Seeing Native Histories in Post-Mission California

Summary

Conventional archaeological and historical accounts of Spanish missions, Russian and Mexican mercantile enterprises, and American settler colonialism in California have overemphasized the loss experienced by indigenous Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo communities who encountered these diverse colonial programs. The story of loss found in many accounts contrasts sharply with the casino – a symbol of tribal prosperity – established by the Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo community in 2013. Each narrative is anchored to highly visible places that commemorate either loss or success. They can also conceal the time, spaces, and other things that might serve to better contextualize both narrative projects. This paper explores the in-between time and space of the post-mission and early American periods in California. My ongoing archaeological research and a second project documenting neglected archaeological features illuminate resilient native histories, as well as the persistence of techniques used to remove or conceal them.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2018   •
• Making American Memory Great Again

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

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PaperId(s): 122