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Work, Community, and Memory on California's Round Valley Reservation, 1850–1941

Rudyard Kipling

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Published in We Were All Like Migrant Workers Here: Work Community And Memory On California S Round Valley Reservation 1850 1941

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The Round Valley Reservation was established in California in 1856 as a home for several tribes of Native Americans who had been displaced from their traditional lands. The reservation was a place of great change and upheaval for its inhabitants, as they struggled to adapt to a new way of life and to preserve their cultural traditions.

We Were All Like Migrant Workers Here: Work, Community, and Memory on California's Round Valley Reservation, 1850-1941

by William J. Bauer Jr.

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Language	:	English
File size	:	1882 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	304 pages

One of the most important aspects of life on the Round Valley Reservation was work. The reservation was a place of subsistence farming and ranching, and the people who lived there relied on their ability to grow food and raise animals to survive. In addition to working on their own farms and ranches, many people also worked for wages off the reservation. They worked as laborers on ranches and farms, as loggers, and in other industries. These jobs provided a much-needed source of income for the people of the reservation, but they also took them away from their homes and families.

In addition to work, community was also a very important part of life on the Round Valley Reservation. The people who lived there came from different tribes and spoke different languages, but they shared a common history and culture. They relied on each other for support and assistance, and they developed a strong sense of community. This sense of community was expressed in many ways, including through shared rituals and ceremonies, cooperative work projects, and social gatherings.

Memory also played a significant role in life on the Round Valley Reservation. The people who lived there were displaced from their traditional lands, and they often longed for the past. They remembered the time when they were free to live on their own land and follow their own way of life, and they passed these memories down to their children and grandchildren. Memories of the past helped to shape the identity of the people of the Round Valley Reservation, and they provided a source of hope for the future.

The history of the Round Valley Reservation is a complex and often painful one, but it is also a story of resilience and hope. The people who lived there were able to survive and thrive in a new and challenging environment, and they created a strong community that endured for generations. The Round Valley Reservation is a testament to the power of community, memory, and the human spirit.