Destruction of Native California (1)

¶ … Destruction of Native California

(1) How did indigenous people adapt to California's environment? What explains the diversity of Native Californian societies?

Although the environmental conditions are quite different than what can be found elsewhere on the continent, there are many advantages, especially in resources, that can be found in California. The Native Californians adapted to environmental conditions that included high resource productivity and diversity, as well as to regular perturbations in local environments that included droughts, El Nino events, and other cyclical changes operating on a variety of scales (Daritt-Newton & Erlandson, 2006, p. 416). Therefore, while many adaptations were needed, many Native Californians were able to take advantage of the bountiful resources that the various regions that California offered.

Though there have been many advancements in understand these people and their cultures, there is still much to be learned and many of the current estimates of figures such as population have been extrapolated through a variety of methods. Some believe that there were roughly five hundred distinct sub-tribes that had different languages and different customs during the earliest periods in which it was known that the regions was habituated. At the time of Columbus however, the West coast was probably the most heavily populated region north of Mexico, an intricate patchwork of cultures, languages and ways of life stretching from Baha California all the way to the Alaskan panhandle (Wilson, 1999, p. 218).

The various tribes in California were a heterogeneous lot that included some twenty-two linguistic systems with approximately idioms that have been recorded (McWilliams, 1973, p. 28). Much of this is still being piece together because much of the record of such groups was not passed from Spanish to English or any other language most likely because of some racial arrogance that was felt towards such natives. Yet there were many small tribes present that were politically autonomous units without definite tribal organizations. Each tribe generally had 130 to 150 members that had achieved a stable relationship with their environment though population growth was most likely not a priority.

Most people describe the culture of the southern Californian Indians fairly primitive because they had yet to establish agricultural resources among other factors. They also worked off an extremely crude calendar and their most advanced art form was most likely basket weaving (McWilliams, 1973, p. 26). The women in this region would wear buckskin while many of the men would prefer to just be naked. There was no record of prostitution found however the wives were generally bestowed by some kind of bordering. Some felt that though this area had plentiful resources, in many cases it required more advanced technology to make these resources useful than what was available.

Other group also thrived in other areas of California, the Chumash in particular, were able to take advantage of the close juxtaposition of a variety of marine and terrestrial habitats, intensive upwelling in coastal waters, and intentional burning of the landscape made the Santa Barbara Channel region one of the most resource-abundant places on the planet (Daritt-Newton & Erlandson, 2006, p. 416). Fishing, big game hunting, and gathering were among the primary means to substance and the abundance of resources allow for the development of culture, sociopolitical developments, as well as technological culture to develop in a stable manner for decades. During this period they were also able to develop sophisticated maritime technologies, commerce and craft specializations that allowed roughly six hundred to one thousand people to live in some coastal towns (Daritt-Newton & Erlandson, 2006, p. 420).

(2) How were Native Californian societies destroyed by interaction with the Spanish and Americans?

The Native Californian societies were devastated by their interactions with the Spanish in a plethora of ways. The Spanish entrada into Alta California was referred to as the last great expansion of Spain's empire in North America and the driven Franciscan administrator, Juipero Serra, and the military authorities under Gaspar de Portola journey to San Diego in 1769 to establish the first twenty-one costal missions (Castillo, 1998). However, the missions resembled labor camps than any religious cause. The first tactic the groups used was to intimidate the local inhabitants with a show of military force and then introduce domesticated animals that often used up a disproportionate amount of the local food resources for their needs.

Since the Californian Indians lived in highly fragmented tribes it was difficult for the missionaries to bring the religion to them; rather they attracted to Indians to the "faith." The Californian Indians were hurdled into guarded Mission compounds which completely disrupted any of the local tribe's daily activities (McWilliams, 1973, p. 29). Once the natives were converted they basically became slaves and as such were separated from their former affiliations by force. After being baptized, California Indians were no longer allowed to make contact with any of their tribes unless those members became slaves as well. This was strictly adhered to as the missionaries wanted the natives to adopt the new culture and completely separate themselves with their form hedonistic lives. Even if they were allowed to revisit their tribes, the Spanish would follow them and capture more tribal members to serve as the next round of Christian converts. It is through these methods that the Spanish quickly decimated the Californian Indian's culture.

The most significant factor that contributed to the decline of the native populations was epidemic diseases that quickly spread. From 1769 to 1833, there were 29,100 Indian births recorded in the Missions of California while there were more than sixty thousand deaths, most due to diseases, recorded in the same period (McWilliams, 1973, p. 29). It was further estimated that roughly forty five percent of the entire population died from the spread of the measles as well as having severe negative effects on the infant mortality rate. It was estimated that only a quarter of the natives' newborns would reach the age of twenty five; most succumbing to disease in the first couple years.

The disease alone would have not have had such a devastating effect on the California Indians were it not form complicating circumstances. Since most of the Indians lived in fragmented tribes before the Spanish invasion, the disease would have not spread at the same rate as they would with the Mission Indians being confined to close quarters together. Furthermore, they were subject to treacherous labor conditions that were similar to military disciplines as well as being fed diets that they were unaccustomed to (Wilson, 1999, p. 223). The proximity in which the Californian Indians were kept as well as their harsh conditions undoubtedly contributed to the rapid advancements of the diseases.