Sydney Phillips

Learning Journal 2

One text that expanded my view of Natives and their depictions is The

Comanches (Los comanches) by Anonymous (but suspectedly by Pedro Bautista Pino).

This text is about a group of Comanches and a group of Nuevomexicanos taunting each

other during battle. In this text the Natives are depicted both as strong and brave

captains, and inversely as less than inhumans. There is some description of Green

Horn, who is a Comanche captain taunting the Nuevomexicanos Don Carlos. Green

Horn is depicted as a strong and cocky captain stating, “All kneel to me as to God/ And

not just by my own nation” (74). Don Carlos attempts to show Green Horn that he is less

than by stating in response, “For my chains around your caw/ Shall soon crush your

self-importance” (74). The writer of this text clearly understood that the Natives were

strong and bold, but still portrayed that the Nuevomexicanos were superior. This is

reiterated later in the text when Don Carlos says, “How Comanches, ever-daring/ Like

wild beast do show/ Themselves quite aghast when facing/ Saint James…” (75). Don

Salvador Ribera also gives respect to Green Horn in stating to Don Carlos, “To defeat

Green Horn you see/ Who’s the most courageous Indian” (77). I noted that instead of

just saying that Green Horn was a courageous man, Ribera noted that Green Horn was

a courageous Indian. The story ends when the Nuevomexicanos Captain yells out,

“Traitorous Indian inhumane… Death to Green Horn and his name” (86). He then shots

and kills the brave Indian captain. This text showed me that there is this dichotomy in

regards to the Nuevomexicanos’ view of the Natives. There is an image of Natives as

strong and brave, almost equal to that of the Nuevomexicanos. However, the Natives
are ultimately still seen as less than and their valiantry is admired, but seen as

something that must be crushed due to the lesser than nature of the Natives.

Another text that expanded my view of the Natives is the Bouchard Episode,

1818: Indian Revolt 1824 by Maria de las Angustias de la Guerra de Ord. This text is a

recount from Maria of the colonial history of California. There are very conflicting views

of Natives in this text and a variety of different responses from the Natives to the

Californians. In this text we hear the hardships of a man named Padre Ripoll. He was

said to have “loved his neophytes as a devoted mother” (99). Ripoll had a respectful

relationship with not only the converted Natives, but also the “heathen” Natives who

lived around his mission. When Maria’s father is directed to kill the Natives, Ripoll is

said to have cried out, “Don’t kill my children” (98). He then goes to speak with the

Natives to try to quell the issue before a war begins, but alas it is said that “[t]his is

about killing white people” (98). This is an insight to how the Natives feel about the

Californians. Some groups of Natives believed that the ‘white people’ were their mortal

enemies who needed to be killed no matter what the circumstance. However, the

Natives were people of their word and showed it multiple times throughout this text.

First, the Natives take Padre Jayme as captive and promise Padre Ripoll that they will

not harm him. They keep this promise and return Padre Jayme unharmed. Next, the

Natives take a group of white families hostage. They say that the families will be

returned if the troops stop pursuing the Natives. Maria notes that, “The Indians complied

with this promise, bringing the families…” (99). So we can assume that the Natives and

some of the Californians have, at the very least, a civil relationship. A relationship in

which each party will keep their word. On the other hand, the Natives retaliation is
shown to be met with great violence. Maria notes that Natives killed 2 people from San

Emigdio. One of the men had previously killed a Native, making this kill a retaliton. This

was not respected by the Californians and they chose to take bold action against the

Natives. Maria says that once, “The Indians had been secured, they first cut off the right

hand and then they killed them” (99). There are very conflicting views of Natives in this

text and a variety of different responses from the Natives to the Californians. Some

Californians have a strong and respectful relationship with the Natives, while some take

violence to the extreme because of their view that Californians are superior to the

Natives.