Chronology of American Indian History

P

“A large company of Americans,

Indians and Mexicans, were pres-

ent and witnessed the meeting of

Lorenzo and his sister.... [N]ot

an unmoved heart, nor a dry

eye witnessed it. Even the rude

and untutored Indian, raised his

brawny hand to wipe away the

unbidden tear, that stole upon

his cheek as he stood speechless

and wonder struck!”

—from Lorenzo and Olive Oat-

man’s Life among the Indians

January

Treaty commissioners begin negotiating
treaties with California tribes.
Setting off from San Francisco, a three-person
commission travels throughout California to
negotiate peace treaties with all of the Indians
within its borders. The commission was formed
by Congress to bring an end to a recent rash of
skirmishes between Indians and miners in the
new state. None of the three men appointed to
the commission by President Millard Fillmore is
familiar with the culture and ways of California
Indians.
The group carries out its mission haphazardly,
attempting to negotiate agreements with any group
of Indians it comes upon. The commissioners make
no effort to distinguish Indian tribes from local
bands or villages, and they fail to meet with many
large groups altogether. The treaties they conclude
call for the cession of the Indians’ land to the United
States in exchange for a small reservation and a
range of goods and services. Although an interpreter
accompanies the commission, he most likely does
not know the languages of most of the groups the
commissioners encounter. Probably most Indians

signing the treaties have no understanding of their

provisions. (See also entry for JULY 8, 1852.)

February

Congress appropriates $100,000 for the

“Concentration” policy.

In the Indian Appropriation Act, Congress earmarks

$100,000 to implement a policy of “Concentration”

endorsed by Commissioner of Indian Affairs Luke

Lea. He recommends that each tribe should be as-

signed to an area of “limited extent and well-defined

Olive Oatman, who became a celebrity after surviv-

ing five years as a captive among the Mojave. Her chin

is marked with tattoes in the style worn by Mojave

women. (Photograph Courtesy Douglas County Museum

of History and Natural History)