I. Digging through the Old and Unearthing the New

Abstract

Corey D. Blanchard’s essay on Native Americans during the mission period (1769–1833) finds early articles focused on Euro-American pioneers to the near exclusion of the Indigenous population of Southern California. When they do appear in early articles they are treated more as obstacles than as sentient beings. Racial bias or condescension is evident in articles published as late as 1953 and research was limited to Euro-American sources. Articles reflecting the New Social History turn of the late 1950s-1960s; they analyzed quantifiable evidence to reconstruct the daily life of Mission Indians. The cultural history turn of the 1990s brought analyses of material culture into the pages of the SCQ. New levels of analysis and computerized data emerged in the current decade, uncovering individual lives and Native American agency into a complex understanding of California’s Indigenous history, while early articles continue to serve as data sources and indicators of Euro-American/Native American relationships.