"Costanoan-Ohlone Indian Research" at gopher site scilibx.usc.edu
at the University of Southern California
History of the Mutsun Band of Costanoan Indians
(Indian Canyon)
By Richard Roods
Historically conclusive evidence of the Mutsun Indian's existence was
documented by the missionaries of San Juan Bautista. First contact with
Mutsun Costanoan Indians was made by Spanish missionaries in the late
1700's. The Mission San Juan Bautista was one of five established at that
time for the purpose of shortening distances between other missions located
along the then public highway, Camino Real, from San Diego to San Francisco
Bay. The goal of the missionaries was to place the centers of Mission
activities as nearly equidistant as possible so that the journey from one to
another could be traveled in one day's time.
In 1795 an expedition headed by Fr. Antonio Dante as Chaplin and chronicler
marked a spot near the Rio San Benito (River) as an interim mission between
M. Santa Clara and M. San Carlos. On June 24, 1797, Fr. President Lasuen
officially founded Mission San Juan Bautista.
The Spaniards began the initial act of obliteration of the Native Culture
with their missions and their pyramidal society (The Indian being the peon
base and the conquerors as the controlling aristocracy). The Indians were
systematically rounded up to fill the Missions without reference to tribe,
tongue, or personal willingness. By 1812, the Mission San Juan Indian had
a population of 1981 Indians. That same year 1179 (59%) Indians died. On
October 6, 1812, the Spanish government issued an Interrogatorio
(interrogation) which requested the Mission San Juan Bautista to reply to
questions about the Indians under their jurisdiction. Statements made in
response to the Interrogatorio sum up the missionaries unwillingness to
understand the Indian Culture.
Interrogatorio Answers: "This is an active mission where people who have
wandered astray in the mountains, have been collected and are together; who
had no idea of letters or characters and whose history amounts to ridiculous
fables which are passed from generation to generation; These people had
scarcely any idea of the soul or its mortality; nevertheless they would say
that when an Indian died, his spirit would be in a sacred place; In this
mission (San Juan Bautista) all the neophytes (Indians) live in community.
When this does not suffice they return to the mountains as fugitives".
When the Indians were baptized their names were changed to Spanish surnames
due to the fact that the Spanish could not pronounce the Indian names.
In or about 1815, Rev. Fr. Felipe Arroyo De La Cuesta O.F.M., compiled 2884
phrases of the Mutsun Indian language, as spoken at Mission San Juan
Bautista, together with his Spanish translation of the phrases into what he
called an Index or Collection. The author's explanations and footnotes (now
in the Smithsonian) concerning the Mutsuns were given in exquisite Latin as
though for the benefit of scientists. His writings consist of his
interpretation of the Mutsun sounds or words. No written language existed
previously. Fr. Felipe Arroyo De La Cuesta's Index of Indian phrases was
the "New Society's" first attempt at chroniclizing anything about the Mutsun
Indians or any other Indians.
When "secularization" occurred in 1834, the Mission records showed 4073
baptisms and 3125 deaths. Over 4000 Indians are buried in a small
grave-yard adjacent to the Mission chapel on the San Juan Bautista Mission
grounds. To this day it stands as a disgraceful memorial to another
society's cultural intervention.
As the Indians were finally freed, most of them had no place to go to and by
this time were ill equipped to cope with the "New Society's" rules and
regulations, having been only semi-converted.
Many Mutsuns had previously escaped from the intolerable servitude and were
living in the hills and mountains a few miles from the Mission. Their
existence was precarious at best, since the land was now "owned" and coveted
by their Spanish conquerors. It was about this time (1834-1849) that many
Indians were retained as house servants and field workers for the
surrounding Mexican Rancherias.
Some Indians tried to remain as a tribe by forming into their own groups and
settlements. Again, their way of subsistence was restricted because of
their lack of knowledge of the "New Society's" ways.
The primary ethnographic work on Mutsun (Costanoan) Indians of San Juan
Bautista area has been that of John P. Harrington (Smithsonian
Anthropologist, 1920). Harrington's work is quite substantial and his
pieces give conclusive evidence that the Mutsun language and cultural
existence was separate and distinct from the multiple groups that had been
gathered for Mission servitude. His research was carried out from
approximately 1920 to 1935. His writings are consistent with accounts by
current Tribal Band members. These sources depict an essentially
traditional culture influenced by Spanish Catholic dogma throughout the 19th
Century. The description of the traditional culture and organization will
be presented along with historical evidence.
The Mutsun Indians are part of the Costanoan Indians. The Mutsuns are a
sub-group of a seven language group of over 50 small tribes and a great
number of villages and bands. Their territorial existence has been
determined to be any area along and into the Gabilan Mountains on the East,
North to San Jose, West to Carmel Valley, and South to the King City area.
Their neighbors and social interaction bands were Miwok, Salinan, Yokuts,
Passines (paisin) and Rumsen. The specific Mutsun Band we are presenting
have maintained a geographic location described here-in as Indian Canyon
(formerly Indian Gulch) which is located in Section 13 in Township Fourteen,
south of Range Five, East of the Mount Diablo Meridian, California which is
part of Cienega Valley, 12 miles due South of the City of Hollister.
The Culture of the Mutsun Indians was shaped by the environment of the area,
a wooded area of Oak, Sycamore and Manzanetta adjacent to open lands that
was a swamp in the 1700s through the late 1800s. The terrain is hills and
mountains with several small streams. The economy was predominantly a
"gathering" one with acorns and berries being an important source. This was
supplemented by hunting rabbits and deer. This economy produced an informal
social organization maintained between groups of families in the Canyon and
other families who were dispersed over a hundred square miles of territory.
The economy of the Mutsun required a seasonal cycle of migration as they
would venture westward to the ocean to fish. Cooperative efforts for deer
hunts were occasional. Families also got together for "gatherings" for the
purpose of performing ceremonies, socializing, and gambling. The current
Mutsun group is derived from ancestors who were originally from Chular,
Carmel and the San Juan Bautista area who migrated to the Canyon "haven" in
postDMission days.
The original Mutsun inhabitants were rounded up by missionaries in the mid
1700s. The permanent colonization period started around 1769 which was the
beginning of the end of the Mutsuns' peaceful co-existence with nature. In
the half century between 1769 and 1823 the Franciscans established 21
California Missions, and the Mutsun Band was brought in and dispersed
throughout the system. The San Juan Bautista Mission became the temporary
home for hundreds of Mutsun Indians. The reality of mission life was
somewhat less idyllic. The intricacies of Catholic dogma justified the
natives and their conversion frequently was only skin deep. Equally
frustrating to the friars were their attempts to make food gatherers, and
hunters into settled farmers. The Mutsun often labored long hours in the
fields. The men were separated from the women. Their living quarters were
cramped and unkept. Many Indians rose up in rebellion or risked severe
punishment to escape. Some Indians made their way Eastward through tough
mountains to Indian Canyon where their hide-out was a box-canyon protected
by steep hillsides that offered look-out points to the North. The entrance
way was protected by a swamp that only they knew the way through.
In 1821, Mexico won its independence from Spain and California became a
Mexican province. Twelve years later Mexico began to terminate the mission
system, and in theory, distributed half the mission lands to the natives who
had worked them.
The transfer was meaningless to the long dependent Mission Indians who now
were carrying Spanish given names. Thousands had died through rough
treatment and through improper diet, gout, consumption and cholera. Between
1830 and 1854 the San Juan Bautista Mission population dwindled
substantially. The Mutsun Indians were very few and traditional existence
was almost non-existent. The only exceptions were the "fugitive" Indians in
the Canyon, who maintained ceremonial ties with their creator. In 1845 the
"Bear Flag Revolt" made California an independent republic; and in 1848 it
became a territory of the United States. The discovery of gold brought a
stampede of treasure seekers to California and as the white population
soared its Indian population rapidly dwindled. Near San Juan Bautista,
Fremont's men were quoted as stating "We killed plenty of game and an
occasional Indian, we made it a rule to spare none of the bucks."
This conscienceless policy of slaughter was so well applied during the Gold
Rush that the California Native population between 1849 and 1852 was reduced
by some 50,000. The Mutsun Band remained intact, however, as several
surviving families kept a low profile by staying in the hills and mountains
around the Mission area. Some of the dances, songs and costumes were long
lost but their traditional values remained with those who survived.
The history of the Mutsun Indians of Indian Canyon has been officially
documented since 1897 when our Great-grandfather, Sebastian Garcia, (BIA
Roll number 6502) submitted his petition for an Indian Allotment under
Section 4 of the General Allotment Act of February 8, 1887 (24 Stat. 389:25
USCA 334) which stated, "...an Indian not residing on a reservation may
apply for a Allotment on public domain". (The heading on the form that
Sebastian filled out for his allotment boldly proclaims NON-COMPETENT
INDIAN.) Sebastian Garcia, his wife Maria Robles Garcia and their twelve
children, along with several other Indian families had been residing in
Indian Canyon since being released from the servitude of the San Juan
Bautista Mission system. Many Indians had come to Indian Canyon as early as
the late 1700s having escaped from the Mission, finding it too intolerable
to endure. Indian Canyon was a safe haven for many because of its physical
geography.
Sebastian Garcia officially obtained his Trust Patent Deed (Number 203411)
to his land in 1904 from President Howard Taft, thus establishing a
Government to family relationship. The Garcia family and others (Joe
Wellena and family) resided in the Canyon tribally, sharing the land and co-
existing with nature and its bounty. They had a small logging operation, as
well as hiring out as cowboy/Indians to local ranchers.
These Mutsun Indians maintained themselves and their families adequately
without outside assistance. Their income wasn't lavish but it provided
comfortably. In 1928 the BIA, under authority of the US Government,
attempted to take a census of the Indian population of California. The
criteria for being put on that 1928 role was that if it could be
investigated and proven that the person or persons claiming Indian Heritage
had lineal decent from the 1850s and had resided in an area known to have
been inhabited by their ancestors, then they would be stamped, approved,
bonafied Native Americans. Sebastian Garcia (Great-grandfather to the
present Mutsun descendants) and his family were officially approved to be
carried on that 1928 role along with several other Indian Canyon Tribal
members.
Elena Sanchez, Grand-daughter of Sebastian Garcia, retained the tribal
leadership in the late 1930s. Elena had been living in the Canyon during
her childhood but was sent to a Catholic school in Santa Cruz when an
outbreak of "Galloping Consumption" (TB) struck the area. This was
approximately 1908-1915 and hundreds of whites and Indians lost their
lives. The Tribe's numbers dwindled drastically. Many left the area
temporarily, but the nucleus of the tribe stayed on and survived the
epidemic.
During the TB epidemic, the Tribal structure was disrupted but the Mutsun
Band remained intact. Tribal members came and went from Indian Gulch.
There was always a family of two living within the Canyon.
Ascension to the leadership (Chief/ Chairperson / Elder) required the
approval of the Mutsun Tribal community. That leader was responsible for
feeding visitors, providing for the impoverished, and directing ceremonial
activities. The leader also served as advisor to its members of the
community outside its domain.
Within Indian Canyon, the Tribal affairs were/are council governed and the
Tribe did and does not recognize or subordinate themselves to either civil
or political authorities. Each member of the tribe does not intervene with
another's personal life. The council guides but does not infringe its power
unless disputes arise and does not intervene unless asked to do so, in which
case the council is the final authority. This was the way then, as it is
today.
Elena, now the most educated of the tribe, was designated as the Tribal
leader by Sebastian Garcia before his death. Additionally he passed on the
ownership rights to the Tribal Land to her. (Indian Canyon)
As Elena was about to assume her leadership role, another technicality
almost stopped the Tribe's existence. A local rancher/farmer who owned the
property that was the only unencumbered access to Indian Canyon, tried to
prevent Elena and the others of her Tribe from entering and exiting through
his property.
A local farmer (Howard Harris, now 83 years old) intervened and convinced
the land owner that the right of ingress and egress had always been a Mutsun
Indian Right. The Indians had always come and gone from the Canyon through
his property, why stop them now? Adjudication prevailed and Elena was
allowed to assume her rightful position as Tribal Leader of Indian Canyon.
Her influence was strong and her judgment sound. Elena petitioned the US
Government to issue her the "Full Deed" to the property in 1945. It was
issued to her by decree from President Harry S Truman in 1945. Throughout
Elena's life in Indian Canyon she maintained the traditional standards of
her ancestors. The ceremonial practices were limited to "gatherings" and
social groups with several neighboring Indian families, at which she spoke
of her family's Mission days and their struggles.
For the most part the "traditionalism" of the Mutsun Band was limited to
specific stories relating to spiritual values and conduct. She allowed only
those who had total respect for the land to walk upon it. She maintained a
respectful following throughout her 65 years. Her family and close friends
were her interests. Elena's life was spent nurturing her young and
educating her peers in the spiritual nature of the Mutsun Indians. Many
people still speak of her to this day, and it is always with reference and
admiration for the Indian lady from Indian Canyon. She passed away in
1974.
The unspoken teaching process by which Indians pass on knowledge of their
traditional heritage was put to the ultimate test as Elena raised her
children in Indian Canyon during the 1950s and 1960s. The "contemporary
society" and the modern educational system required her youngsters to
assimilate into the "Today World", not traditional Indianism.
Without benefit of television and electric hair dryers, Ann Marie and
Christopher Sayers lived their childhood amidst sycamores, oaks, poison oak,
and the wildlife of Indian Canyon.
With their education complete the leadership transition took its natural
course. Christopher Sayers assumed the roll of Tribal leader when Elena
became ill. He maintained that role until 1980 when, Ann Marie and Chris
convened to formalize the Mutsun Tribe's existence.
Since then the Mutsun Tribe's business has been conducted in a formal manner
with documented minutes attesting to their continued efforts relating to
Indian Canyon and their "Vision Quest" to be recognized by the Federal
Government as an entity that is accorded Tribal Status.
Ann Marie Sayers, as elected Mutsun Tribal Chairperson (1980) has interfaced
with city, county, state, and federal authorities for the past nine years on
behalf of the Tribe. Her efforts to regain Tribal land were successful in
1988. The Tribe's repeated and continual presence has been talked about,
written about, and acknowledged under her formidable leadership.
The Tribal constitution was formulated and now governs the activities of the
Tribe. The formal presence of the Mutsun Indians has been documented and
under Ann Marie's leadership a "Living Indian Heritage" cultural center is
in the planning stages. San Benito County of California has been noted by
the Government's Cultural Resource Bureau to have over one hundred "Indian
sites".
It is the Mutsun Tribe's "Vision" to compile a more complete history of
central California's Indians and to contribute their findings to the
educational system. The Mutsun Tribe has a story to tell. A true story of
a society that withstood the "crush of humanity" and maintained a cultural
dignity that sustained itself through several generations. Today's Mutsun
Indians would like to "share" that "cultural dignity" with anyone interested
enough to listen, and learn.