Ben Myers

March 30, 2010

Contemporary Literature/ Senior Engineering

Mr. Smith/ Mr. Berry

Fall of the American Indian and the Rescue of Modern Technology

The cultures of American Indians have thrived for over 10,000 years, stretching from the

Pacific to the Atlantic, but now it may be lost forever. In the past four centuries, millions

of Indians have been killed; it’s only recently recognized as the Native American

Genocide. In the face of modern distractions, some Native cultures are fading;

however, modern technology may be the tool to save and preserve tribal cultures for

future generations of tribal youth. We are at a critical moment; we must use our

technology wisely to rescue these magnificent cultures and not allow technology to

contribute to further cultural losses and destruction.

The California Indian Museum and Cultural Center (CIMCC) uses modern technology,

like video cameras, to record traditional and modern practitioners and interpreters of

tribal cultures. For the CIMCC Pomo Language Repository project, the CIMCC has

filmed tribal elders in Mendocino County speaking their native language. By recording

this data, they can preserve it for future generations to hear and to use along with other

materials and teachers to learn some of their tribal language. The Repository also

provides other tools for education. Using the data they gather, the CIMCC creates
lesson plans to educate Native youth about their heritage. It’s a fantastic way of not only

preserving knowledge, but teaching it to future generations.

CIMCC’s efforts to preserve tribal languages and cultural practices benefits tribal

communities and non-Indian communities alike. The CIMCC’s projects tell us about a

shared history and layers of culture that make up California. That is why I am creating

the California Indian History Kiosk. This kiosk will contribute to the conservation

California tribal knowledge and education of Californians about California Indian History.

It features a layered map of California Indian locations, such as tribal lands and casinos,

as well as layers of historic events and places that impacted tribal communities. This

tool will be housed in the CIMCC when it’s completed, where it can be used to educate

future generations.

Traditionally, Native American knowledge has been passed down from one generation

to the next. Elders possess the knowledge, which they pass off to the youth. But many

members of recent generations have not had that opportunity due to federal policies

which remove tribal members from their communities to go to Boarding Schools or to

learn vocational jobs in cities, or have failed to learn from their elders because they

were not interested in learning the information. These dynamics created a generational

voice in which elders held onto the cultural knowledge for decades, waiting for teaching

opportunities, but now they are fading. With programs like the Pomo Language

Repository, this knowledge can be preserved forever, digitally, supporting learners who

desire to learn the language.

Technology in this modern time is being used to preserve what has been ravaged, but

we are only scratching the surface of its potential. We must not limit ourselves. We need

to be effective but creative to captivate the coming generation. The history of American

Indians is multifaceted. Tribal youth must balance the histories documented by non-

Indian academics with knowledge known and shared within tribal communities. These

histories often conflict. In most instances, tribal traditions and customs were everyday

practices that were tied to a people in a place who had access to plants and animals, all

or part of which may not exist today. Tribal communities struggle both with the loss of

knowledge about tribal culture as well as the loss of the opportunity to apply preserved

cultural knowledge to everyday life which has changed so dramatically.

Prior to contact, we fantasize that American Indians flourished. We are taught that they

lived off of the land around them, respecting nature, and were rewarded with a peaceful

existence. What we really know is that unlike the foreign governments, Indians never

travelled overseas or tried to convert others to their spirituality. Yet that’s exactly what

happened to them. In the past 400 years, millions of American Indians were

slaughtered. As students of history, we’ve heard of the Trail of Tears and the Battle of

Little Bighorn. Perhaps, you even heard of famous Indians like Crazy Horse and Sitting

Bull, but you may not have heard of Captain Jack or know of the Bloody Island

Massacre. These are histories of California. All tribes know these stories and have felt

their impact. Today, Tribal communities struggle to preserve their culture but also to

preserve and prove these histories have taken place. This is a battle in which tribes are

losing ground. Now, more than ever, we’re on the brink of losing this knowledge and
cultural information forever. It is imperative that we save this fading knowledge and

educate future generations.

The very first Native Americans are believed to have come to North America across the

land bridge; however, many tribal origin stories do not acknowledge this academic
interpretation of history.
This would have happened approximately 50,000 years ago. These first people, who

are often referred to as the First Nations, didn’t actually migrate to the area now known

as the United States until much later. The earliest evidence we have of Native

Americans come tens of thousands of years later. Through the use of carbon dating, we

approximate these first Native Americans lived 10,000 years ago.

The first documented contact with American Indians came from European explorers in

the 1500s. Doing the math that means Indians lived for approximately 8,500 years

without much contact with the European colonizing forces. Contact with Europe

signaled an onslaught of destruction, leaving the Native people devastated. With

genocide and disease, the Native people would fall to the Europeans and Americans.

Although we praise these first explorers with discovering America, like Christopher

Columbus, we forget the practical aspects of foreign exploration. Many like Columbus

kidnapped Indians and used them as slaves. It was a mirror of what treatment was soon

to come. That is not to say that all Europeans were violent towards Indians. Many

colonists coming to the New World actually had peaceful relations with local tribes

because they relied upon tribal communities to survive in the New World.

Despite temporary peace, the Old World and the New World would clash. Science tells

us that no two objects can occupy the same space, and that’s exactly what happened

here. The New World settlers decided that they would need to farm the lands of Indians.

Indians were not about to let these settlers take the land their ancestors had lived on for

millennia. Instead many tribes took a stand against these new people to defend their

cultures and their homes. The struggles would become known as the Indian Wars. In

1637, the first of these Indian Wars was fought by the Pequot tribe, known as the
Pequot War. This was the start of many wars, which would span over many years and

kill thousands, ultimately ending in 1890.

Violence wasn’t the only hostile threat to American Indians. Europeans brought

diseases with them that had never existed in North America. The most lethal of these

diseases was smallpox. Smallpox was already deadly in Europe, killing 400,000 people

a year, and Native Americans were no different. They had never experienced smallpox,

so they were completely vulnerable. It devastated tribes across many states, who were

ravaged by the disease and suffered thousands of casualties. One tribe lost 90% of

their population to smallpox. The United States would later pass Indian health bills to

distribute the smallpox vaccine among the tribes.

After the United States won their independence, with the assistance of tribal members

and tribal war strategies, hatred towards Natives would quickly escalate. Americans

believed they needed to fulfill their Manifest Destiny, the expansion of the United States

from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific. They had the land, but several thousands of

Indians were in the way. George Washington believed that American Indians could be

integrated into Western society, but Indians didn’t see why they couldn’t exist peacefully

as they always had. Indians were proud of their culture, and weren’t going to give it up.

Instead of pushing integration, the government decided to relocate them. Tribes were

stripped of their native homeland and pushed onto smaller pieces of land called

reservations. Indians were forced by the United States military to pack up their things

and march hundreds of miles to the reservations. The most famous march was made by

Indians from the American South to present day Oklahoma in 1831, known as the Trail
of Tears. It was a time of great sorrow and Indians were ripped from their homeland,

and subsequently their way of life. Thousands would die on the march from freezing and

starvation.

There were some tribes, however, who resisted. Many decided to defend their homes

and fight back against the United States. American Indians faced overwhelming odds

taking on the powerhouse of the United States Army, but they had something to fight

for, and they had everything to die for. Great leaders like Sitting Bull and Tecumseh led

many tribes into battle and to victory. One of the most well known victories was the

Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876. Sitting Bull and his warriors decimated the 7th Cavalry of

the United States, who were led by Lt. Colonel Custer. With very few men at his

command, about 9 Indians to every 1 American, Custer was badly defeated by the

Indians.

The battles of the Indian Wars, no matter how bravely fought, were in vain. Each side

suffered heavy losses and it wasn’t just soldiers. Civilians were also targets for combat.

No better is this tragedy portrayed than in the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890, where

hundreds of unarmed men, women and children of the Lakota tribe were murdered. This

deadly massacre marked the end of the Indian Wars and the decline of American

Indians.

Great Indian leaders and fierce Native warriors surrendered for good. At the end of the

uprising, Indians were all taken from their homelands and relocated to the reservations.

The land that their ancestors had inhabited were taken and sold. The government

passed laws forcing young Indians to attend boarding school. They thought this would
civilize them and erase their culture. This only weakened their will, but Indians proved

too strong to be totally destroyed.

World War II would continue to test their will. Over 40,000 American Indians served in

the War, the most famous being the Navajo Code Talkers. Many Natives did not return

from the war, however, leaving tribes depleted.

Then we have the conditions and status of American Indians of today. They are at

serious risk from prevalent health problems such as alcoholism and diabetes. The

population of Natives today has significantly dropped from what it was in the beginning.

In just a few centuries, Native Americans were nearly wiped from the face of the Earth.

Before Europeans came to America, it’s estimated that 18 million American Indians

inhabited the present day United States. But after deadly diseases and an evil

genocide, the U.S. Census reports that there are about 2.8 million Indians living in

America today. These American Indians, however, have been forced to adapt to the

civilized culture. Many have rejected their traditions for a more modern lifestyle. Their

integration into society has caused their culture to diminish. With a smaller population,

Indians struggle to regain their former greatness. Their knowledge is on the brink of

being lost but there are still those who hold the knowledge of their heritage and

traditions. If we can educate the future, this knowledge will never be lost.

Most education about American Indians in public schools was started in the 1900’s.

Depending on what state you were in, your education was different. Each state follows

more closely the history of the Indians closest to them. For instance, in the Mid West

region of the United States, education about American Indians focuses more towards
the Plains Indians. In California, Indian history is a deeply troubled layer of California

history. Ishi, an Indian who lived in hiding for years, emerged from the foothills of

Lassen and into a completely developed world. Anthropologists were able to learn an

unbelievable amount about his customs and traditions.

By far the most notably taught piece of history in California schools is the Spanish

mission system. There are more than 20 missions spread across California, so schools

conveniently have a mission within driving distance. It is quite helpful for education, but

that education is plagued by historical errors and stereotypes. The largest stereotype by

far is that all Indian tribes are the same, when in fact each tribe has its own unique

culture.

California Indians have a deep rooted history in their homeland. These Native people,

however, cannot be categorized as one generic people. All Native tribes are quite

different from one another, every tribe is unique. California is no exception to this. With

its wide variety of ecological regions and climates, California was home to a wide variety

of tribes. There are dozens of Indian tribes all across the state, stretching from the

scorching deserts of the south to the lush central valley and up to the thick woodlands of

the northwest.

The first contact with these tribes was made by European explorers looking for the

Northwest Passage. This extremely valuable waterway, running from through the Arctic

Circle where the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans meet, was sought for centuries by

explorers from all over the world. One of the most famous explorers to search for the

passage was Sir Francis Drake of England.

During the year 1577 the Queen of England, Elizabeth I, sent Francis Drake across the

world to the Pacific Ocean. Setting sail from England, Drake set off across the Atlantic

and around Cape Horn at the tip of South America. (Map)

Once Drake sailed “around the Horn” he began to plunder Spanish settlements and

capture any Spanish vessels he came upon. This was a time of great conflict between

the English and the Spanish, eventually leading to a war soon after. It’s because of this

conflict that Drake was sent on his mission to the Pacific; a route through the Northwest

Passage to the West would have been invaluable to the English. So the Queen had

sent Francis Drake across the world to serve the crown. While Drake did not find the

passage, he brought back to England great riches in gold and silver from plundered

Spanish ships.

What Drake found in America instead of the Northwest Passage was the lands of

present day California and Oregon. It’s believed that during this time Drake and his crew

had encounters with Native Americans. His encounters with these Indians, unlike the

meetings between Indians in the eastern United States and Christopher Columbus,

were peaceful trades between the two peoples. Violence didn’t cover the history of

Indians living in the western United States and explorers sailing along the Pacific. Many

of the encounters were trades; we know this because evidence of metal objects, like

bowls and cups, has been found in excavation sites of Indian villages along the west

coast.
Some historians speculate that Francis Drake was never in California; instead they think

he may have landed in Oregon. Academics still speculate as to which foreign explorers

made first contact with California Indians: Russia, Spain or England.

The most major contact we see with California Indians came over 100 years later. This

was the rise of the Spanish missions in California. Thoughts of establishing these

missions were concocted as soon as Christopher Columbus discovered the New World.

Once the Spanish caught a glimpse of American Indians, they immediately began

plotting for how best to dominate them. Ultimately they decided it would be best to

convert the native people of the Americas to Christianity.

Several missions had already been built in present day Mexico, but the King wanted to

expand the system into Alto California (what we know today as California). To carry out

this expansion, King Charles III ordered General Jose de Galvez and Father Junipero

Serra to establish the new missions. In 1769, the first California mission was

established in San Diego. This was just the beginning of a great expansion all over

California. In the span of 54 years, the Spanish built 21 missions from San Diego all the

way up to Sonoma.
The premise of these missions was to convert the Native Americans to Christianity and

to make them Spanish citizens. The task before them was not easy, but Spanish

missionaries were determined to serve God and country. Indians would first need to be

taught the Spanish language: reading, writing, and foremost, speaking; this was a

necessity to have a skilled labor force. Once they had established the language,

missionaries would then convert Indians to Christianity. This too was a necessity

because the Catholic church had given Spain the land of California with that in mind.

When all of this was settled, Spain hoped to have self sufficient mission colonies made

up of loyal, tax paying citizens.

There are a several important laws to know when learning about the mission system.

The Spanish crown had set in place “New Laws” when it came to the missions, which

gave Indian people the right to live where ever they chose and freedom from slavery.

However, Indians were required to learn the Christian faith. It is also interesting to note
that the Spanish crown intended to turn the missions, and all of the surrounding land,

over to the Indians once they became a self sufficient settlement.

Unfortunately, the mission system that the Spanish had dreamed of was never fully

realized. It was tainted, becoming a horrible nightmare for the California Indians. Instead

of promised freedom, they received brutal treatment from the Spanish missionaries.

They planned to gain the trust of the Indians by curing them of European diseases.

Often times though, missionaries would coax children out of their villiages and into the

missions. Many Indians were taken from their homes, against their will, and forced into

slavery. Missionaries claimed it was necessary in order to teach them Christianity. They

forced these Indians to build and work on the missions. Indians were the bulk of the

workforce in the Spanish colonies. Missionaries reaped the reward of their hard work

(just as American colonists had done to the African people). The missions were funded

by the Spanish crown and donations from the Catholic church. Through out their history,

missions never became self sufficient as they were envisioned.

California Indians suffered great hardships at the hands of the Spanish missionaries.

The missions were not as glamorous as they were said to be, and the conditions were

far from acceptable by human standards. Indians were forced to live in tight, filthy living

quarters. Then they worked long days out in the sun with meager food and rest. As a

result of these poor conditions, the health of Indians reached a critical state at many

missions. Diseases brought from Europe, such as measels, slaughtered Natives by the

dozen just as it had on the east coast of America. These conditions were discovered by

the Spanish crown, causing the Spanish people to call for the closing of the missions.
The missions declined after this news spread to Spain. Missionaries sought to expand

the mission system further up through California, but the Spanish crown denied their

plans. It had already cost Spain quite a bit of money to run the existing missions, so

they decided it was not in their best interests to expand any further. A few years later,

Mexico gained independence from Spain. This changed the entire political view on the

missions. When a new governor was elected for California, Jose Maria de Echeandia,

one of his first acts was to free the Indians from three missions. His emancipation gave

Indians, enslaved by the mission system, their freedom. Indians could become Mexican

citizens if they chose or live on their own, in or out of the missions. Missionaries tried to

run the rest of the missions with what they had, but eventually Mexico passed a law to

close all remaining missions.

Missionaries ran out of the missions with the valuables, leaving many remaining Indian

tribes with the land. By decree of the Mexican government, all Indians who had been

enslaved were free. But the damage had been done, and there was no way to reverse

the years of pain California Indians had suffered at the hands of the missionaries. It was

estimated that 300,000 Indians lived in California before the Spanish missions were

built, but after they closed only about 100,000 Indians had survived. The California

Indians did not simply give up after this devastation. They converted a few of the

missions into pueblos, small communities of Indians. Pueblos housed Indians for years

until the United States defeated Mexico.

When the U.S. won the Mexican-American War in 1848, they gained control of

California. They also gained the deeds to the mission lands, which they gave back to

the Catholic church. Like they had done with other Indian nations across the country,
the government gave the Indians reservations to live on. These reservations spread

across California, homes to hundreds of tribes.

The enslavement of Indians continued to be practiced when Americans took control of

California. Settlers often used California Indian slaves as labor, usually on their farms.

Indians were opressed by settlers and on many occasions starved by their captors. Any

Indians who sought freedom were punished. This is most evident in the Bloody Island

massacre. The settlers who claimed to own a group of Pomo Indians, living in modern

Lake County, were prone to starving them and raping their wives. In retaliation, the tribe

rose up and killed the settlers. When word got around that Indians had killed white

settlers, the government sent in troops to punish them. The group of Pomo Indians hid

from the troops, who came upon another group of Pomos at Bloody Island. Made up of

mostly women and children, the group was defenseless against the onslaught of

American troops. The soldiers killed dozens of Pomo Indians in what would become

known as the Bloody Island Massacre. Other Pomo were killed as well when the troops

marched through Northern California.

Violence against Indians in California continued during the mid 1800s. As the United

States began to expand through out California, Indians were placed on confined

reservations. These small spaces made life difficult for tribes, especially if they had to

share reservations with other tribes. There is a documented case of rival tribes, the

Modoc and Klamath tribes, who were moved on to the Klamath homeland. As the

dominant tribe, the Klamath opressed the Modoc severely.

The leader of the Modoc tribe, Kintpuash, also known as Captain Jack, decided to lead

his tribe off of the reservation to Tule Lake. In response to this move, the United States

government sent the Army to force the Modoc back onto the reservation. In 1872 the

Army and the Modoc faced off in the Battle of Lost River, which led to a Modoc retreat.

Captain Jack, along withhis remaining people, hid in what is now known as Lava Beds

National Monument. The area was full of caves and crevices, an ideal natural fortress

born from the lava flows. In this treacherous land the Modoc would hold off U.S. troops

for months.

American troops outnumbered the Modoc nearly 10 to 1 when they arrived to fight. But

when they attempted to storm the rock fortress, which they called “Captain Jack’s

Stronghold”, they were repelled back. The U.S. would suffer more than 50 casualties

while Captain Jack and the Modoc were unharmed. Though their efforts were valiant,

eventually Captain Jack ran out of supplies and his own people forced him to surrender.

The Army took Captain Jack back to the Klamath reservation and hung him soon after.

Armed conflict against the United States by Indians would come to rest in California

after this final stand.

This leads to the California Indians of today. The reservations in California are

struggling to construct infrastructure in some areas while others flourish. Modern day

California Indians are most well known for starting and living in the Casino Era. Some

tribes now run extremely successful casinos on their reservations, bringing in massive

profits, while other tribes, who don’t own casinos, are less fortunate. This history has

often been mistaught and amended to be cleaner.

It seems almost historical itself that Indian history is often incorrect. Most early

education about American Indians is heavily romanticized. Students are given images of

wild savages and are privy to many stereotypes and misconceptions. This mission

system is a huge example of misconceptions. Most students are taught that Spanish

missionaries created the missions as churches and converted Indians to Christianity,

civilizing them. What they don’t tell you is that Indians were the slave labor to construct

these missions. They also don’t teach about how the Spanish kidnapped Indian children

and forced them into Christianity. After that they would be forced into slavery too,

working all day while the Spanish profited.

Education used to be so bad that students believed that American Indians were extinct.

Indians are definitely not extinct! But our education about Indians has been poor. While

the education of Native American history is improving, great strides are still being made

in the field. One of those strides can be made in the unique field of mapping.

Maps are a deep rooted piece of human society that every person living today has

either used or seen. The very first maps were carved onto stone tablets by the

Babylonians in 2300 B.C. It wasn’t until the medieval period that we saw detailed and

intricate maps. These evolved from maps carved into wood to maps drawn on

parchment. Religion was dominant during this time so all maps were centered on

Jerusalem.

The most important era of mapping came in the Age of Exploration. Maps were taken

into considerable detail and skill. This era was marked by the creation of navigation

charts with accurate coastal lines. As man began to advance, so did his map. The
printing press allowed maps to be widely distributed. Exploration of the world allowed for

a complete world map, and eventually the globe. With airplanes came aerial images,

used as maps. Maps showed not just locations, but also terrain, like topographic maps.

With the launch of Sputnik in 1957 came a bold new way to show maps. Satellites

completely changed the method of displaying maps. Today, Google has revolutionized

maps with Google Earth. Now we can see anyplace, anywhere, at anytime from space.

GPS has changed the way we use maps as well. Now all you need to do is enter your

destination and GPS can map the fastest route.

Google was created by two Stanford students, Larry Page and Serjey Brin, in 1996.

They would not form a company until a few years later, but then Google took off. The

company grew rapidly, outgrowing several locations within years, and is now worth

billions of dollars. Along the way they purchased companies to improve and expand

their programs. One such company called Keyhole, Inc was used to create Google

Earth; this mapping program continues to be a worthy cutting edge tool today.

Sharpening the Edge

The cutting edge of our education of Native American history is just at its jumping off

point, as stated above. Maps on the other hand, are more spectacular and fulfilling than

they have ever been in history. We can do so much with maps today that was never

before possible. The science behind it is cutting edge and it’s a great representation of

how far we’ve evolved technologically. While mapping is fulfilling its potential, history

still has much ground to cover before attaining that same greatness. We have come

quite a distance in the history room, but the journey is only beginning.
Lack of Education and Rising to the Challenge

There is a clear lack of cutting edge educational tools as far as Native American

education is concerned. There have been good strides in teaching about American

Indians in the classroom, but it is plagued with misconceptions and stereotypes. The

surface has only been scratched for the potential of this field. There have been good

strides but they can easily be great strides. With determination and planning, incredible

achievements can be made in the education of Native American history.

The Resolution

This lack of education needs a tool to help educate the future. For that reason I am

creating the California Indian History Kiosk. It will display and interactive layered map,

designed to help educate youth and adults about American Indians. Our rising

generation has already grown out of textbooks; we need something new to captivate

them. Tools like this can help educate an ever changing world and redefine traditional

education.

Technical Aspects

The California Indian Kiosk uses a combination of software and hardware. By combining

these two aspects, the final product will be a strong and useful tool. While the project

frame is important to protect its contents and for aesthetic purposes of the kiosk, the

technological aspect is the main focus of the project; in essence, its beating heart.
To display and interpret data on the kiosk’s interface, I use the Google Earth program.

The GIS data is stored by Google, Inc. in a huge geodatabase. This data can then be

called on and rearranged.

GIS stands for Geographic Information System. It uses data the user inputs displays a

map. This data could be anything from geological hotspots in Brazil to the birthrates in a

California suburb. All of these maps can be stored as various groups in geodatabases.

These geodatabases are then posted on the Internet by government agencies and

universities. From there, anyone can access the information and compile it to create

their own geodatabases. It all seems fairly simple, right? Maps are input into the

computer and can be shared all over the world. The data is quickly attained and the

subjects can make any project become more effective at relaying information, but it’s

how we view these maps that is truly something revolutionary.

Google Earth comes into play here. It’s a program created by Google to project the

Earth digitally with a system that can plot data onto the display. Google Earth doesn’t

just display one set of data, it can show several at once. This is the revolutionary

function of Google Earth, it takes GIS to the next level and fulfills its significant potential.

Google, Inc houses a huge geodatabase that users can call upon to use when they

create maps of data. Each map or set of data is called a layer. These layers can be

toggled on and off at anytime to change the data being viewed. The order in which

these layers appear can also be changed so the desired data can rise to the top.

Layering maps creates an extraordinary way to view and interpret data in the world

around us.
I started the California Indian History Kiosk by obtaining the Google Earth program. This

program is available, for free, to anyone who wants to use the program. Mapping

software is highly available to anyone who wishes to use it. Once I had the Google

Earth program I began to compile my data based on the criteria of California tribal

locations (reservations, casinos, missions, tribal governments). I looked for data posted

by universities (Stanford, Berkeley) and government agencies, as these were the most

accurate and trustworthy sources. You may never know if data is truly real, however,

unless you collect data and experience these places for yourself.

Data from universities and government agencies is posted for free, so obtaining and

utilizing GIS technology is cost effective. The ability to share this data is efficient and the

technology itself is cheap; GIS seems to be the perfect tool. The flaw in the use of GIS

is the difficulty in finding the information you’re looking for. There are many universities

and agencies posting data and creating geodatabases, but the topics of the data is

limited. These sources only post information relating to their projects. For this reason

there isn’t a whole lot of diverse data (as you see with Wikipedia); so finding the exact

data you’re looking for can be a difficult task.

The best part of using a Google program is the search engine, and this helps users

make the most accurate and descriptive maps they possibly can. Google’s search

engine for Google Earth links directly to its vast geodatabase. If the data is not available

from outside sources, you can use a Google search to look inward. From this engine I

was able to fill in the gaps of my data and complete my map.

The first set of data I found came from another Google Earth user. They posted a map

of tribal reservations all around the country. I used this map as a jumping off point for

my product. From here I added the locations of all 21 California missions, the various

tribal offices statewide, and Indian casinos.

Google Earth allows for the users to mark their locations using different icons. Each

point can have its own unique icon, or an icon can be applied to an entire layer. There is

large set of icons provide by the company, and they can be manipulated to any size and

color. Google Earth also allows you to import your own icons as well. I imported a

church bell to mark the mission system and a green dollar sign to mark casinos. Having

plotted all of the areas and locations I wanted, the technical part was completed. All that

I needed was the physical part.

My map is displayed on an LCD screen running Google Earth. This screen will be

housed in a wooden case so that the screen can be displayed. It will be painted and

polished so it has a strong aesthetic edge. The kiosk will stand 4 ¾ feet tall (57 inches)
so that people young and old can access the knowledge it holds.
The California History Kiosk will be marketed mainly to museums and agencies, both

federal and tribal. Cost of such a tool will not be cheap; it’s estimated around a few

hundred dollars. The kiosk will not be a high demand product, so mass production is far

out of the question. This product is designed to educate people about California Indians,

it’s not about demand but about preserving knowledge of the cultures that called this

land home before we did. That’s something you cannot put a price on.

Bibliography
Websites
Castillo, Professor Edward. "Short Overview of California Indian History". California
Native American Heritage Commission. 21 March 2010
<http://www.ceres.ca.gov/nahc/califindian.html>.
Baucom-Huffman, Stone, Tranchin, Boardman, Frazier, "U.S.-Mexican War". PBS. 20
March 2010 <http://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/war/>.
Wright, Ralph, B. Ed. California's Missions. Pub by Hubert A. Lowman. Arroyo Grande,
CA, 1992. The California Mission Site. 24 Sept. 1998. 20 March 2010
<http://www.californiamissions.com/morehistory/sandiego.html>.
Aber, James S.. "Brief History of Maps and Cartography". Emporia State University. 18
March 2010 <http://academic.emporia.edu/aberjame/map/h_map/h_map.htm>.

Publications
Johnston-Dodds, Kimberly. Early California Laws and Policies Related to California
Indians. California Research Bureau, September 2002.
Fagan, Brian. Before California: An Archaeologist Looks at Our Earliest Inhabitants.
United Sates of America: AltaMira Press, 2003.
James W, Loewen. Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History
Textbook Got Wrong. United States of America: Touchstone, 1995.
Mann, Charles C. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus. New York:
Alfred A. Knopf, 2005.

Images
Harmon, William. “Mission System Map.” Map. California Missions. 20 March 2010
<http://www.cabrillo.edu/~wharmon/Misc/Ca_Missions/files/missions.gif>
“Routes of the First Americans” 2008. 20 March 2010
<http://drarchaeology.com/culthist/origins.htm>