaching settlers and soldiers.
The Cupeño
Several different groups combined to form Cupeño culture around 1000 to 1200 CE. They were closely related to Cahuilla culture. The Cupeño people traditionally lived in the mountains in the San Jose Valley at the headwaters of the San Luis Rey River. They lived in two autonomous villages, Wilákalpa and Kúpa, also spelled Cupa, which north of Warner Springs, California. They also lived at Agua Caliente, located east of Lake Henshaw on State Highway 79 near Warner Springs, California. The 200-acre (0.81 km2) Cupeño Indian village site is now abandoned but evidence of its historical importance remains.
At first, the Cupeño had little direct contact with the coastal missions; it was not until 1795 that first recorded missionary entered their valley, and he did not even visit the hot springs. In 1798, the Mission San Luis Rey was established in what is now Oceanside. To support the mission on the coast, a string of inland ranchos were established for stock raising and farming. Around 1830, the missionaries established an outpost near the hot springs, which they called Agua Caliente. Grapes and other crops were planted, and cattle and sheep grazed in the valley. Unlike many other Indians, most of the Cupeño who agreed to be baptized and work for the support of the mission were allowed to remain in their village, and did not go to live at San Luis Rey.
Shortly thereafter, the missions were stripped of their lands by the Mexican Government, and the Indians were left to fend for themselves. Some stayed at the declining missions. Some found work on the cattle ranches, or in towns. Others returned to their villages, but they took with the new skills they had learned at the missions.
Change was happening all around the Cupeño. California became a part of the United States in 1848. Under Spain and Mexico, the California Indians had been counted as citizens, and their lands protected (at least in theory). But to the new American rulers of California, the Indians were a stumbling block, to be pushed aside, even killed, in the name of progress.
Kawaiisu
The Kawaiisu (also Nuwa or Nuooah) are a Native American group who lived in the southern California Tehachapi Valley and across the Tehachapi Pass in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains to the north, toward Lake Isabella and Walker Pass. They also traveled eastward on food-gathering trips to areas in the northern Mojave Desert, to the north and northeast of the Antelope Valley, as far east as the Panamint Valley, the Panamint Mountains, and the western edge of Death Valley. [north and east of the Los Angeles Basin]
The Kawaiisu lived in permanent winter villages of 60 to 100 people. They often divided into smaller groups during the warmer months of the year and harvested California native plants in the mountains and deserts, and animals, for food and raw materials.
The Kawaiisu were related by language and culture to the Southern Paiute of southwestern Nevada and the Chemehuevi of the eastern Mojave Desert of California. They may have originally lived in the desert before coming to the Tehachapi Mountains region, perhaps as early as 2000 years ago or before.
The Kawaiisu have been known by several other names, including the Caliente, Paiute, and Tehachapi Indians, but they called themselves Nuwu or "people." The Kawaiisu maintained friendly relations with the neighboring Kitanemuk and also participated in cooperative antelope drives (driving herds of antelope into traps so they could be more easily slaughtered) with the Yokuts, another group living in the San Joaquin Valley.
Another related tribe was the Kitanemuk.
The Kumeyaay
These were the first California native encountered by the Spanish in 1769 when two ships anchored in San Miguel Bay. The crews were wracked by scurvy and diarrhea, totally unprepared to deal with this warlike branch of the natives known to them as Ipai and Tipai.
They almost immediately fell into conflict with the Spanish as they would wander through the camps, picking up and taking anything lying around loose. They had no sense of ownership. On the night of November 4, 1775, two Kumeyaay disciples fearing public punishment for stealing, led a band of between 600 and 800 warriors against the Mission San Diego. After plundering the chapel, they set the other buildings ablaze. Father Jayme left the mission and approached the attackers with open arms and his usual greeting, “Love God, my children.” The Kumeyaay stripped him of his clothing, beat him and riddled his body with arrows. This, Father Jayme became the only friar to die in an Indian attack at all of the 21 missions.
Under the Spanish Mission system, bands living near Mission San Diego de Alcalá, established in 1769, were called Diegueños. After Mexico took over the lands from Spain, they secularized the missions in 1834, and Ipai and Tipais lost their lands and essentially became serfs.
When California became a state in 1850, it was the worst period yet for the Kumeyaay Indians. Technically wards of the federal government, caught in a battle between states' rights and the federal government, the Kumeyaays found themselves with no protection.
California passed the act for the Government and Protection of Indians in 1850. This act assumed state authority over the Indians and empowered county sheriffs to mark boundaries and protect Indians and Indian lands "as needed." The act also legalized the indenturing of Indian children, granting custody for males until age 18 and females until 15 years old.
Children often were seen being driven to market, where Indian boys were sold for $50, and girls for $100. Thousands of Native Americans were made legal wards of Anglos who sought a cheap and steady labor supply. An advertisement inviting new settlers to California boasted free land and free Indian labor.
Not even the Mexican had treated them so poorly.
The Miwok
There were two basic groups, those living in the Sierras and those living along the coast. The coastal Miwoks were those who came in contact with the Spanish. The Coast Miwok Indians' territory stretched as far north as Bodega Bay, as far east as the town of Sonoma and included all of present day Marin County. Over 600 village sites have been uncovered and identified in the Miwok territory and, of those, more than 100 have been discovered on the Peninsula.
The Coast Miwok Indians ate most of their food fresh, although some fish and eggs were dried. In addition, each season brought an opportunity for expanding the variety of foods available to them. In spring, the Miwok diet consisted of harvested buckeye nuts that were boiled, mashed and leached; fresh, native clover; the sweet sap of the black or white oaks; and the honey of wild bees. In the summer, they harvested kelp at low tide and dried or roasted it. In the fall, hazelnuts and peppernuts were gathered and prepared into a spicy relish. These staples were supplemented by other game and seafood found in the surrounding area. The Miwok constructed bows and arrows for hunting the larger game, large nets for harvesting fish and other seafood, and basket traps for capturing quail and other birds.
Miwok Sweat Lodge
While many accuse the Spanish and friars in particular of the genocide of the Miwok, the truth is that Mexican soldiers killed approximately 100,000 Native Americans. However, their actions were minor compared to how many died of small pox, measles and venereal diseases brought to them by the Mexicans and Americans. It is estimated that the epidemics of 1838 alone killed between 60,000 and 75,000 Native Americans in one area north of San Francisco which was under the jurisdiction of General Vallejo.
The American’s first priority was to claim more territory and seize its wealth. These newcomers remained strangers to the land and considered the Native Americans merely as objects to be used to help plunder the wealth that was discovered here. Under California law Native Americans were actually forbidden to testify against whites. The Native Californians were abused, enslaved, raped, murdered and deprived of their lands by the Europeans. It is a shame that our ancestors showed so little regard for the basic human rights of the original Native Californians; however, from the perspective of the Native Californians, this is a good example of what can happen to a society when they don't protect their borders.
There were other minor tribes in California but these only came into contact with the arrival of Americans seeking gold and lands. They too met the same fate as the others. What is truly sad is that the vast majority lived in harmony with the land, although droughts and diseases endemic to the area, kept their populations within reasonable bounds. It was only at the arrival of Europeans that they suffered the most.
At the same time, this writer has to repeat what has been said before. The friars DID NOT enslave the Gentiles – as they called them – but did, once they were baptized, try to keep them at the missions. This was to help them from straying back to their heathen ways. Those sent to bring runaways back, DID NOT KILL OR WHIP them and their usual punishment was to be kept under guard at the mission.
Thank you for dropping by. All comments and feedback are welcome.
During the 1850s, the Cahuilla came under increasing pressure from waves of European-American migrants because of the California Gold Rush. In addition to the influx of Anglo-American miners, ranchers and outlaws, and groups of Mormon colonists, the Cahuilla came into conflict with the neighboring Cupeño tribe to the west. When the California Senate refused to ratify an 1852 treaty granting the Cahuilla control of their lands, tribal leaders, including Juan Antonio, resorted to attacks on approaching settlers and soldiers.
The Cupeño
Several different groups combined to form Cupeño culture around 1000 to 1200 CE. They were closely related to Cahuilla culture. The Cupeño people traditionally lived in the mountains in the San Jose Valley at the headwaters of the San Luis Rey River. They lived in two autonomous villages, Wilákalpa and Kúpa, also spelled Cupa, which north of Warner Springs, California. They also lived at Agua Caliente, located east of Lake Henshaw on State Highway 79 near Warner Springs, California. The 200-acre (0.81 km2) Cupeño Indian village site is now abandoned but evidence of its historical importance remains.
At first, the Cupeño had little direct contact with the coastal missions; it was not until 1795 that first recorded missionary entered their valley, and he did not even visit the hot springs. In 1798, the Mission San Luis Rey was established in what is now Oceanside. To support the mission on the coast, a string of inland ranchos were established for stock raising and farming. Around 1830, the missionaries established an outpost near the hot springs, which they called Agua Caliente. Grapes and other crops were planted, and cattle and sheep grazed in the valley. Unlike many other Indians, most of the Cupeño who agreed to be baptized and work for the support of the mission were allowed to remain in their village, and did not go to live at San Luis Rey.
Shortly thereafter, the missions were stripped of their lands by the Mexican Government, and the Indians were left to fend for themselves. Some stayed at the declining missions. Some found work on the cattle ranches, or in towns. Others returned to their villages, but they took with the new skills they had learned at the missions.
Change was happening all around the Cupeño. California became a part of the United States in 1848. Under Spain and Mexico, the California Indians had been counted as citizens, and their lands protected (at least in theory). But to the new American rulers of California, the Indians were a stumbling block, to be pushed aside, even killed, in the name of progress.
Kawaiisu
The Kawaiisu (also Nuwa or Nuooah) are a Native American group who lived in the southern California Tehachapi Valley and across the Tehachapi Pass in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains to the north, toward Lake Isabella and Walker Pass. They also traveled eastward on food-gathering trips to areas in the northern Mojave Desert, to the north and northeast of the Antelope Valley, as far east as the Panamint Valley, the Panamint Mountains, and the western edge of Death Valley. [north and east of the Los Angeles Basin]
The Kawaiisu lived in permanent winter villages of 60 to 100 people. They often divided into smaller groups during the warmer months of the year and harvested California native plants in the mountains and deserts, and animals, for food and raw materials.
The Kawaiisu were related by language and culture to the Southern Paiute of southwestern Nevada and the Chemehuevi of the eastern Mojave Desert of California. They may have originally lived in the desert before coming to the Tehachapi Mountains region, perhaps as early as 2000 years ago or before.
The Kawaiisu have been known by several other names, including the Caliente, Paiute, and Tehachapi Indians, but they called themselves Nuwu or "people." The Kawaiisu maintained friendly relations with the neighboring Kitanemuk and also participated in cooperative antelope drives (driving herds of antelope into traps so they could be more easily slaughtered) with the Yokuts, another group living in the San Joaquin Valley.
Another related tribe was the Kitanemuk.
The Kumeyaay
These were the first California native encountered by the Spanish in 1769 when two ships anchored in San Miguel Bay. The crews were wracked by scurvy and diarrhea, totally unprepared to deal with this warlike branch of the natives known to them as Ipai and Tipai.
They almost immediately fell into conflict with the Spanish as they would wander through the camps, picking up and taking anything lying around loose. They had no sense of ownership. On the night of November 4, 1775, two Kumeyaay disciples fearing public punishment for stealing, led a band of between 600 and 800 warriors against the Mission San Diego. After plundering the chapel, they set the other buildings ablaze. Father Jayme left the mission and approached the attackers with open arms and his usual greeting, “Love God, my children.” The Kumeyaay stripped him of his clothing, beat him and riddled his body with arrows. This, Father Jayme became the only friar to die in an Indian attack at all of the 21 missions.
Under the Spanish Mission system, bands living near Mission San Diego de Alcalá, established in 1769, were called Diegueños. After Mexico took over the lands from Spain, they secularized the missions in 1834, and Ipai and Tipais lost their lands and essentially became serfs.
When California became a state in 1850, it was the worst period yet for the Kumeyaay Indians. Technically wards of the federal government, caught in a battle between states' rights and the federal government, the Kumeyaays found themselves with no protection.
California passed the act for the Government and Protection of Indians in 1850. This act assumed state authority over the Indians and empowered county sheriffs to mark boundaries and protect Indians and Indian lands "as needed." The act also legalized the indenturing of Indian children, granting custody for males until age 18 and females until 15 years old.
Children often were seen being driven to market, where Indian boys were sold for $50, and girls for $100. Thousands of Native Americans were made legal wards of Anglos who sought a cheap and steady labor supply. An advertisement inviting new settlers to California boasted free land and free Indian labor.
Not even the Mexican had treated them so poorly.
The Miwok
There were two basic groups, those living in the Sierras and those living along the coast. The coastal Miwoks were those who came in contact with the Spanish. The Coast Miwok Indians' territory stretched as far north as Bodega Bay, as far east as the town of Sonoma and included all of present day Marin County. Over 600 village sites have been uncovered and identified in the Miwok territory and, of those, more than 100 have been discovered on the Peninsula.
The Coast Miwok Indians ate most of their food fresh, although some fish and eggs were dried. In addition, each season brought an opportunity for expanding the variety of foods available to them. In spring, the Miwok diet consisted of harvested buckeye nuts that were boiled, mashed and leached; fresh, native clover; the sweet sap of the black or white oaks; and the honey of wild bees. In the summer, they harvested kelp at low tide and dried or roasted it. In the fall, hazelnuts and peppernuts were gathered and prepared into a spicy relish. These staples were supplemented by other game and seafood found in the surrounding area. The Miwok constructed bows and arrows for hunting the larger game, large nets for harvesting fish and other seafood, and basket traps for capturing quail and other birds.
Miwok Sweat Lodge
While many accuse the Spanish and friars in particular of the genocide of the Miwok, the truth is that Mexican soldiers killed approximately 100,000 Native Americans. However, their actions were minor compared to how many died of small pox, measles and venereal diseases brought to them by the Mexicans and Americans. It is estimated that the epidemics of 1838 alone killed between 60,000 and 75,000 Native Americans in one area north of San Francisco which was under the jurisdiction of General Vallejo.
The American’s first priority was to claim more territory and seize its wealth. These newcomers remained strangers to the land and considered the Native Americans merely as objects to be used to help plunder the wealth that was discovered here. Under California law Native Americans were actually forbidden to testify against whites. The Native Californians were abused, enslaved, raped, murdered and deprived of their lands by the Europeans. It is a shame that our ancestors showed so little regard for the basic human rights of the original Native Californians; however, from the perspective of the Native Californians, this is a good example of what can happen to a society when they don't protect their borders.
There were other minor tribes in California but these only came into contact with the arrival of Americans seeking gold and lands. They too met the same fate as the others. What is truly sad is that the vast majority lived in harmony with the land, although droughts and diseases endemic to the area, kept their populations within reasonable bounds. It was only at the arrival of Europeans that they suffered the most.
At the same time, this writer has to repeat what has been said before. The friars DID NOT enslave the Gentiles – as they called them – but did, once they were baptized, try to keep them at the missions. This was to help them from straying back to their heathen ways. Those sent to bring runaways back, DID NOT KILL OR WHIP them and their usual punishment was to be kept under guard at the mission.
Thank you for dropping by. All comments and feedback are welcome.
No comments:
Post a Comment