^4 HISTORY OF* PASADE^NA. 



concerned the foreigners only. They looked for no resurrection of the 

 body, but firmly believed in a spiritual existence after death. The souls of 

 wizards were supposed to enter animals — especially bears. — [Hence they 

 would not eat bear meat. — Ed.] And eagles, owls, crows, and porpoises 

 were held sacred. * '* * Each village had its church [worship place], 

 woven of basket-work, and circular in form. This building was sacred ever, 

 yet was consecrated anew whenever used. A similar but unconsecrated 

 building served for rehearsal, and the religious education of youth designed 

 for the priesthood. Only seers and captains, male dancers and female sing- 

 ers (all of whom took part in the service) were permitted to enter the con- 

 secrated church except on funeral occasions, when near relatives of the 

 deceased were also admitted. The services consisted in asking vengeance on 

 enemies, returning thanks for victory, and rehearsing the merits of dead 

 heroes; together with the appropriate dances, songs, and gesticulations." 



MISSION INCIDENTS. 



The original San Gabriel Mission ["Old Mission"] was founded Sep- 

 tember 8th, 1 77 1, The first baptism was that of a child, November 27th ; 

 and the whole number of baptisms during the first two years was only 73. 

 This was deemed poor success ; and in reporting on it Father Junipero Serra 

 attributed it largely to the bad conduct of the soldiers. He complained that 

 " the soldiers refused to work, paid no attention to the orders of their worth- 

 less corporal, drove away the natives by their insolence, and even pursued 

 them to their rancherias [villages], where they lassoed women for their lust 

 and killed such males as dared to interfere." [See Bancroft, Hist. Cal., 

 Vol. I, p. 181.] And Hugo Reid says of these Indians : "Women used by 

 the soldiers were obliged to undergo a long purification ; and for a long 

 time every child born with white blood in its veins was strangled."* They 

 refused to eat any food given them by white men but buried it in the earth. 

 Brown sugar they thought to be the excrement of these new comers ; and 

 cheese they thought was dead men's brains. The padres wanted to convert 

 the Indians to Christianity as they viewed it, while the soldiers wanted to 

 conquer and enslave them. 



Another report at the end of 1773, says : "At San Gabriel the native 

 population is larger than elsewhere — so large in fact that more than one 

 Mission will be needed in that region. [Hence the San Fernando Mission, 

 which was established September 8th, 1797. — Ed.] The difierent rancherias 

 [villages] are unfortunately at war with each other, and that near the Mis- 

 sion [San Gabriel] being prevented from going to the sea for fish, is often in 

 great distress for food.f Here i/ie conduct of the soldiers causes most trouble ; 

 but the natives are rapidly being conciliated." — {Hist. Cal., Vol. /, p. 202.'] 



*It is related that during Friar Zalvidea's incumbency, from iSo6 to 1826, every woman who had the 

 misfortune to have a miscarriage, or bring forth a still-born child, was presumed to have destroyed it 

 on purpose because it had a white man as its father, and she was therefore severely punished for 

 infanticide. Her head was shaved, she was flogged once a day for fifteen days, compelled to wear iron 

 on her feet, and to sit on the altar steps at church every Sunday for three months holding in her arms 

 a hideously painted wooden image of a child. This was " doing penance'' for her sin.— 5^^ Hisl. Los 

 A- Co., p. S3. Le7vis's, iSSg. 



t " The Ahapchingas were a clan or rancheria between Los Angeles and San Juan Capistrano, and 

 enemies of the Gabrielenos or those of San Gabriel."— Ca/. Farmer, May 11, 1860; ciiedin" Native 

 Races," p. 460. 



