Bad Indians: A Tribal Memoir

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Introduction California Is a Story They love their children to excess (if that can be said), but they give them no education whatever. They merely recount to them the fables which they heard in their pagan state. They do this to entertain and satisfy the children. The latter believe these things as if they really happened, for a certain period. They held and do hold those as wise men who knew and could relate more of these fables. This is their chief knowledge. —Mission San Juan Bautista, response to the Interrogatorio (Questionnaire) sent by the Spanish viceroy in Mexico to all California missions, 1812 CALIFORNIA IS A STORY. California is many stories. As Leslie Silko tells us, don’t be fooled by stories! Stories are “all we have,” she says. And it is true. Human beings have no other way of knowing
that we exist, or what we have survived, except through the vehicle of story. One of the stories California tells is this: In 1959, my mother met my father. Madgel Eleanor Yeoman encountered Alfred Edward Miranda. She was twenty-five years old, he was thirty-three. She had been born and raised in Beverly Hills; he had been born on the Tuolomne Rancheria (a California Indian reservation) and raised on the mean streets of Santa Monica. Her father (“Yeoman”) was of English descent, her mother (“Gano” or “Genaux”) of French ancestry and possibly Jewish. Al was Chumash and Esselen, his mother from the Santa Barbara/Santa Ynez Mission <strong>Indians</strong>, his father from the Carmel Mission <strong>Indians</strong>. Midgie was fair-skinned, blackhaired, and blue-eyed. Al was so dark his gang nickname was “Blackie.” His skin was decorated with various homemade gang and Navy tattoos, along with the name of his first wife. Soon “Miche,” his nickname for my mother, would join that collection. My mother was still trying to recover from the aftermath of her first, disastrous marriage, which had included the birth of three children and the wrenching, accidental death of one of them. But Miche still had a dancer’s body: 5’2”, one hundred pounds, able to dance tango and flamenco in high
Page 4 and 5: © 2013 by Deborah A. Miranda All r
Page 6 and 7: P.O. Box 9145, Berkeley, CA 94709 (
Page 8 and 9: Table of Contents Title Page Copyri
Page 10 and 11: Chairwoman, Ohlone/Costanoan-Essele
Page 12 and 13: DeAnna Rivera, Wendy Teeters, Kimbe
Page 16 and 17: heels and tight dresses. She’d tr
Page 18 and 19: Theirs was the kind of desire that
Page 20 and 21: ut who are we, when we have survive
Page 22: the way Tonto spoke if you wanted t
Page 25 and 26: as a truth. As a whole. Even if the
Page 27 and 28: South while simultaneously requirin
Page 29 and 30: those giant dioramas behind glass),
Page 31 and 32: video project must have been a lot
Page 33 and 34: where voices can speak after long a
Page 35 and 36: Los Pájaros based on writings by J
Page 37 and 38: ut the women were caught with Spani
Page 39 and 40: When arrows were raining everywhere
Page 41 and 42: Deby Miranda, fourth grade picture
Page 43 and 44: Tell them to dig a big round basin
Page 45 and 46: Mission San Miguel campanario, circ
Page 47 and 48: lusty songs out beyond the padres
Page 49 and 50: Discipline Due to their animal-like
Page 51 and 52: customs.” Luckily, the Spaniards
Page 53 and 54: Also known in Spanish as azotes (st
Page 55: striking force. The whips might be
Page 58 and 59: Wooden club used to strike quickly;
Page 60 and 61: tuned-up souls. These reconditioned
Page 62 and 63: grandchildren, was never legally an
Page 64 and 65:
Padre Figure 11. Franciscan mission
Page 66 and 67:
we were his beloved and abused floc
Page 69:
Dear Vicenta
Page 72 and 73:
Well, I shouldn’t complain. Those
Page 74 and 75:
Vicenta, I keep thinking of how you
Page 76 and 77:
Mission to the chapel in Monterey,
Page 78 and 79:
Not conquered. Nimasianexelpasaleki
Page 80 and 81:
Meadows knew she was a valuable res
Page 82 and 83:
sacred, and we have a right to spea
Page 84 and 85:
Isabel Mar. [19]37 understands “j
Page 86 and 87:
amongst the men, passed as just men
Page 88 and 89:
seek every kind of way to feed them
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his plump arm, swung him around acr
Page 92 and 93:
Bridges: Secularization Post- 1836-
Page 94 and 95:
Wear their heavy aprons, high-necke
Page 96 and 97:
Ularia’s Curse “Pero la maldici
Page 98 and 99:
“Will you miss us, River?” she
Page 100 and 101:
and Santa Clara, and as editor of t
Page 102 and 103:
From The Argonauts of ’Forty-nine
Page 104 and 105:
or near the goldfields in ’49, sh
Page 106 and 107:
In 1857 the California State Legisl
Page 108 and 109:
So when I see this woman’s image,
Page 110 and 111:
Exorbitant amounts of money are mad
Page 112 and 113:
Ms. Hawthorne shared that this phot
Page 114 and 115:
have so many questions. What kind o
Page 116 and 117:
as humiliating and opprobrious. It
Page 118 and 119:
face. Oh let black smoke rise above
Page 120 and 121:
ecognizable. Old News 1. It is diff
Page 122 and 123:
with great desperation. 2. Sacramen
Page 124 and 125:
3. San Francisco Bulletin, January
Page 126 and 127:
killed one Indian, wounded several
Page 128 and 129:
Jacinta’s Medicine Jacinta Gonzal
Page 130 and 131:
They pierce the body like knives, l
Page 132 and 133:
including my great-grandfather Tom
Page 134 and 135:
If there was a connection to the mi
Page 136 and 137:
in Monterey, was working to raise i
Page 138 and 139:
Fr. Casanova’s Mass at Carmel, 18
Page 140 and 141:
Mission register, baptism of Tomás
Page 142 and 143:
María Inés García, probably on h
Page 144 and 145:
Tomás Santos Miranda died in 1943.
Page 146 and 147:
clearly were meant to keep rabbits
Page 148 and 149:
a cookout. It reminds me of how my
Page 150 and 151:
to turn tail and run for the hills.
Page 152 and 153:
His hands—or rather, the one hand
Page 154 and 155:
In 1877 it had been 107 years since
Page 156 and 157:
through the infinite varieties of C
Page 158 and 159:
yet still have an identity and comm
Page 160 and 161:
Jr., circa 1981 I want Tom’s voic
Page 162 and 163:
Also beneath the surface of this st
Page 164 and 165:
a hell of a—he said, “I’m goi
Page 166 and 167:
and of course, since he was old, hi
Page 168 and 169:
stealing horses, drinking, and caro
Page 170 and 171:
José Robles, circa 1879 Recently,
Page 172 and 173:
would clear up and the air was clea
Page 174 and 175:
“Well then, I can’t tell you ve
Page 176 and 177:
two. I took my first drink when I l
Page 178 and 179:
He Told Me, “Have You Ever Been i
Page 180 and 181:
He says, “How high do you want to
Page 182 and 183:
play cards all the time, but I didn
Page 184 and 185:
I says, “You’re Slavonian, aren
Page 186 and 187:
One morning George came up to the h
Page 188 and 189:
I thought, “All these bastards ha
Page 190 and 191:
The government can do some funny th
Page 192 and 193:
never heard anything, Dad. They had
Page 194 and 195:
out behind the church instead of as
Page 196 and 197:
flogging in silence; oh renowned Yo
Page 198 and 199:
dark civilization we endure. Teach
Page 200 and 201:
though. I have arranged to talk to
Page 202 and 203:
gangrene of the leg. I immediately
Page 204 and 205:
ecord. 3. The ulcer on Juan’s leg
Page 207 and 208:
John Peabody Harrington, April 29,
Page 209 and 210:
Teheyapami Home Achiska: 1961-Prese
Page 211 and 212:
luminous in the dark air, she is hu
Page 213 and 214:
to me for that easy solution. My fa
Page 215 and 216:
My lips are pressed so tightly toge
Page 217 and 218:
But Buddy kisses my mama in a way t
Page 219 and 220:
earth, bruised. And after my family
Page 221 and 222:
What if it doesn’t kill him, what
Page 223 and 224:
unwrapped, coming loose, unleashed
Page 225 and 226:
kitchen knife—from my house, ride
Page 227 and 228:
cost, but doesn’t transform. I fi
Page 229 and 230:
want, though. Innocence; the almost
Page 231 and 232:
calluses formed on my fingers from
Page 233 and 234:
safe in Mommer’s kitchen. The pin
Page 235 and 236:
In that cusp of time on the mountai
Page 237 and 238:
disappearance at every turn. If I
Page 239 and 240:
I am of the seventh generation sinc
Page 241 and 242:
Eventually the woman who gave birth
Page 243 and 244:
stalks were watered generously each
Page 245 and 246:
around the gopher traps she’d wat
Page 247 and 248:
asked, pointing to two girls runnin
Page 249 and 250:
about the girl without a mother, th
Page 251 and 252:
oom several times in an hour to wra
Page 253 and 254:
After a second he asks, “Is this
Page 255 and 256:
times” without success. I know he
Page 257 and 258:
walked the woods and pastures toget
Page 259 and 260:
ear-view mirror as he saw that conc
Page 261 and 262:
where it floated around for decades
Page 263 and 264:
of arms and legs, mind and humor, h
Page 265 and 266:
design together, complement the sha
Page 267 and 268:
uried their subversive tongues. Now
Page 269 and 270:
I try to write all this down, but w
Page 271 and 272:
And he saith unto them, Follow me,
Page 273 and 274:
to apply that first year. After all
Page 275 and 276:
of Life does not—cannot—teach C
Page 277 and 278:
ut not over here, and secret techni
Page 279 and 280:
Breath of Life tribe, located in th
Page 281 and 282:
never occurred to any of us that Da
Page 283 and 284:
want to use, the work of language r
Page 285 and 286:
Mantuxite, mantuxite, It is true, i
Page 287 and 288:
tourists, carry our ancestors out t
Page 289 and 290:
Do you remember us? Do we look like
Page 291 and 292:
of lumber, my father made bunk beds
Page 293 and 294:
My father was pleased when I progre
Page 295 and 296:
My father liked to cook. He was ver
Page 297 and 298:
Sitting down to eat a meal cooked a
Page 299 and 300:
steady carpentry jobs right from th
Page 301 and 302:
uneven circles, slung them one by o
Page 303 and 304:
lack coffee that he’ll let himsel
Page 305 and 306:
My father, however, had one piece o
Page 307 and 308:
Power: Al Miranda Jr. and Deborah M
Page 309 and 310:
undemanding, gentle if withdrawn. B
Page 311 and 312:
tolerate bed-wetting, for example,
Page 313 and 314:
I remember Little Al trying to cove
Page 315 and 316:
I knelt down and pulled the soaking
Page 317 and 318:
kept moving. It was the drinking, i
Page 319 and 320:
“Is Al Miranda there? Midge Miran
Page 321 and 322:
Alcohol worked on him like an evil
Page 323 and 324:
even changed her surname to Ramirez
Page 325 and 326:
eucalyptus trees, dust, and sweat.
Page 327 and 328:
leather belt from his waist, doubli
Page 329 and 330:
That was the first time I really un
Page 331 and 332:
very end, our father was alone. Al
Page 333 and 334:
one, take a breath, swim to the nex
Page 335 and 336:
I need a song with guts. I need a s
Page 337 and 338:
“I have substantial evidence that
Page 339 and 340:
pair of socks in Southern Californi
Page 341 and 342:
green suitcase up and over curbs an
Page 343 and 344:
are, hairy skin gaped. Ay! Well, ha
Page 345 and 346:
He risked a quick glance up at her
Page 347 and 348:
Just as he straightened fully, suit
Page 349 and 350:
confused but very happy mojo. He st
Page 351 and 352:
ought a bag of cookies from the Hos
Page 353 and 354:
(see the sample report to learn the
Page 355 and 356:
Mission Project Worksheet Name ____
Page 357 and 358:
Please, parents, try to refrain fro
Page 359 and 360:
Dear 4th Grade Students and Parents
Page 361 and 362:
fun and I can’t wait to see what
Page 363 and 364:
World” “Art and literature and
Page 365 and 366:
drawn toward a mysterious light whi
Page 367 and 368:
landmark is Pico Blanco or Mt. Diab
Page 369 and 370:
constructions that surrounded it, t
Page 371 and 372:
Places of power are not tread on li
Page 373 and 374:
stocks, flogging, whatever the padr
Page 375 and 376:
Hand-drawn map of El Potrero, as it
Page 377 and 378:
In 1852, seven years after Fructuos
Page 379 and 380:
died unexpectedly in 1893, at the a
Page 381 and 382:
years were ended with drunkenness.
Page 383 and 384:
Perhaps it seems strange to others,
Page 385 and 386:
uglier alternative, suggested some
Page 387 and 388:
looked at us, but it didn’t come
Page 389 and 390:
(probably six feet tall at the most
Page 391 and 392:
foot—pale cream, clean, nothing g
Page 393 and 394:
from.” These are stories worth fo
Page 395 and 396:
dandy; Al Miranda, Keta Miranda, an
Page 397 and 398:
Smithsonian Institution, 1907-1957,
Page 399 and 400:
most missions had two priests worki
Page 401:
and Carmel: Eden by the Sea (Guilfo
Page 407 and 408:
About the Author Deborah A. Miranda
Page 409 and 410:
About Heyday Heyday is an independe
Page 411 and 412:
Alice Guild; Walter & Elise Haas Fu
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Bad Indians: A Tribal Memoir

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