California Indians

Between 1846 and 1873, California's Indian population plunged from perhaps 150,000 to 30,000. Benjamin Madley is the first historian to uncover the full extent of the slaughter, the involvement of state and federal officials, the taxpayer dollars that supported the violence, indigenous resistance, who did the killing, and why the killings ended. This deeply researched book is a comprehensive and chilling history of an American genocide.

In the second half of the 19th century, the Euro-American citizenry of California carried out mass genocide against the Native population of their state, using the processes and mechanisms of democracy to secure land and resources for themselves and their private interests. The murder, rape, and enslavement of thousands of Native people were legitimized by notions of democracy - in this case mob rule.

A historical non-fiction book set in California during its transformation from indigenous tribes to American statehood. Discover the rich tapestry of California's past in "Tribes and Priests Early California." This captivating exploration takes you from the ancient traditions of indigenous tribes through the tumultuous changes brought by Spanish colonization and the American gold rush. Experience the vibrant history that shaped California's unique identity, filled with ambition, cultural clashes, and the relentless pursuit of economic prosperity. The narrative intricately weaves together ...

Before there was such a thing as "California," there were the People and the Land. We Are the Land is the first and most comprehensive text of its kind, centering the long history of California around the lives and legacies of the Indigenous people who shaped it. Beginning with the ethnogenesis of California Indians, this book recounts the centrality of the Native presence from before European colonization through statehood—paying particularly close attention to the persistence and activism of California Indians in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. 

One of the most groundbreaking and highly acclaimed titles that Heyday has published, The Ohlone Way describes the culture of the Indian people who inhabited the Bay Area prior to the arrival of Europeans. Recently included in the San Francisco Chronicle’s “Top 100 Western Non-Fiction” list, The Ohlone Way has been described by critic Pat Holt as a “mini-classic”.

This beautiful and devastating book - part tribal history, part lyric and intimate memoir - should be required for anyone seeking to learn about California Indian history, past and present. Deborah A. Miranda tells stories of her Ohlone Costanoan Esselen family as well as the experience of California Indians as a whole through oral histories, newspaper clippings, anthropological recordings, personal reflections, and poems. The result is a work of literary art that is wise, angry, and playful all at once, a compilation that will break your heart and teach you to see the world anew.

If you're a fan of Mark Twain's dry wit, oft-hidden humor, and tales of a bygone era on the Mississippi, then you'll love The Desert Rat Scrapbook. Imagine Mark Twain stuck in the desert with no riverboat and a bunch of crusty cowboys instead of river rats. The Desert Rat Scrapbook was first published in 1946 by Harry Oliver, a lifelong desert rat, Oscar nominated artist, and humorist. It's a collection of humor fact, and tall tales collected from the lives of him and others in the southwestern United States. Oliver eventually handed the reigns over to Bill Powers, who published the final ...

“You float through life like a piece of driftwood. Aimless. You have nothing to strive for.” Wellington Estates heiress Danielle Riley has everything her heart desires. But for the first time, she wants something she cannot have: Mike, the poor, proud, talented athlete, whose mother is working class, whose family is beneath hers. Mike Melgoza works hard for a living and bears a terrible secret, a secret that clouds his decisions, that pollutes his relationships. He mistakes Danielle’s generosity for pity, spurning her love and everything she represents. Brokenhearted, Danielle embarks...

A retired heart surgeon falls to his death from a remote desert peak. What was he doing there, and what was he desperately trying to tell Chemehuevi Joe in his final garbled whisper? As Joe tries to decipher that final message, long-time readers of the Smoke Tree series will discover a side of the enigmatic Native American they have never seen before.

Are you about to take the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) written test in order to obtain your learner's permit or driver's license? You are no doubt a busy individual with a lot of things going on! It can be challenging to find the time to study for the California DMV test. However, the truth is that the DMV test is a challenging exam.

The Yurok Tribe and an Indigenous family share a moving multigenerational story of their fight to undam the Klamath river—the largest river restoration project in history—and save the planet. Includes exclusive audio content! The Water Remembers is the story of Indigenous resistance and an...

This book is the story of a boy who left North Carolina in search of a new life and became a man in the Northern California gold fields. To survive, he had to learn how to differentiate between those who were his friends and those who were his enemies. Quick to act when danger threatened, kind to those who were less fortunate, and a friend to those who would be his friend, he developed leadership skills that served him well as he grew in stature as a man. There is intrigue and adventure aplenty to pique the reader's interest, and yet the integrity of the man is never compromised as he ...

A short story about a fictional encounter with a southern California native American youth who travels to Arizona and encounters the Mojave tribe. He is seeking the blue turquoise gemstones which are highly prized by his tribe. He wants to impress his intended bride with a gift of these beautiful stones. We follow his travels and experience his trials along the way. A good story for adults and young readers as well.

When the star players on a high school football team are accused of violence by another student, their secrets—and the secrets of their parents—threaten to shatter their entire community in a gripping novel of race, class, and privilege from the author of Members Only. “Timely and timeless...

Pablo Tac (1822-1841) was Luiseño Indian. He was born and raised at Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, located in present-day Oceanside, California. At the age of ten, he left the Mission with Father Peyrí, O.F.M., and another young neophyte boy, Agapito Amamix. Their destination was Rome. On September 23, 1834, Pablo and Agapito enrolled at the Urban College. There they learned how to be missionary priests, hoping to one day return home to California to shepherd their Luiseño brothers and sisters in Christ. Following in the footsteps of Saint Junípero Serra, whose motto was “Move ...

See America grow up through the eyes of its people. Enjoy a multigenerational saga that weaves through 100 years of American history. Follow four different families as they merge into one. Progress through the end of the Civil War, to train, riverboat, and automobile travel, to farming, an Indian school, both World Wars, and early California life, including the Hollywood movie industry. Real names, dates, places, and events lend to the authenticity of this story that relates our ancestors’ experience in the United States. In 1865, Bates Burnsworth walked home from the Civil War to rebuild...

Termed the Uncle Tom's Cabin of the southwestern Indians and the first protest novel of California, Ramona is the story of 3 cultures - Indian, Mexican, and Anglo - locked in combat. The upheaval and injustice are humanized through the romance of a beautiful half-Indian orphan who grow up as the ward of Señora Moreno in privileged surroundings, then falls in love with an Indian and joins him in a life of poverty and tragedy. The Ramona Pageant in Hemet, California, based on this romance, has played each year since 1923, reenacting the transition period between Mexican traditions and the new U.S. and state governments.

When Winston Parker stopped at Sutter’s Fort on his way to a ranch, he bought in California in1846, he hadn’t counted on getting entangled in the life of Moonlight, one of Captain John Sutter’s Indian slaves. In a whirlwind of events, Winston puts off sending for the woman he asked to join him in California, once he got his ranch established. Instead, he finds himself caught up between wanting to help Moonlight’s family escape a life of slavery, or continuing on with his plans of bringing his future wife to his ranch. Love and honor hang in the balance of his decision, but will he ...

As a half-breed who would never belong to his tribe, he sold himself for food, shelter and survival. As the Savage Lord who would never belong to the ton, he sold himself for social acceptance. As a man with nothing left to lose, he's learned that survival doesn't mean as much as self-respect and he'll never sell himself again. Keeping that vow might cost him his heart, his soul and his future. Colt grew up under the not so tender care of the stepfather who named him "Sky Who Walks" as a permanent reminder of his blue eyes that proclaim he can never be a real warrior. Disowned by his ...

If you're a fan of Mark Twain's dry wit, oft-hidden humor, and tales of a bygone era on the Mississippi, then you'll love The Desert Rat Scrapbook. Imagine Mark Twain stuck in the desert with no riverboat and a bunch of crusty cowboys instead of river rats.The Desert Rat Scrapbook was first published in 1946 by Harry Oliver, a lifelong desert rat, Oscar nominated artist, and humorist. It's a collection of humor fact, and tall tales collected from the lives of him and others in the southwestern United States. Oliver eventually handed the reigns over to Bill Powers, who published the final ...