Colliding cultures: the changing landscapes of Mission San Francisco Solano, 1823-1846

Jeannine Kathryn Elizabeth Schneider

Mission San Francisco Solano, today's Sonoma Mission in California, was the final mission in a chain of twenty-one Franciscan establishments. It was the only mission founded in California under the Mexican flag, and it was the only mission founded during that period without the permission of the Catholic Church but with the direct support of the governor. The Mission's late founding in 1823 and its distance from Mexico significantly influenced its development and provided the ideal environment for extreme forms of abuse both before and after secularization. The Sonoma Mission acts as a case study for exploring the political founding of the mission, as well as providing glimpses of how indigenous inhabitants reacted to the abuse, and their struggles to survive secularization under military and civil authoritative control, 1823-1846. This thesis is a borderlands microhistory that includes global linkages and a brief historical background of pre-contact cultures, the region, the influence of gift giving, the formation of new alliances as well as the mission program itself. The narrative begins with the unethical founding of the Mission and continues through post-secularization, formally ending with the Bear Flag Rebellion in 1846. This comprehensive examination includes the previously undocumented 1824 revolt, aspects of punishment, and the realities of everyday life at the Sonoma Mission. By investigating personal interactions and relationships between native and non-native actors, this work provides glimpses of how Native Americans coped with the changing political, economic, and sociocultural landscapes, as well as offering a window into the ecological devastation that arose as outsiders inundated the region. The writings of non-native authors, official documents, and oral interviews of survivors illuminate scenes of traditional lifestyles. These include snapshots of religious blending and the continuance of indigenous customs, such as wife stealing, marriage practices, war attire, and tattooing. There can be little doubt that coping with the conquest was problematic at best, especially in the borderlands where missionaries, Indians, Russian traders, Spaniards/Mexicans, and an array of others were jockeying for power, place, and space. This is clearly apparent in the lives of a few of the actors in the 1850s following California's statehood.

Colliding cultures: the changing landscapes of Mission San Francisco Solano, 1823-1846

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