While I agree with much written here,
Obviating time to think of outcomes, and instilled expression still count for something.
Simple plan,
join the library, get a card, go to wherever the heck they keep those types things,
and get real photographs of the original handmade cartographs and land grant holdings maps granted by King Ferdinand IV to subjects of his royal crown.
Only interested in a 3600 square mile tract of land.
Those maps would help illustrate the mindset of the cartographers.
Hasn't been done well, and the genocide letters will be published someday.
Reading the Portola diaries yielded some nuggets, seeing the Missions firsthand gives more support, and finally if I could just understand what was really in their minds.
A futile exercise I guess, but there is reason to suspect I understand a little how the people that were here prior to historic account really survived here.
Not what they thought, but how they lived.
The village leaders here sometimes caught and kept California black bear cubs to sacrifice & consolidate their power. They even buried whole bear skeletons in homage to important people when they died.
Thought bears kin to humans and the much larger, more dangerous and powerful golden bear and even bigger grizzly held special significance for the people.
They thought the grizzly bear shaman the most powerful spiritual figure having the most magic and up for permanent scrutiny
Sometimes they'd kill a bear doctor for perceived deeds.
The people whose village I live atop were interesting people.
They believed in Kuksu, the big head cult, and had a legend of the big head spirit on shore, looking out to the place beyond the water to the paradise where there was no bitterness or sorrow and that if the spirit heard, saw, or smelled you coming, they'd vanish before you could see them.
Made for a certain arc of discovery and decision for a child in Ohlone territory.
Would you be quiet enough to see the big heads, or not?
Seems silly I suppose, but not entirely different from the crzy shit the spanish crown was doing just then.
Those maps for the genocide letters...
hahahahaha
I know rob, just a dreeeeaaaaammmm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajwnmkEqYpo