Gold Rush: California Native Americans

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California has been home to hundreds of diverse cultures since people first migrated here over 15,000 years ago. Early Native Californian communities were astonishingly diverse in culture and way of life, ranging from the seafaring Chumash to the agricultural Yuma to the nomadic Modoc. Native Californian groups spoke at least 100 different languages, ate different foods, and practiced different religions.

While drawings and photographs by European artists provide glimpses into aspects of Native Californian life, they do not necessarily show how these tribes really looked and lived. These images, created from a European perspective, may reveal more about the artists’ or photographers’ practices and the racist attitudes of the time than they do about their subjects’ cultures or ways of life.

Although we do not have images or drawings from Pre-Columbian to 18th century California, some images from the early 20th century demonstrate how Native peoples continued to use and hand-down traditional practices.

Paiute Woman with Baskets

This photograph of a Paiute woman was taken by Andrew Alexander Forbes, c. 1900. Unfortunately, we do not know this woman’s name. Many photographers who took images for the postcard and stereograph card trade, did not record the names of the Native Americans they photographed and profited from. This staged studio portrait shows her carrying a burden basket. Burden baskets were made from split willow or other plant fibers, and were used to collect and carry seeds, nuts, and berries. While this photograph dates to the early 20th century, a similar basket would have been used by Native Californians prior to European settlement.

A Year’s Labor

Colorized photograph of two Native American women standing next to a stack of Olla baskets. Ollas were tightly woven baskets traditionally used to hold water and seeds. The bright blue, pink and yellow colors were added to the image after the photograph was taken and may not reflect the actual color of these baskets.

Ohlone Indians, Dancing at Mission San Jose

This image depicts Ohlone Indians, their bodies decorated for a dance. Ohlone tribes live along the coast of California, originally in areas stretching from the San Francisco Bay to the lower Salinas Valley. When the Spanish settled in California, many Ohlone people were forced to live and work in Spanish Missions. This image is a reproduction of a painting by George H. Langsdorff done in 1806. The dance depicted was not a spontaneous event; the dancers were required to perform for the Germans visiting the mission.

Lower California Indians Dress for Feast Dance

This photograph, originally produced as a stereograph card, was taken in the 1870s and shows six Native American men posed in a photographer’s studio. The manufacturer of the stereograph card states that they are “dressed for feast dance.” Since this is a staged photograph taken in the 19th century, it provides only a small hint of these men’s cultural practices. Stereograph cards depicting Native peoples and cultures were widely distributed and sold in the late 1800s.

Ta-bu-ce, Yosemite

This is a photograph of Ta-bu-ce (also known as Maggie Howard) a Paiute woman who lived in Yosemite and was known for her traditional basket weaving. In this image she can be seen holding a basket of acorn meal. To support themselves, many native women relied on their traditional skills and made baskets to sell to tourists and collectors.

Rock Art

Photograph of rock art site in California. The symbols had many functions and were created to convey information about land boundaries, natural resource availability, historical events, and spirituality. Much of what we know about rock art comes from listening to the people whose ancestors created it.

Tule Hut, Lake County

Tule houses are made from tule reeds that are folded and tied over willow frames and made excellent houses for spring and summer. They were usually built near lakes and rivers. This colorized image of a Tule dwelling was sold on postcards c. 1900 and is another example of how Native cultures were commodified by non-native people.

Mono Indian Women

This image shows four Mono native women sitting outside a bark hut. Traditionally, bark huts were built in the mountains for winter habitation, and provided protection from rain, snow, and wind. Photographers often posed and arranged their subjects to suit their own understanding and interpretation of native people and exploited their images for personal profit. There are a few clues that the photographer staged this image, for example the women sit directly on the hard and rocky ground without mats to provide protection, and the baskets are arranged in a way that obscures how they would have been used.

Native American Cache

This image shows several baskets made from woven tree branches, raised up from the ground on wooden poles and topped with what appear to be mats. Caches were used to store acorns which were gathered in autumn, dried, and stored until needed. The photograph was taken in the 1880s, and provides a glimpse of traditional Native food storage.