Running head: The Effects of the California Missions on the Native American Population 1

The Effects of the California Missions on the Native American Population

Amanda Buras
Cal State Dominguez Hills
March 31, 2016

The Effects of the California Missions on the Native American Population

Introduction
California had always been a mystical place to many across the world. Its uniqueness
caused people from all over to wonder and venture into its unknown lands. Prior to the Spaniards
arriving in California, many people were unsure if anyone else had already conquered this
unseen land. While previous people already claimed territory to Californias land, the Spaniards
believed they were superior therefore they should be in control. Through a series of events, the
Spaniards invaded and conquered California.
Life Before Spaniards
Prior to the Spaniards arrival in California, the Natives had taken claim to the land. Each
tribe had their own unique way of living and most of the tribes got along with one another.
Although there were many tribes throughout California, each had developed their own economic
system. California contained over one hundred distinct cultures organized into non-political,
ethnic nationalities, with units both sharing a similar culture, history, religious system, and
philosophical tradition and occupying a territory acknowledged to be theirs. (Bean, 1992, p.
303). Regardless of each tribes distinct methods of living, everyone within a tribe contributed
to their society in some form. According to Bean (309), men, women and children of all ages,
helped out for the good of the tribe. For example, women and children were the gatherers,
whereas the men were the hunters (p. 309-310). Neighboring tribes, regardless of their differing
opinions and ideas in regards to religion, culture and languages, were still able to communicate
with each other in order to sustain a nonviolent nation.
As a result of the Natives not constructing advanced resources, their system may have
seemed outdated, yet the Natives figured out a system that worked for years. Rather than creating
tools that would have done more harm than good to the environment, the Natives worked with

The Effects of the California Missions on the Native American Population

the land. This practiced allowed Natives to invent systems that allowed them to live in the same
location year after year without any complications. the states rich ecological diversityencompassing sea coast, the tidelands, rivers, mountains, valleys, foothills, deserts, and lake
areas-has contributed to cultural diversity (Bean, 1992, p. 303). For example, the Natives
partook in hunting and gathering. They formed a very efficient system that divided their labor
amongst the tribe. Men, women, and children, young and old, contributed to the good of the
group of which they were a part. (Bean, 1992, p. 309). As California was formed with so many
different geological landscapes, these allowed the tribes to adapt to their specific territory in
order to figure out a system to survive.
Missions Recruiting and keep of Natives
There are many different opinions on how the missions recruited and kept the Natives in
the missions. An example is the film Reclaiming their Voice by Fadiam and Luotto (2009). The
film portrayed the Natives as being recruited into the missions and pueblos by force. Reports of
how the missions contained the Natives within the missions also vary. According to Fadiman and
Luotto (2009) in the film Reclaiming their Voice, the Natives were overrun by the incoming
Spaniards. In the beginning, the Spaniards and the Natives did work with one another, trading
goods. But as the demand grew, the Natives were unable to fulfill the needs of the Spaniards. If
these demands were not met or if other orders were disobeyed, the Natives were punished
sometimes through hard labor. In addition to the punishment the Natives faced, the Spaniards
also described how they kidnapped Natives enslaving them to work in the silver mines of
Mexico. One of the most brutal punishments reported was that Spaniards severed limbs of
captive warriors. According to Wilcox (as seen in the film), violence was used against
pueblo people to control them. The Spaniards not only used fear and punishment in order to

The Effects of the California Missions on the Native American Population

keep the Natives. Another form of control was to forbid certain Indian practices. The missions
used many ways to keep the Natives both in the missions as well as force them to stay in the
missions (Fadiman and Luotto, 2009).
Native Daily Lives in Missions
During the time the Natives were in the missions, they had jobs to attend. The Spaniards
kept them on a very strict timeline and made sure each Native was doing their proper job. The
Natives day started off early, just like the missionaries day did, and ended late in the evening.
According to La Perouse, the day of the Natives consisted generally of seven hours of labour,
and two hours of prayer (1936, p. 218). The first thing the Natives and missionaries did was
to go to mass and pray. Following prayer, the Natives ate breakfast then went to work where a
few missionaries kept watch. They broke for lunch and then continued to work until dinner (La
Perouse, 1936, p. 220). The Natives days was not solely hard work. There were days where they
held prayer as well as festivals which consisted of rest and divine worship (La Perouse, 1936, p.
219). Although it was primarily the men doing all the labor work, the women had their duties as
well.
Missions Positive Affects on Natives
The missions did have a positive effect on the Natives. Preceding the mission system, the
Natives lived a tedious life as hunters and gatherers. When the missions took hold in California,
the Spaniards employed the Natives within the missions (Dana, 1841, p. 1). In addition, as La
Per saw, the Natives were able to live in the huts they built which they preferred (p. 218). The
Natives explained that they loved the fresh air and when the fleas got to be too much, they were
able to burn down their homes and build another one relatively quickly (Perouse, 1936, p. 218).

The Effects of the California Missions on the Native American Population

Though the majority of the Natives traditions and culture were stripped of their rights, they were
able to still practice some of their traditions.
Missions Negative Affects on Natives
Throughout their time in the missions, the Natives had to endure new regulations and
restrictions brought upon them from the Spaniards. In the beginning, the Spaniards forced many
of the Natives into the mission system against their will. As children, they could be beaten when
they proved recalcitrant or ran away from the missions, as they frequently did, and were
recaptured. (Starr, 2007, p. 41). Many of the Natives did not want to join the mission system but
with their nonviolent behaviors and unsophisticated weapons, the Spaniards were able to form
the missions and force the Natives into the missions. The care given to the Indians was very
little, if any (Dana, 1841 p. 3). Not only were new regulations and restrictions given to the
natives, they were not allowed to practice much of their beliefs. According to Fadiman and
Luotto, Another form of control was to forbid certain Indian cultural practices. Pueblo people
werent allowed to be off their land after dark. They were forbidden to preform their dances and
rituals (2009). The Natives had to give up their cultural and religious practices while in the
missions. When tragedy struck, they were unable to preform the proper ceremonies to their
ancestors, which caused many problems within their tribes. The Spaniards also brought new
diseases to the Natives. They came over with new diseases that the Natives had never been
introduced to. No one anticipated the impact this would have on the Native population.
Conclusion
Although the missions believed that they were helping the Natives into a better life, the
Natives did not see it that way. The question remains whether the missions did more harm than
good. There has been much speculation as to life would have been for the Natives had the

The Effects of the California Missions on the Native American Population

Spaniards not conquered California. The main obstacle between the two groups was the
misunderstanding of cultural differences and acceptance between the two groups (Hurtado, 1999,
p. 11). Furthermore, it is hard to say who was at fault. This will be a task for the Grand Jury to
decide.

The Effects of the California Missions on the Native American Population

Reference Page
Bean, L. J.. (1992). Indians of California: Diverse and Complex Peoples. California History, 71(3), 302
323. http://doi.org/10.2307/25158646
Dana, R. (1841). Two Years before the Mast. San Diego History Center. Originally retrieved from
http://www.sandiegohistory.org/online_resources/dana.html
Fadiman, D. Y Luotto, M. (Producers). (2009). Reclaiming their Voice: The Native American vote in
New Mexico [Motion picture]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCFlSyivijY.
La Perouse, J. (1936). A Visit to Monterey in 1786: And a description of the Indians of California.
California Historical Society. (15, 3), 216-223. Doi: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25160650
Starr, K. (2007). California: A History (Book 23). New York, NY: Modern Library.