Recommended Resources

The following historical fiction and nonfiction titles can be shared as class read alouds or in small reading groups or assigned as independent reading to further an understanding of California Indigenous perspectives.

Robinson, Gary. Lands of Our Ancestors. Books One to Three and Teacher’s Guide. Santa Ynez, CA: Tribal Eye Productions, 2017.

Book One: This historical-fiction chapter book centers on twelve-year-old Kilik, his eleven-year-old cousin Tuhuy, and their families as their Chumash culture, traditions, and way of life are drastically changed by their forced move to a Spanish mission. The Teacher Guide includes comprehensive questions, discussion prompts, vocabulary, and activities. Books Two and Three follow the family through the rancho and gold rush periods.

Scott, Judith, and the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band. When the Mission Bells Rang. Pala, CA: Tribal Print Source, 2021

This picture book is dedicated to the Amah Mutsun people of the Monterey Bay region impacted by Mission San Juan Bautista and Mission Santa Cruz. A fictional story about agency and resistance, it is told through the eyes of animal relatives who were also impacted by the Spanish and changes to the land from the mission system. Historical facts, cultural information, and defined Mutsun language terms are also provided. You can access a free PDF version or purchase the book here:

https://whenthemissionbellsrang.weebly.com/#/ (link is external)

Wallace, Cathleen Chilcote. The Gift Basket: Story and Unit of Study. www.nativetalk.org, 2012.

In this historical fiction short story, a Luiseño girl learns basket-weaving and plant-gathering traditions from her grandmother. When she discovers that someone has taken all the basket-weaving plants from her family’s gathering area, the Animal People come to her aid. The unit of study includes background information on tribes and homelands within present-day San Diego County, with a focus on the Luiseño. Three lessons that address ELA, HSS, and NGSS standards complement the story. Access a free PDF version here:

https://www.csus.edu/college/education/engagement/_internal/_documents/indian_the_gift_basket.pdf (PDF) (link is external)

Lowry, Chag, and Weshoyot Alvitre. My Sisters. Pala, CA: Tribal Print Source, 2020.

This comic story, created by Chag Lowry (Yurok/Maidu/Achumawi) and Weshoyot Alvitre (Tongva), is endorsed by The California Indian Basketweavers’ Association. The unique story honors the special relationship basket weavers have with their homelands and is told from the perspective of the baskets themselves. Free curriculum materials to accompany the book are available for fourth grade and middle school at

https://www.tea.bluelakerancheria-nsn.gov/pathmakers/chaglowry/ (link is external)

Elliot, Eric. Dear Miss Karana. Berkeley, CA: Heyday, 2016.

Dear Miss Karana, a historical-fiction chapter book, is seen through the eyes of ten-year-old Tíshmal, who is learning about the real woman from San Nicolás Island as her class is reading Island of the Blue Dolphins. While listening to a recording of the woman, Tíshmal hears similarities to her own Chamtéela (Luiseño) language spoken on her reservation. She seeks the help of her uncle to learn more about the language and help the lone woman’s spirit. It was developed in accordance with Common Core Standards for fourth grade.

Salazar, Alan. A Tataviam Creation Story. Ventura CA: Sunsprite Publications, 2021.

“A representation of Alan Salazar’s deep-rooted passion for and commitment to our unique Tribal heritage. Through another powerful and timeless story containing brilliantly painted imagery, Alan Salazar gifts our youth with an origin story that will live through future generations.” – Rudy Ortega Jr., tribal president, Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians. One chapter covers Tataviam culture and history, including Spanish colonization, the Mexican period, and early California statehood.

Heyday:

https://www.heydaybooks.com/genre/california-indian/ (link is external)

Great Oak Press:

http://www.greatoakpress.com/ (link is external)

Birchbark Books:

https://birchbarkbooks.com/ (link is external)

Supahan, Sarah. A Time of Resistance: California Indians during the Mission Period, 1769–1848: An Integrated Thematic Unit. Hoopa, CA: Klamath-Trinity Joint Unified School District’s Indian Education Program, Humboldt County Offices of Education, 1997.

• Historical background, timeline, and maps, with an emphasis on Native perspectives.

• Lessons and student activities to support social studies, math, science, and language arts.

• Printable handouts and unit assessment.

California Indian Museum and Cultural Center. California Missions Native History.

http://calindianmissions.org/ (link is external)

• Interactive map on all twenty-one missions, including video testimonials and California Indian biographies.

• Teacher Materials.

Teaching California. Mission Inquiry Sets: Grade 4.

https://www.teachingcalifornia.org/inquiry-sets-3-5/ (link is external)

• Missions’ Impact on Indigenous Traditions and Beliefs, 4.2a.

• Missions’ Impact on Environment and Economy, 4.2b.

• Varying Perspectives on the Missions, 4.2c.

Amah Mutsun Tribal Band. Amah Mutsun Youth Walk for Juristac Mini-Lessons.

http://www.protectjuristac.org/2020minilessons/ (link is external)

• Lesson One: The Amah Mutsun and Juristac.

• Lesson Two: Mission San Juan Bautista.

• Lesson Three: Agriculture and Amah Mutsun Traditional Foods.

The New York Historical Society. Women & The American Story. “Life Story: Toypurina (1760–1799).”

https://wams.nyhistory.org/settler-colonialism-and-revolution/settler-colonialism/toypurina/ (link is external)

• Middle- and high-school resources adaptable for 4th grade.

• YouTube video recommended.

KCET. Lost LA Curriculum Project. Toypurina: Indigenous Woman.

https://www.pbssocal.org/lost-la-curriculum/toypurina-indigenous-woman (link is external)

• 11th-grade Historical Inquiry Lesson.

California Indian Education for All.

https://caindianeducationforall.com/ (link is external)

• Classroom Resources.

• Native Ways of Knowing Micro-Courses and Professional Development.

Redbud Resource Group. Educational Resource: Ethnic Studies Support Materials.

https://www.redbudresourcegroup.org/ethnicstudies (link is external)

• Grades 6–12.

• Lesson Four features Deborah Miranda’s poem, “Lies My Ancestors Told for Me.” The poem explores the idea that “assimilation” is a form of resistance, as it allows a community to survive into the next generation.

Digital Inquiry Group. Reading Like a Historian. California Missions History Lesson

https://inquirygroup.org/history-lessons/california-missions (link is external)

• Please note: The site requires a free login and password to access.

The California Indian History Curriculum Coalition. College of Education, Sacramento State.

https://www.csus.edu/college/education/engagement/california-indian-coalition-curriculum.html (link is external)

The California Native American Heritage Commission. Digital Atlas of California Native Americans.

http://nahc.ca.gov/cp/ (link is external)

• This website features an option to show information about missions and tribes throughout the state.

Chumash Indian Museum. Chumash Science through Time: Chumash Revolt of 1824 (9:16).

https://youtu.be/kBNt1t92Yqs (link is external)

Critical Mission Studies. YouTube Channel.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC9XBGfAX-jz3D6BsHZluog/videos (link is external)

Humboldt State University. Humboldt Place-Based Learning Communities. Department of Native American Studies. History of Native California (12:57). August 19, 2019

https://youtu.be/T-azcPugmKQ (link is external)

LFK Media, dir., with Gregg Castro and Kanyon "Coyote Woman" Sayers-Roods, consulting dirs. Ohlone People: Survivance to Thrivance. Video (39:36). Crowded Fire Theater, 2022.

https://sites.google.com/kanyonkonsulting.com/ohlone-film/home (link is external)

• This website features educational and background information, as well as the link for free access to the film.

Murray, Wallace, and Tim Campbell, dirs. Gather Together. Storyteller Video, 2005. DVD.

Murray, Wallace, and Tim Campbell, dirs. Julia Excerpt from Gather Together. Storyteller Video, 2005. Basketry and acorn preparation (7:34).

https://youtu.be/d5ByEPwlDtc (link is external)

Murray, Wallace, and Tim Campbell, dirs. Julia Parker: Grandmother’s Prayer. Storyteller Video, 2005. DVD.

Rau, Ann, and Corbet Jones, dirs. Tending Nature: Decolonizing Cuisine with Mak-’amham. Season one, episode two (26:40).

https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/tending-nature/episodes/decolonizing-cuisine-with-mak-amham (link is external)

Remove the El Camino Real Bells

https://removethebells.org/learn/ (link is external)

Strauss, Terry, dir. Precious Cargo: California Indian Cradle Baskets and Childbirth Traditions. Marin, CA: Marin Museum of the American Indian, National Endowment for the Humanities, 2004. DVD.

Walk for the Ancestors

http://walkfortheancestors.org/ (link is external)

Yuan, Christine. Tending the Wild. Six-part series. Los Angeles: KCETLink Media Group and The Autry Museum, September 15, 2016.

https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/tending-the-wild (link is external)

Akins, Damon B., and William J. Bauer Jr. We Are the Land: A History of Native California. Oakland: University of California Press, 2021.

Arkush, Brook S. “Native Responses to European Intrusion: Cultural Persistence and Agency Among Mission Neophytes in Spanish Colonial Northern California.” Historical Archeology 45, no.4 (June 2011): 62–90.

Bear, Lindsie, and James Luna. “Saying Our Share: Surviving the Missions,” News from Native California, 28, no.2 (Winter 2014/15). Special Edition.

Beebe, Rose Marie, and Robert M. Senkewicz. “Revolt at Mission San Gabriel, October 25, 1785: Judicial Proceedings and Related Documents.” Boletín: The Journal of the California Mission Studies Association 24, no. 2 (2007): 15–29.

Chavez, Yve. "Basket Weaving in Coastal Southern California: A Social History of Survivance." Arts 8, no. 3 (2019): 94.

https://doi.org/10.3390/arts8030094 (link is external)

Chilcote, Olivia. “Pow Wows at the Mission: Identity and Federal Recognition for the San Luis Rey Band of Luiseño Mission Indians.” Boletín: Journal of the California Mission Studies Association 31, no. 1 (2015): 79–87.

Duggan, Marie Christine. “With and Without an Empire: Financing for California Missions before and after 1810.” Pacific Historical Review 85(2016): 23–71.

Geiger, Maynard J., and Clement W. Meighan, eds. As the Padres Saw Them: California Indian Life and Customs as Reported by the Franciscan Missionaries, 1813–1815. Santa Barbara, CA: Santa Barbara Mission Archive Library, 1976.

Haas, Lisbeth. Pablo Tac, Indigenous Scholar: Writing on Luiseño Language and Colonial History, c.1840. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2011.

Jackson, Robert H., and Edward Castillo. Indians, Franciscans, and Spanish Colonization: The Impact of the Mission System on California Indians. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1995.

Laduzinsky, Paige. Basketry: An Art That Lives Across Generations. KCET: Arts & Culture. April 15, 2018.

https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/artbound/basketry-an-art-that-lives-across-generations (link is external)

Lightfoot, Kent G. Indians, Missionaries, and Merchants: The Legacy of Colonial Encounters on the California Frontiers. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2005.

Lorimer, Michelle M. Resurrecting the Past: The California Mission Myth. Pechanga, CA: Great Oak Press, 2016.

Milliken, Randall, Laurence H. Shoup, and Beverly Ortiz. “2009 – Ohlone/Costanoan Indians of the San Francisco Peninsula and their Neighbors, Yesterday and Today.” Government Documents and Publications 6, 2017.

https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/hornbeck_ind_1/6 (link is external)

Miranda, Deborah A. Bad Indians: A Tribal Memoir (10th Anniversary Edition). Berkeley, CA: Heyday, 2022.

Miranda, Deborah A. “Lying to Children about the California Missions and the Indians.” Zinn Education Project: Teaching People’s History. March 23, 2015.

https://www.zinnedproject.org/if-we-knew-our-history/california-missions-and-indians/ (link is external)

Newell, Quincy D. Constructing Lives at Mission San Francisco: Native Californians and Hispanic Colonists, 1776-1821. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2009.

Panich, Lee M. “‘Sometimes They Bury the Deceased’s Clothes and Trinkets’: Indigenous Mortuary Practices at Mission Santa Clara de Asís.” Historical Archeology 49, no. 4 (December 2015): 110–29.

Ramirez, Renya K., and Valentin Lopez. “Valentin Lopez, Healing, and Decolonization: Contesting Mission Bells, El Camino Real, and California Governor Newsom.” Latin American and Latinx Visual Culture 2, no. 3 (1 July 2020): 91–98.

Rizzo, Martin. “‘If They Do Not Fulfill What They Have Promised, I Will Accuse Them’: Locating Indigenous Women and Their Influence in the California Missions.” Western Historical Quarterly 51, no. 3 (Autumn 2020): 291–313.

https://doi.org/10.1093/whq/whaa045 (link is external)

Rizzo-Martinez, Martin. We Are Not Animals: Indigenous Politics of Survival, Rebellion, and Reconstitution in Nineteenth-Century California. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2022.

Sandos, James A. Converting California: Indians and Franciscans in the Missions. New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2004.

Schneider, Tsim. “‘Dancing on the Brink of the World’: Seeing Indigenous Dance and Resilience in the Archeology of Colonial California.” American Anthropologist 123, no. 1 (2020): 50–66.

Schneider, Tsim, Khal Schneider, and Lee Panich. “Scaling Invisible Walls: Reasserting Indigenous Persistence in Mission-Era California.” The Public Historian 42, no. 4 (November 2020): 97–120.

Teaching Tolerance. Critical Practices for Anti-bias Education. Montgomery, AL: Southern Poverty Law Center, 2018.

https://www.learningforjustice.org/sites/default/files/2019-04/TT-Critical-Practices-for-Anti-bias-Education.pdf (PDF) (link is external)

Teaching Tolerance. Let’s Talk: Facilitating Critical Conversations with Students. Montgomery, AL: Southern Poverty Law Center, 2020.

https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/publications/lets-talk (link is external)