Description
Book SynopsisAn essential look at the ways California’s Native nations are resisting colonialism today, from education reform to protests against environmental injustice and beyond.
Collecting over twenty-five essays written by more than twenty California Indian authors, Know We Are Here surveys many of the ways California’s Indigenous communities are resisting the legacies of genocide. Focusing on the particular histories, challenges, and dynamics of life in Native California—which are often very different from elsewhere in the United States—the book collects essays from writers across the state. It encompasses the perspectives of both elders and the rising generation, and the contributors include activists, academics, students, memoirists, and tribal leaders. The collection examines histories of resistance to colonialism in California, the reclaiming of cultures and languages, the connection of place and nature to wellness in tribal communities, efforts to overhaul the racist presentation of California Indians in classrooms and popular culture, and the meanings of solidarity in Native California. Unifying the book is an introduction by Terria Smith (Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians), editor of the renowned and long-running magazine News from Native California. This book is an indispensable resource for California Indian readers, educators of all levels in California, and students in Native studies courses nationally.
Trade Review"A fascinating collection of essays by a wide variety of California Indian authors addressing an equally varied spectrum of issues but all focused on one critical theme: resistance to colonialism, past and present." —Benjamin Madley, author of An American Genocide: The United States and the California Indian Catastrophe, 1846-1873
"An essential resource to learn about the many trials and triumphs of the Indigenous people of California who rise to revitalize their cultures, tell their true histories, and honor their ancestors through retelling stories that keep them remembered in these landscapes. Their love of the land, their cultures, and the pride in their history shine through." —M. Kat Anderson, author of Tending the Wild: Native American Knowledge and the Management of California's Natural Resources
Table of ContentsContents
Introduction by Terria Smith
HISTORIES OF RESISTANCE
Deborah A. Miranda, “‘Dear Sonora’: Writing to a Fourth Grader about Her Project”
Greg Sarris, “Fidel’s Place”
Michael Connolly Miskwish, “Hutnyilshs: The Black Dog Nation”
Deborah Dozier, “We Are Still Here”
Rose Soza War Soldier, “Speaking Out: Rupert Costo and the American Indian Historical Society”
CULTURE AND LANGUAGE
Greg Sarris, “Maria Evangeliste”
Deborah A. Miranda, “Learning How to Fish: A Language Homecoming Journal”
Jayden Lim, “False Images and Young Minds: Sounding off on History, Racism, and Education”
River Garza, “Weaving through the College Experience”
Deborah A. Miranda, “Petroglyphs”
PLACE, NATURE, AND WELLNESS
Rose Ramirez and Deborah Small, “Saging the World”
Cutcha Risling Baldy, “The G-O Road: Thirty Years Later”
Michelle L. LaPena, “Water + Oil”
Cutcha Risling Baldy, “Water Is Life: The Flower Dance Ceremony”
Save California Salmon, “California Can’t Promise Truth and Healing While Forcing Salmon into Extinction”
Michelle L. LaPena and Viola LeBeau, “The West Berkeley Shellmound: A Legal Battle That Has Inspired a Generation”
EDUCATION
Olivia Chilcote and Chris Medellin, “Education as Self-Determination”
Maura Sullivan, “Creating Ceremonies to Protect Us from Traumatic Research”
Rose Soza War Soldier, “Teaching about Race in a University”
Vincent Medina, “A Word with Chiitaanibah Johnson”
Emily Clarke, “My University, My Ancestors”
SOLIDARITY
Rose Soza War Soldier, “California Indians and California Love: Belonging, Kinship, and Land”
Vanessa Esquivido, Maya Esquivido, and Morning Star Gali, “Black Lives Matter on Indigenous Land: Solidarity in Sacramento”
Ursula Pike, “En la Noche—In the Evening”
Cindi M. Alvitre, “Coyote Tours: Unveiling Native LA”
References and Notes [bibliographies]
Permissions
About the Contributors
