Locate and read “Ishi: The last of His People” by David R. Collins and Kristen B

Question

Locate and read “Ishi: The last of His People” by David R. Collins and Kristen Bergren.

After reading the article, answer the following questions: What events led to Ishi being the last survivor of his entire tribe? What adjustments did Ishi need to make in order to live in a twentieth-century California city? Why were researchers so interested in learning and writing down his language? What valuable information other than language did Ishi provide for researchers that they would not have otherwise been able to obtain? How does Ishi’s story refute Commissioner of Indian Affairs Dillon Myer’s statement that “Indians possessed no ‘legitimate culture’ of their own?” (First Americans, 524)

Explanation / Answer

Ishi was affiliated with the Yana people who formed the Yahi tribe. A sequence of events tookplace starting with the arrival of European settlers in California who destroyed the land the Yanapeople occupied by allowing cattle to roam the land and gold mining which led to the destructionof rivers and streams. Yahi tribe members were massacred by settlers during the time of the GoldRush leading Yana people to flee into the hills in order to escape settlers and their surpriseattacks on the tribe in order to acquire fast fortunes. Once the tribe fled into the hills for survivalthe number of tribe members started to dwindle rapidly. Ishi, starving and lonely remained inhiding in the hills and caves for 40 years before he emerged, only to be taken into custody by theSheriff where he would be released to intrigued professors.After emerging Ishi, needed to make numerous adjustments in order to effectively adapt intothe twentieth century California city. Ishi, was not assimilated into mainstream America likemany other Native Americans. He would need to learn the English language, how to read andwrite, and gain a full understanding of new norms that were adhered too in mainstream America

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