Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Jenneration X

The Portola Expedition (1769-1770) was the first exploration of Southern California by Europeans. The Spanish explorers traveled by foot and hoof northwards from San Diego  along the coast and discovered San Francisco Bay and many points in between. Many Southern California place names were given during this historic expedition. 

Along the way, the explorers encountered scores of friendly Indian encampments (villages really). Here are explorer Miguel Costansó's first impressions of those native Americans in their natural state:
Both the men and the women are of good figure and appearance, and are fond of painting and staining their faces and bodies. They use large tufts of feathers, and hairpins that they put through their hair with various ornaments and coral beads of different colors.
The men go entirely naked, but when it is cold they wear long capes of tanned otter skins, and cloaks made of the same skins cut into long strips, and turned in such a manner that all of the fur is on the outside. They then weave these strips together, making a fabric, and give it the form mentioned above.
The women are dressed with more modesty, wearing around the waist tanned deerskins, which cover them in front and back more than halfway down the leg, and a little cape of otter skin over the body. Some of them have attractive features.

Polygamy is not permitted among these people; the chiefs alone possess the right to take two wives. In all of their towns there was noticed a class of men who lived like women, associated with them, wore the same dress, adorned themselves with beads, earrings, necklaces, and other feminine ornaments, and enjoyed great consideration among their companions. The want of an interpreter prevented us from ascertaining what kind of men they were, or to what office they were designed; all suspected however, a sexual defect or some abuse among those Indians. Link
If current trends continue, we'll see a reversion to more or less the same state.

4 comments:

Chip Ahoy said...

You mean you're not already sitting there with feathers through your hair and otter skins with the fur on the outside? *removes feathers* I thought everybody is already doing that. *unties otter cape* I thought it was a thing. Stop judging me. *takes out shell earrings* You make me feel threatened and *takes off necklace* unsafe.

edutcher said...

We are talking about CA, after all. Note they didn't last long when the white man came.

Elsewhere, your average Indian didn't believe in coddling such behavior.

AllenS said...

Maybe there's something in the water. If you can find any.

ricpic said...

Reluctant Male Syndrome increases in a demoralized society. Be it that coastal California Indian scavenger tribe or us.