Remembering the Bear Flag Revolt of 1846: Today's Narratives of Sonoma County's Past by Rudy Alexander Dinarte a Thesis Subm
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Remembering the Bear Flag Revolt of 1846: Today’s Narratives of Sonoma County’s Past by Rudy Alexander Dinarte A thesis submitted to Sonoma State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in Cultural Resources Management Committee Members: Alexis Boutin, Ph.D., Chair Steve Estes, Ph.D. Margaret Purser, Ph.D. December 11, 2020 Copyright 2020 By Rudy Alexander Dinarte ii AUTHORIZATION FOR REPRODUCTION OF MASTER’S THESIS I grant permission for the print or digital reproduction of parts of this thesis without further authorization from me, on the condition that the person or agency requesting reproduction absorb the cost and provide proper acknowledgment of authorship. Permission to reproduce this thesis in its entirety must be obtained from me. Rudy A. Dinarte December 11, 2020 iii ABSTRACT Purpose of the Study: In this thesis, I present a collaborative, community-based approach to a cultural resources management-style project. Typically, consultation is limited to descendant communities, but this collaborative approach includes a more expansive definition of stakeholder. In 2014, two members of the Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery Preservation Committee resumed a quest to locate the burials of two casualties of the Bear Flag Revolt of 1846. While their remains were not found, this project was still able to initiate a larger conversation about how Sonoma County’s shared past is remembered and how archaeologists could approach community involvement in future projects. Procedure: Through oral history interviews and site visits in Sonoma County, I investigated how the Bear Flag Revolt is remembered and how historical narratives of the Revolt have been created. I involved interested community members by seeking out their opinions and knowledge during the interview process. Results: Applying a collaborative approach to the project provided an opportunity to hear directly from the community, with the goal of incorporating their input into the project at all levels and adding to public understanding of the Revolt. In addition to the mutual appreciation between researchers and participants, we discussed how history has been and could be presented in the future. This project also explores how historical narratives and places relate to identity and identity formation. Conclusion: Working with diverse stakeholders aids in building an archaeology that is understood and respected by the community. Taking this approach helps archaeologists fulfill our duties as stewards, by changing how consultation looks, and what sources of information can be incorporated. With an understanding that narratives created in the past have often failed certain groups, such as people of color, women, and other marginalized communities, archaeologists can contribute to a more equitable version of history. iv RESUMEN El objetivo del estudio: En esta tesis, se presenta un enfoque comunitario y colaborativo para un proyecto de gestión de recursos culturales. Típicamente, una consulta se limite a las comunidades descendientes, pero en este enfoque colaborativo se amplía la definición de “interesado.” En 2014, dos miembros del Comité de la Preservación de Cementerios Rurales de Santa Rosa reanudaron la búsqueda para ubicar los lugares de sepultura de dos victimas de la Rebelión de la Bandera del Oso en 1846. Aunque no se encontraron sus restos, pudimos iniciar un debate sobre la manera en que nuestro pasado común se conmemora y cómo los arqueólogos podrían abordar la cuestión de la participación comunitaria en proyectos futuros. Proceso de investigación: Mediante entrevistas de historial oral y visitas a sitios en el condado de Sonoma, se investigó cómo se conmemora la Rebelión de la Bandera del Oso en 1846 y cómo los varios relatos históricos de la Rebelión se han formado. Se involucró a miembros de la comunidad en el estudio, solicitando sus opiniones y conocimientos del evento en el trascurso de las entrevistas. Resultados: El empleo de un enfoque colaborativo me ofreció la ocasión de escuchar directamente de la comunidad, con el objetivo de incorporar sus aportaciones al proyecto y de contribuir a la comprensión de la Rebelión que tiene el público. Además del reconocimiento mutuo entre investigadores y participantes, discutimos cómo la historia ha sido y podría ser presentada en el futuro. Este proyecto explora también la relación entre las narrativas históricas y la identidad y su formación. Conclusión: La colaboración con diversos interesados ayuda a crear una arqueología mejor entendida y respetada por la comunidad. Este enfoque sirve para que los arqueólogos cumplan con sus deberes como guardianas, cambiando la naturaleza de la consulta y qué fuentes de información pueden incorporarse a un estudio. Al darse cuenta de cómo las narrativos construidos por arqueólogos han fallado a personas de color, a mujeres y a otras comunidades marginalizados, se hace evidente cómo los arqueólogos pueden contribuir a una versión más equitativa de la historia. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to sincerely thank my committee members Alexis Boutin, Steve Estes, and Margie Purser for providing me with their valuable instruction, expertise, and guidance throughout my Master’s program and thesis. Special thanks to all the participants that were willing to give their time to be interviewed for this project: Ken Brown, Larry Carrillo, Crawford Cooley, Winston Dutton, Donald Nelson Edwards, Donna Marie Carrillo-Endicott, Adolfo “Patrick” Garcia, Kathleen Guelfi, Gaye LeBaron, Peter Meyerhof, William Montgomery, Nick, Bill Northcroft, Ray Owen, Breck Parkman, and George Webber. While not everyone was quoted directly, you all had a direct influence on the trajectory of this project, and without your input none of this would be possible. Thank you to my classmates in the CRM program for helping make the experience that much more enjoyable. My gratitude to Michael Arrigo, Ph.D., for translating the abstract into Spanish, and Erin Bornemann, Ph.D., for her services as editor. I offer special thanks to my in-laws, Kathy and Skip Santy, whose support made it possible for me to pursue a postgraduate education. I am forever grateful to my mother, Maria Hilaria Membreno, who has always supported and believed in me. I would like to thank my life partner Jenna Santy, whose support, patience and encouragement helped me reach the finish line. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: Introduction 1 Project Scope and History of Involvement 2 Regulatory Frameworks and Relevant Definitions 4 Format of the Thesis 5 Chapter 2: Background 8 Southern Pomo and Coast Miwok 8 Spanish Period (1769–1821) 8 Mexican Period (1821–1846) 9 Euroamerican Explorers 10 The Bear Flag Revolt of 1846 11 Transition to Statehood and Modern Demographics 14 Chapter 3: Review of Relevant Theoretical Frameworks 15 Key Terms: Social Memory and Commemorative Landscapes 16 Social Memory: Exclusion and Cohesion 18 Social Memory: Multiple Narratives and the Imagined Past 23 Social Memory: Landscapes and Stakeholders 27 Community-Based Archaeology 29 Communities, Stakeholders and Other Interested Parties 30 Community-Based Archaeology and Cultural Resource Management: A California Example 33 Archaeologists as Facilitators of the Archaeological Record 36 Summary 38 Chapter 4: Methods of Data Collection and Analysis 40 Archival Research in Sonoma State Library’s Gaye LeBaron Collection 40 Historical Records: Newspapers and Secondary Sources 41 Site Visits 42 Collecting Stories and Sharing Histories 45 Summary 52 Chapter 5: Results 53 Interviews with Non-descendant Stakeholders 53 First Impression of the BFR 60 BFR: How a Narrative is Presented 63 Identity 67 The BFR Commemorative Landscape: History Visited and Surveyed 75 Summary 83 Chapter 6: Discussion 84 Interviewee Involvement 86 First Impressions of the BFR 87 Management Recommendations 91 Chapter 7: Conclusion 100 Appendix A-Institutional Review Board Application 104 Appendix B-Interview Questionnaire 107 vii 1 Chapter 1: Introduction Creating a working relationship with the public can help produce a field in which archaeologists and the community can work towards a common goal. By embodying a collaborative archaeological approach, members of the community can become an active part of the archaeological process. If community outreach and stakeholder consultation are overlooked in an archaeological project such as this one, there is risk in losing the greater significance of archaeology without the support and involvement of the public. This thesis represents a contribution to the consultation component of the project, “Remembering the Bear Flag Revolt of 1846,” referred to hereafter as the RTBFR project, conducted by Dr. Alexis Boutin. The project was spurred by the search for the remains of Thomas Cowie and George Fowler, the only two Euroamerican casualties of the Bear Flag Revolt. The pursuit of the remains of these two men has raised questions not only regarding the way in which these remains will be commemorated, but also on a broader scale of how the Bear Flag Revolt has and will continue to be remembered. By collaborating with the local community, one of the aims of this project was to record an account of the events of the Revolt that incorporated several perspectives. The primary objective of this project was to engage with members of the greater Sonoma County community, and record their stories in order to gain an understanding of how they perceived and remembered the Bear Flag Revolt of 1846 (referred to hereafter as the Revolt and BFR, interchangeably). This project also attempts to gain perspective on the development of ethnic identity in Sonoma County following the Revolt, considering such questions as, what ethnic groups were part of the event, how did they identify themselves at the time and has this changed over time, and how are those ethnic groups represented in present-day commemorations, and further observed in the community? 2 Through oral history interviews and a survey of monuments, I explore ways in which the Revolt is (and is not) commemorated in both public and private spheres. I also investigate what aspects of the Revolt are remembered, and why that may be the case.