An American Genocide:
California Indians, Colonization, and Cultural Revival
Benjamin Madley
With invocation and reading by Tongva elder Julia Bogany
October 10, 2017
There’s one major aspect of the popular Gold Rush lore that few Californians today know about: during that period, California’s Indian population plunged from perhaps 150,000 to 30,000, much of the decline from state-sponsored slaughter. Addressing the aftermath of colonization and historical trauma, a leading scholar explores the miraculous legacy of California Indians, including their extensive contributions to our culture today. Join us for a conversation with UCLA historian Benjamin Madley, author of the groundbreaking study: An American Genocide: The United States and the California Indian Catastrophe, 1846-1873.
This program was produced as part of The Getty’s Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA initiative.