California Mission

San Buenaventura

211 East Main Street, Ventura, CA 93001

Native Life | Cultural Impacts | Colonization & Governance | Resistance | Secularization | General Information

Native Life

The ancestral territory of Chumash tribes spans from Malibu to San Luis Obispo. Chumash were skilled hunters, fisherman and environmental stewards. They caught ocean and freshwater fish, hunted small game and harvested a variety of acorns, seeds and fruits. Chumash built a variety of boats for fishing and travel. The Chumash balsa canoe was coated with a form of natural asphalt that assisted in waterproofing the vehicle. Typically Balsa’s were used for inshore fishing, however it is likely that they were also used by the Chumash for travel through the Channel Islands. Another famous Chumash vessel is the Tomol. The tomol is a plank or dugout canoe that was preferably made out of redwood, fir or pine. It enabled these tribes to trade and travel with many other tribes located on the coast and on the Channel Islands

Cultural Impacts

San Buenaventura

The Spanish attempted to force Indians to assimilate into Spanish culture and give up their traditional way of life. Indians were forced to change their religious beliefs, diet, and daily routines, though many Indians resisted. Missionaries required Indians to study Christianity, Spanish language, and Spanish customs in order to assimilate into Spanish life. California Indians were forbidden from speaking in their native languages, practicing traditional religious ceremonies, and eating traditional foods. Sugar and milk was introduced to the diet of Indians working the missions, leading to tooth decay, diabetes and other health issues.

Indians also struggled with the livestock and diseases that the Spanish brought to California. Indians used various techniques, like burning small areas of the forest to restore nutrients to the soil, in order to work the land and harvest plants for food and medicine. Cows, goats, pigs, and chickens overgrazed the lands tended by Indians, turning Indian crops into trampled wilderness. Livestock forced native animals to compete for food, throwing the ecosystem out of balance. The Spanish also brought diseases like Measles, Influenza and Small Pox to California. Unlike the Spanish, the native peoples did not have natural immunities to these diseases. The introduction of European diseases devastated native populations, wiping out entire villages.

The Chumash were estimated to have a population of 15,000 people, but by the early 19th century they had been reduced to 170 people. This decline is due to a variety of factors, including European death from diseases, conflict, changes to traditional diets, and other changes related to mission life.

Colonization & Governance

San Buenaventura

The Spanish plan for governance and maintenance of the missions in California was supposed to be carried out over a ten year period. The plan called for the missionaries to “convert” the Indians to Christianity and “train” them to perform manual labor. After a period of ten years it was anticipated that the Franciscan missionaries would turn their missions over to parish priests and the Indians in the missions would live “assimilated” into Spanish culture in Indian “pueblos” or towns. This ten year plan was actually carried out over the course of fifty years. There were many factors that contributed to things not going as they had planned. There were large scale resistance efforts by California Indian tribes. The rate of disease and death was high among populations of Indians at the missions. Thus the military and church expended vast resources on continual expeditions to “capture” Indians in the regions of California that had thus far been untouched by disease. Additionally, California Indians did not adopt religious practices and Spanish culture in a way that was satisfactory to the church and government authorities. Thus, the Indian people would have to be forced to maintain the lifestyle the Spanish planned to assimilated them to under a colonial authority.

Resistance

California Indians engaged in widespread resistance to Spanish colonization. Resistance came in many forms. Large scale revolts were organized simultaneously among multiple Indians at several missions. Many individuals and groups attempted to escape. Stock raids were organized with other tribal groups. Others refused to work, attend church services, or bear children fathered by Spanish soldiers. Some groups continued to practice their traditions and ceremonies in secret. Indians were punished by the missionaries for exercising these forms of resistance. Native accounts of punishment describe executions, whippings, shackling, confinement, being made to wear wooden collars with metal hooks and many other forms of physical and psychological humiliation and cruelty.

In 1819 Indians from the Colorado River arrived at San Buenaventura to trade beads and blankets they made with Indians living in or near Mission San Buenaventura. The Indians arrived unarmed. They were placed in the guard house that night so they could not “bother” or disrupt the village. A guard demanded the Indians give him a blanket. When they refused because the blanket was to be sold, the guard began assaulting the Indians. A riot began and several Indians and Spanish soldiers died.

Secularizations

Mexico won their independence from Spain in 1821 and took control of California. The Mexican government passed laws in 1834 to secularize the missions, meaning that the government took control over the missions away from the priests and gave it to the Indians. The initial plan was for the secularized missions to become Indians towns, or pueblos, and to divide half of the land for the Indians and the other half for the priests. The Indians were also instructed to tend the common area between the two pieces of land. A Mexican government administrator was assigned to each mission to inventory property, livestock and other items of value. Upon the completion of the inventory the official was in charge of distributing the land and valuables to the Indians. Five Indian pueblos were established in total: Flores, Pala, San Dieguito, San Juan Capistrano and San Pasqual.

General Information

San Buenaventura

CA aboriginal people:

Chumash

See wikipedia info »