Culture Contact in Protohistoric California (33 pages)

146 JOURNAL OF CALIFORNIA AND GREAT BASIN ANTHROPOLOGY municated by signs their views about the arrival of strangers, as recorded in the Drake, Cermefio, and Vizcaino chronicles. Among some native groups, women played significant roles as peace envoys or brokers in meetings with foreign emissaries. In the Cabrillo-Ferrelo account, a woman leader stayed on board the ship for two nights near the Pueblo of Las Sardinas (Quinn 1979a:457), and during Vizcaino’s San Diego anchorage, where the local inhabitants were portrayed as being initially apprehensive, women (in one case a very old woman) in two separate encounters were sent forward to meet Spanish shore parties (Bolton 1916:80-82). Each voyage recorded a different pattern of native responses. In the Cabrillo-Ferrelo voyage of 1542-1543, four initial observations were made of people fleeing from the Spaniards (on August 11, August 22, September 28, and October 7, 1542), one incident involved arrows being shot (September 28, 1542), and two cases indicated ambivalent reactions (September 8 and September 28, 1542); however, the majority of the other observations recorded by the Spaniards were relatively friendly. Nevertheless, during the long winter anchorage on the Islands of San Lucas, Francisco de Vargas, who sailed with Cabrillo, recalled that the ‘‘Indians never ° > stopped fighting,’’ attacking Spanish soldiers when they attempted to obtain water (Wagner 1941:25-26). Drake’s crew was portrayed as maintaining cordial relations with the natives of Nova Albion throughout their stay in 1579, but the experiences of the de Unamuno expedition in 1587 were tragic for all concerned. The first recorded mortality in a pitched battle between natives and Europeans in Alta California transpired during de Unamuno’s visit to Morro Bay, where one Spaniard and one Luzon native died, another Spaniard was wounded, and some Obispefio Chumash Indians were killed and many wounded. While most of the encounters experienced by Cermefio and his men in 1595 were friendly, or at least ambivalent, two incidents resulted in aggressive signaling and conflict. One (November 7, 1595) involved armed warriors who maintained an aggressive stance until persuaded by other native emissaries to lay down their bows and arrows (Wagner 1929:158-159). The other event, which occurred sometime between November 30 and December 2, included 20 natives who were attempting to salvage wood from the wreck of the San Agustin until the Spaniards forcibly intervened to stop them. In the ensuing altercation, at least one Spaniard was wounded (Wagner 1924:22-23). Most of the encounters recorded during Vizcaino’s 1602-1603 voyage were relatively peaceful, with exuberant welcomes accorded the sailors on the Channel Islands and the Santa Barbara Channel. However, despite a formal edict from Vizcaino to treat native peoples with respect (issued on June 8, 1602), the expedition still experienced aggressive reactions on both sides that led to bloodshed. The first incident occurred on September 2, 1602, on the Island of Serros, when water bottles left on shore were broken, and Vizcaino’s men were confronted by armed warriors. The second incident, which took place on October 27, 1602, was on San Simon y San Judas, where 100 armed natives attempted to stop the voyagers from filling water bottles. In the ensuing fight, the Spanish fired on the natives, killing two to four persons and wounding at least a half dozen. The final example of aggressive behavior transpired on February 6, 1603, on the return trip to the Island of Serros, at which time the inhabitants of the island continued to deny the Spanish access to water and the voyagers fired their guns to scare them away. In addition, on January 29, 1603, the voyagers caught some people from Santa Catalina Island stealing goods from their ship, the San Diego. In evaluating the diverse range of responses to early native and European encounters in California, the following three factors are considered herein: ( oral trad’ (2) the cr played it and (3) . relation ° calendar: Informa Regi works w the comi of Baja northwe Southwe nia coas tions of firsthan: when tl ples ab« seen in these st entice ti number otherwi foreign: differet the Sar 457). . referrit River ¢ can Sc men to were t clothec ages al Bay (¥ Re the co) fornia cembe Vizcai bara + the pe

146 JOURNAL OF CALIFORNIA AND GREAT BASIN ANTHROPOLOGY municated by signs their views about the arrival of strangers, as recorded in the Drake, Cermefio, and Vizcaino chronicles. Among some native groups, women played significant roles as peace envoys or brokers in meetings with foreign emissaries. In the Cabrillo-Ferrelo account, a woman leader stayed on board the ship for two nights near the Pueblo of Las Sardinas (Quinn 1979a:457), and during Vizcaino’s San Diego anchorage, where the local inhabitants were portrayed as being initially apprehensive, women (in one case a very old woman) in two separate encounters were sent forward to meet Spanish shore parties (Bolton 1916:80-82). Each voyage recorded a different pattern of native responses. In the Cabrillo-Ferrelo voyage of 1542-1543, four initial observations were made of people fleeing from the Spaniards (on August 11, August 22, September 28, and October 7, 1542), one incident involved arrows being shot (September 28, 1542), and two cases indicated ambivalent reactions (September 8 and September 28, 1542); however, the majority of the other observations recorded by the Spaniards were relatively friendly. Nevertheless, during the long winter anchorage on the Islands of San Lucas, Francisco de Vargas, who sailed with Cabrillo, recalled that the ‘‘Indians never ° > stopped fighting,’’ attacking Spanish soldiers when they attempted to obtain water (Wagner 1941:25-26). Drake’s crew was portrayed as maintaining cordial relations with the natives of Nova Albion throughout their stay in 1579, but the experiences of the de Unamuno expedition in 1587 were tragic for all concerned. The first recorded mortality in a pitched battle between natives and Europeans in Alta California transpired during de Unamuno’s visit to Morro Bay, where one Spaniard and one Luzon native died, another Spaniard was wounded, and some Obispefio Chumash Indians were killed and many wounded. While most of the encounters experienced by Cermefio and his men in 1595 were friendly, or at least ambivalent, two incidents resulted in aggressive signaling and conflict. One (November 7, 1595) involved armed warriors who maintained an aggressive stance until persuaded by other native emissaries to lay down their bows and arrows (Wagner 1929:158-159). The other event, which occurred sometime between November 30 and December 2, included 20 natives who were attempting to salvage wood from the wreck of the San Agustin until the Spaniards forcibly intervened to stop them. In the ensuing altercation, at least one Spaniard was wounded (Wagner 1924:22-23). Most of the encounters recorded during Vizcaino’s 1602-1603 voyage were relatively peaceful, with exuberant welcomes accorded the sailors on the Channel Islands and the Santa Barbara Channel. However, despite a formal edict from Vizcaino to treat native peoples with respect (issued on June 8, 1602), the expedition still experienced aggressive reactions on both sides that led to bloodshed. The first incident occurred on September 2, 1602, on the Island of Serros, when water bottles left on shore were broken, and Vizcaino’s men were confronted by armed warriors. The second incident, which took place on October 27, 1602, was on San Simon y San Judas, where 100 armed natives attempted to stop the voyagers from filling water bottles. In

the ensuing fight, the Spanish fired on the natives, killing two to four persons and wounding at least a half dozen. The final example of aggressive behavior transpired on February 6, 1603, on the return trip to the Island of Serros, at which time the inhabitants of the island continued to deny the Spanish access to water and the voyagers fired their guns to scare them away. In addition, on January 29, 1603, the voyagers caught some people from Santa Catalina Island stealing goods from their ship, the San Diego. In evaluating the diverse range of responses to early native and European encounters in California, the following three factors are considered herein: ( oral trad’ (2) the cr played it and (3) . relation ° calendar: Informa Regi works w the comi of Baja northwe Southwe nia coas tions of firsthan: when tl ples ab« seen in these st entice ti number otherwi foreign: differet the Sar 457). . referrit River ¢ can Sc men to were t clothec ages al Bay (¥ Re the co) fornia cembe Vizcai bara + the pe