California Indian Genocide and Resilience | Bioneers

California Indians have survived some of the most extreme acts of genocide committed against Native Americans. Prior the ongoing genocide under Spanish and American colonizations, California Indians were the most linguistically diverse and population dense First Peoples in the United States. In this historic panel, four California Indian leaders share the stories of kidnappings, mass murders, and slavery that took place under Spanish, Mexican and American colonizations.
This presentation took place in the Indigeneity Forum at the 2017 National Bioneers Conference.
Indigeneity is a Native-led Program within Bioneers/Collective Heritage Institute that promotes indigenous knowledge and approaches to solve the earth’s most pressing environmental and social issues through respectful dialogue.
Since 1990, Bioneers has acted as a fertile hub of social and scientific innovators with practical and visionary solutions for the world's most pressing environmental and social challenges.
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[@EmilyElizabethxox]

I just barely found out about the Californian Indian genocide and I’m shocked and disgusted how society has been kept in the dark about it. There was never a word about this in primary school.

[@lelouppe]

Blacks and Amerindians in the same fight, shame on his whites who call themselves Americans after the worst of the genocides they have committed, I am Amerindian at heart.

[@davidortega357]

A lot of native american had to say your mexican to survive there was a bounty for indian scalpes

[@astavrasta140]

Genocide of 100 million Native Americans----------- In all the movies we see the bad Indians and the good ones Americans Anglo-saxons

[@gabrielsaenzfranco6083]

Pelase make you a favor and open a book. Seriously the man talking in the first 3 minutes didn’t say any thruth. The sad thing is that wasp people Will continue making propaganda to forgot custer.

[@owenridgebear3656]

@@lelouppe you left out the fact that black people were scouts in the army who took part in the killing. You also left out that the Mexicans killed us off for far longer then the American government did. If you're going to tell the story tell all of it not only what's convenient. I don't trust any non indigenous peoples and I never have and a never will because your interests and mine are different. We want you foreigners out so we can take back what everyone else took EVERYONE ELSE. Not just whites but everyone who has ever built on top of our sacred land is responsible for genocide.

[@MakaveliRaider]

Sometimes I wonder what the Americas looked like before European contact. It must've been beautiful.

[@hypatia242]

Me too.. ;-) I think the movie Avatar shows a good representation of this change that took place. Killing all the big trees.. They must 've been enormous. If we keep cutting them down we'd never know how big they can grow, right? They are the lungs of the earth.

[@aaronkinney9982]

@@hypatia242 please don’t let that be a Pocahontas reference. 🤦🏽‍♂️

[@owenridgebear3656]

Irish monks came before the Spanish and left very little evidence and the Vikings as well and yet these two groups didn't colonize the United States.

[@youtrippin35]

Ty for sharing this ill make sure to show it to my kids when they start learning about this in school my kids will know the aweful truth to our aweful history

[@chowsiongwong8611]

AND THIS IS THE COUNTRY ACCUSING CHINA OF GENOCIDE AND FORCED LABOR.

[@shanseuse]

Thank you for sharing your history. It is so painful but important to bear witness. I live on the lands of the Tongva, an ancient civilization whose native speakers have all passed because of the physical and cultural genocide. We need #Restoration.

[@CrazyNormie3457]

As a Jew/Otomi hybrid, I feel it's very important for different minority communities to stand together against white supremacy and other toxic extremism.

[@marcelchagnon4960]

I am a life form. Who will never joint any religions group of killer lair murder !

[@CrazyNormie3457]

@@marcelchagnon4960 ?

[@owenridgebear3656]

Alex, you're extremely young and naive to think it was only whites who took part in murder. Blacks were in the United States army and actively took part in shooting my people. Mexicans did the same should I forget and forgive? Not a chance. It's not there land not there country to kill my people. You're all foreigners to us and so by this time you should get the hint that your backward ideas are not welcome. Aboriginal people from Australia, Canada, Russia, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, south Africa, Namibia, need to stand against the oppressive regimes of EACH NATION! this isn't just an American problem it is a international problem. I left out Papua new Guinea because the Indonesian government has tried to exterminate these people. We are protecting OUR people not yours not anyone else's. I don't support ANTIFA OR BLM because I'm not black and I am no communist and I'm not Mexican I am a full blood Cheyenne from the Lamedeer reservation in lame deer Montana not far where we killed Custer and his scouts and the rest of his people...

[@owenridgebear3656]

If you want to tackle extremists behavior start with the behavior of the government of all colors who have NO RESPECT WHATSOEVER OR INTERESTS in giving indigenous peoples back the land that you live on.

[@owenridgebear3656]

Oh and don't go to Malaysia because young malay muslim boys love to wear Swastika t shirts and WW2 propaganda bs. Not only white people are racist child. Everyone is a racist and if you don't know that by now then it's obvious that you haven't seen enough of the planet yet. Malaysia is extremely racist. They hate the Mah Meri people and put them on a tiny island... Indonesian government is the same and south African bantu people hate the indigenous bush people who now live in south Africa and Namibia. Sad part is Nelson Mandela wanted these people exterminated. Shock how you wouldn't know that because you never lived in that country to see it first hand. Shocking more is how young uneducated people like yourself assume it's all one peoples fault when it's all the foreigners faults. Grow up please you're annoying me. I get triggered by stupid people Geez you city people are absolutely clueless. Become communist you say? What trade one dictatorship for another?

[@eotheewakan879]

My own ancestors were directly responsible. I continue to decolonize my heart.I also have Chumash/Tongva and wompanoag ancestors.I’m very much on the side of this truth.I feel this pain in my heart.it’s every where you travel here in California.It’s beyond disgusting what happened here and it didn’t happen very long ago and was absolutely genocide,slavery and abuse beyond the pale.I am here still here,we’re still here.Coyote is still here.We will never surrender and we shall prevail over the darkness.

[@kimgilbert1568]

My Heart is bleeding, my eyes are like the ocean, I am a surviving ancestor of the Chumash tribe, I was told to say I am Mexican American, I am 60 now, I left my homeland 32 years and started my life in "Red Man's Land". Oklahoma saved me and the tribes welcomed me, the elders all knew about The Shell People who made great Baskets, my Indian name is "Santa" my grandmother is Makalia, Ocean band of the Chumash and the Dolphin is my Brother, the Comanche taught me who I am, let my see clear, feed myself off the land and Love!! GOD'S LOVE!! But I still say I'm Mex when I go back to S.D CA. Sadly

[@eotheewakan879]

I weep and weep and pray and I weep.

[@josephinetracy1485]

It sounds like you're a human being in eternal mourning.

[@ejnaygfantzcg]

Thanksgiving is pretty much celebrating the American Holocaust.

[@chenydeniz3594]

Pretty much .. the arrogance

[@hypatia242]

Same goes for "Sinterklaas" in Belgium (slavery). I'm not celebrating this crap if I have children one day.

[@happilysolo]

How do I become an advocate? I tell everyone about this. They think I'm nuts, like "That's not historically accurate." Then I ask them why their teacher couldn't handle the truth. I talk about my Tlingit cousins. I am not a card carrier but I would be honored to add to their voices. AATLEIN GUNAŁCHÉESH

[@matymendoza3590]

Just start talking! Loud!!

[@CaliforniaTravelVideos]

Excellent presentation of truth. Thank you.

[@danerose575]

I've been trying to find out how native American lifestyle looked in Marin County prior to contact for a documentary on how homelessness is treated in out culture vs. Native American culture. Did the native American's have such a thing as homelessness? Did they let disabled people die or provide for them? It would be great to see comparisons of different cultural strategies.

[@sessayu2502]

They were genociding and enslaving each other and they practiced cannabalism.

[@pamle1]

@@sessayu2502 I don't think so in California. In other parts of the continent they did.

[@aaronkinney9982]

Not all tribes were the same. There is no such thing as “ONE” Native American way or Culture.

[@CaliforniaTravelVideos]

A great read by Greg Sarris (Graton Ranch) Becoming Story gives a little insight to the Petaluma area. I now have a deeper understanding of where I live and the history here. This was the Coastal Miwok’s and Pomo tribes. There is also some information Ca. State Park Olompali in Novato.

[@owenridgebear3656]

Dane, my people simply made structures so there was no homelessness. As for handicapped people they didn't live long. The elderly were treated with honor and respect. Nothing like what you see today. Young Americans hate the elderly and homelessness in the United States is a result of drugs, alcohol, ex cons getting out of prison for crimes they committed and mental illness which is no surprise because psychiatrist couldn't care less what happens to their patients once they are told by the psychiatrist that the insurance simply won't pay... easy problems like this can be fixed but immature people in the United States refuse to take drastic measures to end the problems. If the United States was Singapore people would be hung for drug use.... gangs need to be wiped out. Ex cons don't deserve a second chance. You live one life if you're not intelligent enough to figure that out then you never will. Strange times we live in where the intelligence in people is at its lowest. Thankfully my people still practice survival skills and hunt trap and fish. It's necessary.

[@laalaadeedaa3811]

Thank you. If only we could some how broadcast this on everyone's television...

[@hypatia242]

We need a real Mr Robot for this job! ;-)

[@yogiCJM152]

Thank you for sharing this. I am just learning about my indigenous roots and always had questions about all the land in CA. I used to work for Irvine Company and the VERY FIRST thing I thought during orientation when they were telling me about the “ranch” I was like where did they get ALL this land?? No way white people built all that on their own. Makes sense now. And now they are a BILLION dollar company, makes me so mad.

[@urielzahriel-official-4942]

This is another Reason As a Native American Myself i dont get How so manyNatives are So eager to be Christian as well 🤮

[@warpony5654]

I agree i stay true to our beliefs my religion is the medicine wheel. I am not converted to Europeans beliefs to be christian or Mormon even Catholic i stand strong on native beliefs we are Dineh.

[@eroseros47]

@@warpony5654 christianity is not a european religion. it is from middleeast

[@warpony5654]

@@eroseros47 your right it came from roman providence

[@arminiusofgermania]

@Barry er that's why I am pagan.

[@elkcreekkiowa96]

URIEL ZAHRIEL -Official- I do not call myself a Christian just a medicine wheel spiritualist i agree

[@emilydickinson5033]

I feel so incredibly lucky that my instructors are teaching me true (and un-white washed, palatable-ized) history. Its infuriating so many people have and continue to fight so hard to repress it and continue spreading lies in order to paint the murderers as the good guys...

[@chowsiongwong8611]

AND YOU STILL THINK THAT THE WHITES ARE GOOD PEOPLE?? B

[@owenridgebear3656]

Perhaps they should have also mentioned that when the 7th calvary came they had black scouts with them who had the firm intention of killing my people... they got amnesia that day and forget to put that important point in their. The Mexicans had a bounty for native scalps which I find absolutely disgusting and the strange part is were still waiting for an apology from Mexicans and black people... I guess we don't deserve that apology right? We do and it's time. And if they can't then they can leave too.

[@user-po8ke5vh2e]

@Bioneersand 1 big question plz answer if u can, how they created this technology to break the cultures? and who planned this? this is huge WHY?

[@bernardofitzpatrick5403]

Bury my heart at Wounded Knee . My soul cries.

[@raysylvia4534]

Its all true. My dad was born in the 20s. He dad was from Portugal. His mom was french. I heard storys from him how the history books lied. Custard etc

[@legalvampire8136]

Custard?

[@user-if3jt6bo8u]

Solidarity

[@paulseledon4872]

So what does he mean by saying to say he was Mexican? Almost all Mexicans are indigenous. We are native also. We wear our feathers too. Please explain to me more in this. Thank you

[@sladewilson377]

No Mexicans aren’t indigenous. Not all 125 million of them.

[@tonypage9302]

Most Mexicans i know say pinchi indio as a way of saying youre dumb, Mexicans are more spanish than Native in their Culture..

[@johnbomer9668]

Teach brother

[@glennhiggins9297]

I had some friends Tully tribe I don't know what happens to them they lived in tursa cail.

[@Diablosatori]

So much thanks to all these strong elders for speaking truth, this generation and future generations really need to know this true history.

[@OGSurferz]

its too late

[@arminiusofgermania]

What history is there? The native skrælings got conquered by the dutch, and the accursed english.

[@chenydeniz3594]

I never knew this .. I wonder why? 🤔

[@pamle1]

Spanish and Catholic bad guys don't work well with the neo-narrative.

[@j.c.eaglesmith4259]

Native Christians; Behold the truth shared by these beautiful folks----and re-evaluate devotion to the evil religion of the Spanish, Mexicans & "Americans" (Caucasions).

[@alejandroperez1696]

I agree with you I am going to pray for your Nation to become a stronger Nation

[@newdamage5945]

The guy who taught my american history class definitely didn't touch on this but then he's a trump voter.

[@animalkingdom2871]

Trump has nothing to do with this.

[@pamle1]

ooh... so now Trump is an advocate of the Spanish Empire & the power of the Catholic Church! wow.. that dude gets around!

[@owenridgebear3656]

Part of the story has been told and it's good to hear it. My great great great grandfather has a black soldiers scalp. He killed the man who came with the army to kill the Cheyenne. That story should be told as well. An official statement and apology has to be made from the black community leaders who knew that black soldiers actively played a roll in the murder of men, women, babies, the elderly. You want us to heal then that needs to happen or they will always be seen as murderers. AIM 100%

[@quetzalcoatl3242]

2:50 that is contradictory with the History, Isabella of Castilla the Queen of Spain during the arrival of Columbus to the Americas explicitly prohibited the slavery of American Indians in all her possessions, and she wrote down a kind of constitution about affairs in the Americas, these laws were called "Las leyes de Indias" (the laws of the Indias) such laws lasted the entire Spanish ruling period in the Americas, and because of that American Indias in spanish territories kept their lands, traditions and lenguages (something that can be seen till nowdays). Moreover, the treatment that American Indians got from Spaniards was relatively better that the one that American Indians got from English men in the British America. I want to be clear, the treatment of Spaniards towards Indians was not egalitarian nor perfect or romantic, social division based on race was a constant, but I also want to make clear that Indians in the Spanish empire were not slaves and they kept most of their ways of live, this is the reason why now-days Latinamerica still has a very alive Indigenous culture with million of people speaking native languages such as Nahuatl, Maya, Quechua, Guaraní, etc. and keeping their culture and traditions while in former British colonies like the USA or Australia is not the case.

[@dianamorris1647]

I am 75 yo woman with the good fortune to have Indigenous ancestors on both sides of the "imaginary border" between the US & Mexico. Tongva (Topanga Cnyn) on my father's side, & unknown Mexica (Zacatecan )on my mothers, and Spanish on my mother's. I only met my paternal grandmother, once, and we had no known relatives left on his side, since she had been stolen & sold into marriage when she was around 10 yo. My mother's family was huge, as the Spanish men often married indigenous women, and traditionally "mixed" their customs..but, kept track of extended family. The one major difference was the length of time that Colonization took place for indigenous ppl in Mx (1500's) and California (1700's), as well as the effects of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) on California indians. When California became part of the US, all the landgrants were voided, & it was "open-season," for the few indigenous who had survived the first 100 yrs. Many survivors were scattered, in-hiding, and/or released from Missions, which (as was mentioned/inferred) became "burial grounds" for any who remained. The Mission Land was eventually returned to the Church, but there was a period, where radical attitudes prevailed, and the "better dead than red" philosophy took hold. This is when it became even more dangerous to be Indigenous, particularly if features, dress, customs, complexion, or any vestige of indigeneity was visible. By the time my mother was born, she looked very fair skinned & European, & only her grandmother spoke native Nahual or Quechua. (A "funny sidenote", in Az. her siblings were placed in different schools because they had segregation, based on skin color, and some were too dark to go to White schools). On the other hand, my father had a deep dark red skin that is rarely seen today in the US, & his mother was a practicing curendara. Though well-colonized, my father & his mother never spoke of their heritage openly, AND always identified as Mexican, Portuguese, or Spanish, even Philipino because even in the 1920's. 30's. & 40's there were still issues in California in the treatment & stereotyping of native ppl. My father had been fortunate to join the CCC's at 15, & for him, this meant he could send money to support his mother, and live & work in CA forests, which was an ideal place for him to survive, especially with prejudices, which were still a constant threat even in LA. While he had managed to assimilate well (his mom teaching him to speak, read & write in perfect English), he worked hard, joining the Army Air Corps during WW2 & the US Forest Svc., where he worked for over 50 yrs. It is only more recently that we are learning about the extent of mistreatment, which California Indians endured, since for many, our survival depended on shedding heritage, and learning to quickly assimilate, and live as "Urban Indians," as our stability was under threat almost constantly, even into the 1970's, when forced sterilization of our girls & women, still took place without our knowledge or like it was for my gramdma, who was easily kidnapped & sold and viewed as legal property by the State, whereby she would be taken to a Judge & married, with all protestations ignored, (while any white 10 yo child would have most certainly been believed).

[@xpanislav]

That's what's has been happening right now to Serbs in Europe as they are the oldest civilization back in Europe along the river Danube.

[@odar9729]

That’s why my great grandma court house burned

[@glennhiggins9297]

My grandfather was on the rezz it was bad

[@randallfoltyniewicz7505]

20:04 20:04 20:04 20:04 20:04

[@crisjuan88]

My great grandparents from my mothers side is product of rape. Idk what tribe my ancestors are from nor do i know my native tongue or tribe. my mother is from southern America Colima so i assume it might have been Aztec. My fathers side they claim to have been yaki from Texas until the colonizers took their land pushing them south to sonora. but i have no records of this. its sad i sometimes think that they've actually completed what they started.

[@user-po8ke5vh2e]

and same goes to russia also - they turned pagan rusia to christianity - the ones who refused were killed.

[@victoraa8682]

My Grandmother came from a Pacific Coastal Tribe of California. The Spaniards dismantled our culture and free way of life replacing it with Catholocism, then our land became Mexico, then the Northern part of California was taken by the U.S. Government, essentially cutting us off from our cousins in the north, because remember, California was originally from Oregon in the North all the way down to Cabo San Lucas Mexico in the South. Our relationship with these lands goes back much longer than anyone can imagine, much longer than 500 years.

[@headdragondavidaustinsimmo4025]

They don't have mole left side of spine mark of Cain

[@user-po8ke5vh2e]

some how they managed to made slaves out of native rusians. and took our culture and history. and language.

[@headdragondavidaustinsimmo4025]

I'm Adam DAS Moglee Cain Alladan Joseph Achilles Ishmael Moses Isaiah Gidian Jesus Christ David Austin Simmons Exeter CA land of Goshen

[@eotheewakan879]

Coyote lives

[@user-po8ke5vh2e]

same goes to russia LOL like there ware nobody there. just empty LAND!

[@shellza5303]

Manifest Destiny

[@BifronsCandle]

What goes around comes around.

[@laurolavanda1807]

5:50 that guy look like south european, 🤔11:10 too, 18:14 and too, ancient "indians" of California looked like the Emberas from Panama, Mayans from Guatemala, Otomies from Mexico, Guaranis from Paraguay or Kayapos from Brazil

[@marcostation1000]

Read the Spanish laws of indies, over 6000 laws to protect indians and their property. You will never hear that, ever but is true.

[@oats8854]

It's okay if we commited genocide and killed over 8 million people, because we inacted laws that gave the people basic human rights we had striped away from them in the first place!

[@marcostation1000]

Matthew Alexander you are correct The genocide of the english and americans Towards american indians and then blaming spain for it when spain clearly mix with the indians from day one. You are right this genocide should be exposeto show english and american racism empire.

[@oats8854]

@@marcostation1000 You think Spain is innocent in this? "It is estimated that during the initial Spanish conquest of the Americas up to eight million indigenous people died, primarily through the spread of Afro-Eurasian diseases., in a series of events that have been described as the first large-scale act of genocide of the modern era." Spain killed more natives then all those other countries combined.

[@oats8854]

@@marcostation1000 I mean, do I have to remind you that Christopher Columbus, the man who laid a path for this genocide to take place, was Spanish, sent by the Spanish government?

[@marcostation1000]

Matthew Alexander search Bartolome de las casas , Indiam saviour a spanish that wrotte a book and made the king of the world create laws for the indian. 1535 In america indian did not have such a right until 1900. Same for universities, political positions, armies etc

[@truthwillrevealed1588]

Is this stanist propaganda Or you are speaking Half Truth'

[@jimhere1]

What? This is the real history of California. Fkn colonizer.