California through Native Eyes: Reclaiming History (Indigenous Confluences)

The "California History Through Native Perspectives" book is a groundbreaking work that challenges the traditional narratives of California history by centering the voices and experiences of Native peoples.

Drawing on oral histories taken as part of a New Deal federal works project, historian William Bauer reveals how Native peoples have interpreted the history of the land we now call California.

By combining these oral histories with creation myths and other oral traditions, Bauer demonstrates the importance of sacred landscapes and animals to the formation of place and identity.

He also examines tribal stories of ancestors who prophesied the coming of white settlers and uses their recollections of the California Indian Wars to push back against popular narratives that seek to downplay Native resistance.

The result is a rich and nuanced understanding of California history that challenges dominant narratives and offers new voices and perspectives.

This book is an essential read for anyone interested in understanding the complex and multifaceted history of California, and serves as a model for how to approach historical research and writing from an Indigenous perspective.