Customer Reviews

Native Americans of California and Nevada

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Forbes has written a well-documented and lucid account of the local tribes in California and Nevada dealing with a succession of non-native invaders: the Spanish, the Mexican-Indian, and the Anglo-Americans. Unfortunately, these invaders used increasingly hostile forms of removal, forced labor camps, and extermination to achieve their desires for land and resouces. Can the US criticize any nation for ethnic cleansing or genocide with such a history? Certainly not without acknowledging our own past: this is the fresh perspective one gets from reading Forbes' book. Forbes also makes clear there has been a long process of renewal in local tribes, which continues with vigor and hopefulness today.

I haven't read it yet so I anticipate a new and fresh treatment of the Native California way of life, traditions and motives before the arrival of the first Euro-Strangers. I hope it will present them in a truthful light as they first heard of the strangers, their anticipation of the arrival and, finally, their coping with its reality. I also hope it will clearly state the influx of Mexicans and their part in subjugating the Native Californian population. If I'm lucky it will mention the original name of the land. Looking forward and I will further review after reading it.