Verified Document

Destruction Of Native California 1  Essay

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...

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.
Other causes of Californian Indian deaths were more direct. The presence of the Spaniards caused a great deal of violent unrest in which many died in these conflicts. Although Wilson (1999, 226) stated that the conflicts between the settlers and the natives in New England were far more destructive in nature, the California Indians were still subject to a significant amount of violence. Although most of the Californian Indian's military strategy was based on defense, from the late 1820s onward many of the Indians actually went on the offensive which proved to be highly effective.

However, despite modest successes, by this time the Californian Indians had been decimated by over eighty years of Hispanic rule that had destroyed their vitality in regard to culture and the perseverance of tribes. In 1838 an estimated 70,000 Indians had died of Malaria and the total population had fallen from 700,000 to less than 200,000 (Wilson, 1999, p. 224). The remaining population had lost their cultures, their populations from the effects of diseases, as well as many Indians through direct violence. Furthermore, this was only the start of a new beginning; one in which Mexico lost the Californian territory to the United States and a new wave of colonizers were introduced with the discovery of gold making them flock by the thousands which further led to the decline of the Californian Indian.

Works Cited

Castillo, E. (1998). California Indian History. Retrieved from California Native Americans: http://www.nahc.ca.gov/califindian.html

Daritt-Newton, D., & Erlandson, I. (2006). Little Choice for the Chumash. American Indian Quarterly, 416-432.

McWilliams.…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited

Castillo, E. (1998). California Indian History. Retrieved from California Native Americans: http://www.nahc.ca.gov/califindian.html

Daritt-Newton, D., & Erlandson, I. (2006). Little Choice for the Chumash. American Indian Quarterly, 416-432.

McWilliams. (1973). Southern California: An Island on the Land.

Wilson. (1999). The Earth Shall Weep: A History of Native America.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

California History- Indians the History
Words: 2417 Length: 8 Document Type: Term Paper

With all the resources of normal use for Indians in missionary control, Indians began to attack the missions and military forces to steal animal and take revenge of sexual assaults on Indian women. Continuous demand of laborers for the missions impacted the Indian tribes greatly and finally in 1836, the Mexican Republic who officially took over from Spain in 1823, took away the missions powers of obtaining forced labor

Native Americans and Korean-Americans Are
Words: 2947 Length: 10 Document Type: Term Paper

"For Koreans, there exists a strong belief in filial duty - treating parents with respect and obeying them, caring for them when they are old, giving them a proper burial, and even worshipping them with ceremonies after death. All of these are incorporated into the fundamental ideas of strong kinship values and family ties from Confucianism." (Beller, Pinker, Snapka, Van Dusen). As much as the Koreans transmitted their strong

Extinction of the Native American Indians
Words: 4659 Length: 15 Document Type: Research Paper

Extinction of the Native American The area of the world that is now known as the United States of America used to belong to various tribes of people which are now known as Native Americans as opposed to their old name, Indians, which was a misnomer based on the erroneous idea that explorers from Europe did not know that such a large land mass existed and that by crossing the Atlantic

Mono Lake California Mono Lake,
Words: 1394 Length: 4 Document Type: Case Study

A water right is an action that was started by a prospective applicant and they had to follow the terms and conditions laid down by the SWRCB including providing progressive reports. After a period of time, the SWRCB granted water rights to a certain body and this is exactly what happened to Mono Lake as well (Mono Basin EIR, 1993). It took a long battle to overturn this amendment

Carey Mcwilliams, Southern California: An
Words: 1279 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

Climatology, in "semi-tropical" Southern California, a place that was as dry and hot as Italy although mercifully "without the Italians," tourists even from the United States "discovered that umbrellas were useless against the drenching rains of Southern California but that they made good shade in the summer; that many of the beautifully colored flowers had no scent; that fruit ripened earlier in the northern than in the southern part of

Language Is the Perfect Instrument
Words: 4854 Length: 14 Document Type: Term Paper

Consider the fact that the Iroquois are said not to have had a strong word for the singular "I," and that they subsequently developed what was arguably the longest lasting communal representative democracy the world has ever known. The Inuit, whose culture revolves around the arctic world, have dozens of words for snow - this sort of technical knowledge allows quick and accurate transmission of conditions and training in

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now