STUDY GUIDE FOR
“JOURNEYS TO THE PAST”
The Acjachemen Nation

The Acjachemen Nation occupied the San Juan Capistrano valley for hundreds of years before the arrival of the Spanish missionaries in 1769.  The origin of this Nation and how its culture developed is unclear.  

However, existing documentation on the missions and the Acjachemens’ history which has been passed on orally from generation to generation, tell us some important facts about the last two centuries.  Like most Native American tribes, the Acjachemens had a close relationship with nature on which they relied for food, shelter and medication (plants and herbs).  They also had established religious, social and artistic traditions.

The arrival of the Europeans was a turning point in the history of this culture.  The Acjachemen people welcomed the Spanish missionaries whose goals were to gain new land as well as share their religion.  Through their colonization efforts, the Spaniards implemented forms of agriculture, farming and architectural technology.  It is fair to assume that in return, from the Acjachemens, the Spaniards learned about new medicines as well as hunting, fishing and weaving techniques. 

This newly found association had a significant impact on the Acjachemens.  Although some of the European customs were appealing, adopting them required the Acjachemens to make major shifts in their way of life.  For instance, to conform to the Mission life style, the Acjachemens had to change their way of dressing, learn to speak Spanish and convert to the Catholic religion.  This period of Acjachemen history is the subject of much controversy.  Some believe that many of the native people found comfort in Catholicism and proudly helped the soldiers and missionaries.  Some believe that the native people were coerced into helping build the Mission. 

After the Mission was built (1797-1806), the Spanish renamed the Acjachemens “Juanenos”, which means “people of the Mission of Juan”.  In a short amount of time, the Spanish influenced the way the Acjachemens lived.  This influence changed their beliefs, language, clothing style and other important customs such as their traditional ways of hunting and gathering food.  Some Acjachemens persisted in keeping their culture alive by fleeing from the Mission and living as fugitives in the hills.  It is said that some Acjachemens were unfairly treated and imprisoned at the Mission, forced to work as slaves and kept in line by the soldiers who accompanied the mission fathers. 

The Spanish missionaries originally intended to return the mission lands to the Indians after their goal was achieved, but when Spain lost California to Mexico, this all changed.  In 1833, the Mexican government stepped in and secularized the missions.  The Mexicans recognized the Acjachemens, now known as Juanenos, as citizens but with extremely limited rights.  In 1848, the government of the United States seized the Californian territory.  New settlers were offered a $25 a head bounty on California Indians, a practice that did not end until the 1900’s.   This bounty forced many Juanenos to hide in the hills.  Others married Latinos in an attempt to assimilate.  Hundreds of genealogical records from the Juanenos Band document the fact that most denied their native blood by stating that they were of Mexican descent. 

Today, the Acjachemen Nation is still alive.  Despite the limited recorded or written information on the Acjachemen history, we know that there are currently approximately 3,000 descendants who continue to pass on the culture and traditions.  However, it was only in 1993 that the Southern California Indians of San Juan Capistrano were recognized by the State as the indigenous people of Orange County.  The struggle continues for recognition from the federal government.

FOODS

·                   Fish, rabbit and occasionally deer were part of the diet.  Men and boys went hunting and fishing.

·                   A common fishing technique was to crush mildly poisonous plants, then sprinkle these on quiet pools in streams.  The fish were then stunned and came to the surface where they could easily be caught by hand.  Nets, knotted from wild grass were also used.

·                   Wild berries and various edible seeds were gathered by women.

·                   In many cases, Acjachemens learned which plant or fish was edible, by observing bears.  If a bear did not have any adverse reactions to a plant, a fruit or a fish, the people would then know that it was safe to eat.

 CLOTHING

·                   Due to mild the mild climate of the San Capistrano valley, Acjachemens clothes were simple.  For women, it consisted of skirts made of willow or tulle.  Men work capes only when the weather got colder.

·                   The capes that kept people warm were made of rabbit skin and woven with grasses and other fur.  These capes served as blankets at night.

MEDICINE

·                   Medicines used by the Acjachemens came from plants and herbs.  For instance:

The elder blossom from the elderly tree was used to treat fever;

Willow bark was like aspirin;

Yerba Santa and black sage were used for cold, and throat and lung infection.   

The Acjachemens learned to distinguish between healing and toxic plants by observing bears and other animals.  It seems that bears instinctively know what to eat if they feel ill.  So, whatever a bear ate, people could eat too. 

SHELTER 

·                   Acjachemen shelters were simple.  Over a stone circle laid on flat ground, men formed tall branches into a conical framework.  For strength and stability, shorter branches were tied across the upright branches.  Some tulle, a bulrush resembling cattail, was layered over the cross branches of the framework, beginning at the bottom.  A hole in the top let smoke from the fire escape.

·                   Specialized shelters to store acorns were also built.

SUGGESTED STUDENT ACTIVITIES 

Preparation
Discussion/Exploration

            As a way to prepare students to see “Journeys to the Past”, engage them in a group discussion about Native Americans:

            If I say the words “Native Americans” or “California Indians”, what ideas or images come to your mind?

(Note the difference in perception between students with a Native American heritage and those with a different heritage.  You may also wish to write down students’ comments for comparison after the performance.

            Discuss students’ ideas about California Indian Cultures:

For instance, you may ask them questions such as: 

How do you know California Indians eat acorns?          

Did you learn that from a movie, a story or from experience? 

Do you think all California tribes ate acorns?

FOLLOW UP

Reflection

After the performance, it is very helpful to follow up the students’ experience with a classroom discussion to assess what they gained in knowledge of the content as well as the art form.

The following is a list of questions and suggestions that might stimulate their thinking: 

·                   What part(s) of the performance impressed you most?  Why?

·                   What part of the performance surprised you the most?  Why?

·                   What part of the performance did you like best?  Why?

·                   Was the performance what you expected?  Why or why not?

·                   What new words did you learn?

·                   Were there ideas about the way Acjachemen did things that you found particularly interesting?

·                   Now that you have seen “Journeys to the Past”,  if I say, “Native Americans” or “California Indians”, what comes to your mind?

CREATIVE EXPRESSION

Retelling

For an enhanced understanding of the art of storytelling as well as the content of “Journeys to the Past”, give students the opportunities to retell segments of Ms. Nunez performance.  Encourage them to fully utilize their voice and physical expression as well as their intellectual understanding of the story as they perform.