Essay on "Development and Destruction of Native California"

Essay 5 pages (1350 words) Sources: 3 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

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… READ MORE

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