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sargentodiaz
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18th Century Jesuit California
http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?&id=HN.608048587794877809&...
While doing research on my historical novel about 18th Century California, I came across an amazing book written in the latter part of that century by
a Jesuit priest who had spent 17 years serving in an isolated mission in Baja California.
Observations in Lower California by Johann Jakob Baegert, S.J. Published in 1772 and available online @ http://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft5r29n... is an amazing work giving a first-hand account of what life was like. As an
example he indicates the problem with the language of the people who lived there. In many families the husband spoke one language, the wife another.
He even describes the rocks and plants – or lack of them.
This is an amazing work and is giving me great insight into what my main character, Captain Don Fernando de Rivera has to contend with.
[And I'm certain DavidK already has this in his extensive library]
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David K
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Sample from inside:
Also, from Dawson Bookshop, Series #45:
1772 Map...
[Edited on 9-21-2014 by David K]
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Johannes
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David, is that book available in German? It would be much easier to read.
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David K
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Johannes
David, is that book available in German? It would be much easier to read. |
Baegert was a German Jesuit...
The German title was: 'Nachrichten von der Amerikanischen Halbinsel Californien' published in Mannheim in 1771. Baegert made some corrections and
additions for the second edition, in 1772.
The English translation of Baegert's title is 'Reports from the American Peninsula California'
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David K
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Here is my article on the history of Baegert's mission: http://www.discoverbaja.com/2014/03/21/the-spanish-missions-...
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mtgoat666
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| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Sample from inside:
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Dang alligators!
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David K
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Glad you read it! That was the funny part indeed... Was he seeing things? Were there gators in Baja? What could it have been if not gators?
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El Vergel
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Nomadic
Gator eyeteeth scrapings for an antidote. Interesting.
Here's some beauty described:
Chapter Eight— Of the Character, Nature, and Customs of the Californians
The daily pattern of life of unbaptized California Indians always runs like this. In the evening, when their bellies are filled, they lie down or sit
together, talking until they are tired of it or cannot think of anything more to say. In the morning, they sleep till hunger or the lust for food
makes them get up. As soon as they are awake, they start to eat, if anything edible is around, and immediately the laughing, chatting, and joking is
resumed. After this kind of morning prayer, when the sun is already fairly high, the men reach for their bows and arrows, and the women tie their
yokes or turtle shells around their foreheads. Some go to the
right, others to the left, here six, there four, over there eight or two, or sometimes just one alone. The chattering, laughing, and joking continue
all the way. They watch for a mouse, lizard, snake, hare, or a deer to appear. One of them tears up a yucca or some other root, another cuts off half
a dozen aloe heads. They rest a little, sitting together or lying down in the rare shade if any can be found; all the while their tongues keep
wagging. At length they rise again, play or wrestle to find out who is the strongest man or woman among them and who can throw his opponent to the
ground. Finally they start on their way back or walk for another few hours. At the nearest water place they stop and begin singeing, burning,
roasting, and grinding the food they found during the day. Constantly chattering, they eat as long as something is left and there is still space in
their stomachs. After more childish or indecent prattling, they go to rest again, as they did the night before. In this manner they spend the day,
month, the whole year. Their talks or chatterings are about eating, childish nonsense, and all kinds of mischievous tricks. They still adhere to
almost the same manner of living if they are not or cannot be put to some useful work at the missions, which is in many ways to their advantage.
Who would, under these circumstances, expect to find even a little spark of religion among such people? They discuss the course taken by a wounded
deer that escaped at nightfall, with an arrow in its side, and how they are going to pursue it the next morning, but they never think about the course
of the sun and the other heavenly bodies. They talk about pitahayas long before they are ripe, but never bother to discuss or dream about the origin
and the creator of the pitahayas and all other things. They never take pains to reflect.
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David K
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Thank you Vern. Is that from the online book? Dale 'sargentodiaz' tried to post a link on Facebook, but it didn't work... others did as well... on the
TalkBaja Facebook page.
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LaTijereta
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| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Thank you Vern. Is that from the online book? Dale 'sargentodiaz' tried to post a link on Facebook, but it didn't work... others did as well... on the
TalkBaja Facebook page. |
This got me there.. Copy and paste complete link
http://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft5r29n...
[Edited on 9-22-2014 by LaTijereta]
Democracy is like two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin (1759)
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David K
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| Quote: | Originally posted by LaTijereta
| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Thank you Vern. Is that from the online book? Dale 'sargentodiaz' tried to post a link on Facebook, but it didn't work... others did as well... on the
TalkBaja Facebook page. |
This got me there.. Copy and paste complete link
http://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft5r29n...
[Edited on 9-22-2014 by LaTijereta] |
Thank you Kris... here is your link in clickable format: Observations in Lower California ONLINE
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EngineerMike
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Thanks for the discussion. I just bought the 1952 edition off Amazon. I'll need something to read after long days of shoveling mud.
Director, Mulege Student Scholarship Program
Oasis Rio Baja #M-3, & Auburn, CA
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mtgoat666
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Registered: 9-16-2006
Location: San Diego
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| Quote: | Originally posted by El Vergel
Gator eyeteeth scrapings for an antidote. Interesting.
Here's some beauty described:
Chapter Eight— Of the Character, Nature, and Customs of the Californians
The daily pattern of life of unbaptized California Indians always runs like this. In the evening, when their bellies are filled, they lie down or sit
together, talking until they are tired of it or cannot think of anything more to say. In the morning, they sleep till hunger or the lust for food
makes them get up. As soon as they are awake, they start to eat, if anything edible is around, and immediately the laughing, chatting, and joking is
resumed. After this kind of morning prayer, when the sun is already fairly high, the men reach for their bows and arrows, and the women tie their
yokes or turtle shells around their foreheads. Some go to the
right, others to the left, here six, there four, over there eight or two, or sometimes just one alone. The chattering, laughing, and joking continue
all the way. They watch for a mouse, lizard, snake, hare, or a deer to appear. One of them tears up a yucca or some other root, another cuts off half
a dozen aloe heads. They rest a little, sitting together or lying down in the rare shade if any can be found; all the while their tongues keep
wagging. At length they rise again, play or wrestle to find out who is the strongest man or woman among them and who can throw his opponent to the
ground. Finally they start on their way back or walk for another few hours. At the nearest water place they stop and begin singeing, burning,
roasting, and grinding the food they found during the day. Constantly chattering, they eat as long as something is left and there is still space in
their stomachs. After more childish or indecent prattling, they go to rest again, as they did the night before. In this manner they spend the day,
month, the whole year. Their talks or chatterings are about eating, childish nonsense, and all kinds of mischievous tricks. They still adhere to
almost the same manner of living if they are not or cannot be put to some useful work at the missions, which is in many ways to their advantage.
Who would, under these circumstances, expect to find even a little spark of religion among such people? They discuss the course taken by a wounded
deer that escaped at nightfall, with an arrow in its side, and how they are going to pursue it the next morning, but they never think about the course
of the sun and the other heavenly bodies. They talk about pitahayas long before they are ripe, but never bother to discuss or dream about the origin
and the creator of the pitahayas and all other things. They never take pains to reflect. |
Replace hunting/gathering with fishing and it sounds like a description of life in some of the gringo expat enclaves 
And nothing wrong with that!
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sargentodiaz
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The things written about the Indians in this book are almost too much to believe.
Example - men and women often spoke different types of the same language.
Women simply squatted where they were to have babies, dropping them on the bare earth. After removing the afterbirth and tossing it for scavengers to
eat, they'd get up and go find something for themselves to eat often being gone for an hour or more to suckle the child.
Only about 1 out of 10 children survived birth.
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BajaBreak
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| Quote: | Originally posted by sargentodiaz
Example - men and women often spoke different types of the same language. |
Some things will just never change!
[Edited on 9-23-2014 by BajaBreak]
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El Vergel
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Example - men and women often spoke different types of the same language.
Venus + Mars = ?
Look what is written by whom.
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elbeau
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| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Glad you read it! That was the funny part indeed... Was he seeing things? Were there gators in Baja? What could it have been if not gators?
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I need to go find a book I read last year that quoted letters from Baegert. In it I found that description of alligators but it clearly referenced
places he saw in his travels before he got to Baja. It looks to me like he copied his own letter into this book and assumed that the gators that he
saw must be in the peninsula too. I'll repost if I find the reference for it again.
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gnukid
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The hurricane revealed a skeleton of a Guaycura on Magote La Paz found by tourists and a guide in kayaks.
http://www.bcsnoticias.mx/encuentran-la-osamenta-de-un-indig...
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David K
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Location: San Diego County
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That photo sure shows some quick action by archaeologists!
Thanks!
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sargentodiaz
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Location: Las Vegas, NV
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| Quote: | Originally posted by elbeau
| Quote: | Originally posted by David K
Glad you read it! That was the funny part indeed... Was he seeing things? Were there gators in Baja? What could it have been if not gators?
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I need to go find a book I read last year that quoted letters from Baegert. In it I found that description of alligators but it clearly referenced
places he saw in his travels before he got to Baja. It looks to me like he copied his own letter into this book and assumed that the gators that he
saw must be in the peninsula too. I'll repost if I find the reference for it again. |
I saw that too and it blew me away. I have absolutely no idea what he was talking about!
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