Introduction
The Journal of Jean François De La Pérouse is an article that recounts general events associated with1786 French expedition to Monterey, California. Jean François De La Pérouse recorded information on Spanish encounter with region’s peoples, cultures, animals, and plant life.
Natives of Monterey bay found themselves lonely island since they were cut off from even the most essential supplies and information (La Pérouse et al. 4-5). Despite these, European countries such as Spain developed interest on the land.
There was dire need for help within Spain’s northernmost outposts and at the same time lack of settlements worsened the situation. However, the French delegation to the region seemed more advanced in terms of knowledge and technology compared to their Spaniard counterparts.
Accessibility to Monterey bay through sea or land was one of the most difficult tasks. This article discusses the main factors that were responsible for Spain’s weakness in California. Some of these factors include; culture, language barrier and poverty.
Thesis Statement: “California was an isolated land with unique natives having unique traditional practices”
Culture
Culture comprises of people’s traditional values and practices hence forms a very important aspect of every community. Indian culture was marred with complexities which could best be described as primitive. Monks and soldiers of Spanish origin had village life which was quite different from that of the Europeans civilization.
The kind of behaviours that the monks demanded of their new subjects was beyond expectations. Amongst these rules included chastity amongst unmarried, long hours of prayers as well as high level of obedience towards authority.
Soldiers and monks present in the Island forced Indians to abandon every of their tradition for the purposes of adapting to the European lifestyle within shortest period possible. These rules were instituted through monastery which happened to be an institution optional to Europeans themselves.
According to the journal, Spain’s efforts within California were believed to have produced many frustrations on the side of monks as well as dire condition of misery for Indians. The situation was best described as complete disaster (La Pérouse et al. 14-15).
While Europeans needed to undergo several processes for their crops to be ready, Indians seem to gather acorns from oak trees revealing that they depended more on what nature offered.
Such culture required no skill or advanced effort for Indians, their way of doing things involved lots of simplicity and also entailed levels of religious and social complexity. The societies of Indians were based on highly evolved network of economic and spiritual relationships (La Pérouse et al. 25).
The Spaniards could not adapt to the material culture of Indians, they failed in grasping the level of skill and degree to which Indians conducted their social life. The Indian government and religious beliefs within Monterey Bay differed greatly from that of European forms.
The structure of governance practiced by the Indians did not rhyme with that of European origin including composition within institutional structures. Spaniards arrived with the assumption that Indians in Monterey lived under anarchy hence had no formal governance.
At the same time there was assumption that natives had no form of religion since there were no visible buildings presenting sanctuaries or places of worship like temples. In this sense, Spaniards recognized nothing as religion amongst Monterey Bay Indians (La Pérouse et al. 27).
This made them assume that the only true religion was that which Spanish monks brought with them. The situation was worsened by the fact that California was always marred with frequent crop failures, Indian revolts, interpersonal disputes between missionaries and soldiers.
Spain earnestly wavered in its efforts to maintain outposts in California since the posts proved expensive and unrewarding (La Pérouse et al. 17).
Language barrier
One of the common factors characterizing a community is the ability to speak the same language. This section describes various challenges that were posed by lack of common language amongst people in Monterey.
Years before Spaniards landed in Monterey, there were some successive groups of different people who entered Monterey Bay with different cultures. Interactions from such groups followed by long periods of isolation led to creation of complexity in tribe and language within the region.
History reveals that not less than twelve tribes lived within thirty miles of the site referred to as Mission Carmael. There were five different languages spoken within the same area.
This provided Spaniards with lots of headache since they could not imagine the fact that a group as few as eight hundred people proved diverse in language and tribe, making the group impossible to assemble.
The results were that the native population could not fit into the European vocabulary and conceptions hence no form of governance could be formed. There existed complexity from so many dialects and languages present amongst Californian Indians.
Such situation arose from various intermarriages, trade relations, inter-tribal ritual observance as well as other high degree of intercommunication (La Pérouse et al. 22).
Despite the fact that Spaniards were considered superior in various aspects such as skills and resource capabilities, they could not bridge the disparity that existed in languages. This led to weak leadership which at some point failed to grasp entire cultural importance of Indian lifestyle.
This could further be attributed to poor tactics implored in the event of trying to forcefully change the Indians living within Monterey Bay.
At the same time Europe was considered rich in resources which enabled provision of substantial basic needs of which was at first was less treasured by Indians since their lives depended on what nature freely provided.
Spanish monks appeared inferior and ill-equipped to deal with the native religion and language barriers (La Pérouse et al. 37).
Poverty
Poverty is used to describe situation of lack on food produce and other essential basic needs. The Spaniard monks and soldiers grew weak for battle due to lack of enough food supply because California was totally an isolated region in 1786.
The aspect is explained in the article through arrival of two French Ships which led to profound excitement within soldiers’ camps. This is since the two ships carried important supply including plenty of food.
Monterey was situated at the northernmost extension of the Spanish Empire, good distance of 2,000 miles from the colonial centre of Mexico City, which was the reason as to why it couldn’t be easily remembered from the Cathedrals and courts of Europe.
This can be justified from the fact that the arrival of the supply ship was always the great event of the year, it was always accompanied by excitement and celebrations amongst the soldiers and monks since goods arrived in plenty.
However, after the departure of the supply boat, sadness ruled the camp since the return trip would take several months to return.
The Spaniards could have focused on reinforcing colonial objectives and practices as well as scrutinizing public perceptions based on social benefits.
However, the Spaniards at last managed to draw the Indians based on the dazzling nature of Spanish goods such as guns, clothes, European food, and means of transport through horses. Such provisions provided them with better alternative to there daily livelihoods hence seemed wonderful beyond belief.
Conclusion
Spaniards encountered various challenges based on a number of activities they had planned to institute upon Indian natives of Monterey bay. This is since “California was an isolated land with unique natives having unique traditional practices”.
Compositions of their operations relied on a wide range of individual military and religious skills. This was focused towards making various subsidiary governmental institutions within the Indian traditional system.
The operations proved complex at some point since the level of integration between traditional systems amongst the many tribes and the European way could not effectively match.
These weaknesses could only be addressed through implementation of efficient communication links between various institutions and the natives.
Based on efficient management capabilities, each individual institution i.e. military and religious should have conducted their practices with due diligence to ensure minimum rebellion.
Such devolution method could have enabled easy adjustment of individual systems in accordance to the needs and requirements of various tribes within Monterey. However, there was overall investigation on effects of such resistances by various European countries such as France and Britain.
At the same time, detailed determination on whether success was inherent based on various social institutions brought by foreigners or whether it was relative based on the traditional practices of the natives was a question worth an answer.
Works Cited
La Pérouse, Jean-François de Galaup and Malcolm Margolin. “Life in a California Mission: Monterey in 1786.” Journals of Jean François De La Pérouse. 2(1995): 1-60.