Easy Living

[Matt Tilghman]

Easy Living

When I think of Native Americans, I tend to think East Coast (Iroquois, Cherokee, Seminole), or Plains (Sioux, Cheyenne), or even Southwest (Navajo, Apache). But rarely do I think of California. However, what is now California was home some of the most vibrant, thriving indigenous peoples. Before European contact, one third of all Native Americans in (what is now) the United States were living in California. It was also home to one of the highest densities of distinct languages and dialects anywhere on Earth. In fact, the westward movement in the 1800s (gold rush, Oregon trail, manifest destiny, etc.) actually reduced the population in California by 90% over the course of the century, due to Westerners bringing new diseases and invasive plants! After spending some years exploring these parts, I can see why the natives had made such a prosperous home for themselves. The weather is mild and peaceful, the landscape fruitful. There's several deer in the distance in this photograph that I didn't even notice until editing! Taken in Russian Ridge Open Space.

Thanks for looking, hope you enjoy!

[Paulo Bizarro]

Woderful photo, and exellent text.

[Christoph C. Feldhaim]

Yup.
Beautiful and warming the heart.
Great shot!
Cheers
~Chris

[thierrylegros396]

Really Nice and Peacefull.

Well done.

Thierry

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

+1.

[sdwilsonsct]

Gorgeous. Good sun!

[Isaac]

... the westward movement in the 1800s (gold rush, Oregon trail, manifest destiny, etc.) actually reduced the population in California by 90% over the course of the century, due to Westerners bringing new diseases and invasive plants!

Lest we forget, those Yankees came to a land of Californio ranchos, pueblos and missions.

[Matt Tilghman]

Lest we forget, those Yankees came to a land of Californio ranchos, pueblos and missions.

Absolutely!  Which makes the population decline even more salient.  Populations had been falling due to the diseases spread by the Spanish and Mexican missions, but the Western gold rush was a whole new ball game.

"The handiwork of these well armed death squads combined with the widespread random killing of Indians by individual miners resulted in the death of 100,000 Indians in the first two years of the gold rush. A staggering loss of two thirds of the population. Nothing in American Indian history is even remotely comparable to this massive orgy of theft and mass murder. Stunned survivors now perhaps numbering fewer than 70,000 teetered near the brink of total annihilation." (Prof Edward Castillo.  http://nahc.ca.gov/califindian.html [fantastic and sobering read])

This graph shows different numbers, but the same story:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Native_California_population_graph.jpg

[Isaac]

Also from Castillo's webpage -- "On the eve of the American take-over the aboriginal population of approximately 310,000 had been reduced to about 150,000."