Native American & Spanish Encounters: Now and Then January 14, 2012

Ken Talken and Corrina Gould are both prominent voices for social justice in the East Bay. Talken is a board member for Peralta Hacienda Historical Park in Oakland, and a Special Education administrator for Contra Costa Unified School District. Corrina Gould is an activist for Native American issues in the Bay Area.

But Ken and Corrina aren't the first in their families to have rubbed shoulders. Their ancestors worked on the same cattle ranch, before California was part of the United States of America.

Ken's great-great-great grandfather was Antonio Peralta, whose family was granted the whole Oakland area as a cattle ranch. Corrina Gould is a descendent of Jose Guzman, an Ohlone laborer on the Peralta rancho.

On Saturday, January 14th, Ken and Corrina will lead a discussion, engaging with one another about what it means to be descended from people who were so at odds with one another.

Ken and Corrina's discussion will be moderated by Professor Vladimir Guerrero, an expert on Native American history in California. Before the conversation, he will introduce a complex history of cultural interaction, as it unfolded in the 18th century.

In Guerrero's 2011 article for the Southern California Quarterly, he profiles Chief Palma of the Quechan people. He describes Palma as a creative and strategic leader, who understood the power of the Spanish empire, and worked to integrate his people into the Spanish colonial system on his own terms.

Guerrero will explore how Native Americans like Chief Palma were integral to the success of Spain's endeavor to colonize California. He will weave a story of the many tribes of California's coast, and their varying experiences interacting with Spanish interlopers.

Join us for an evening of conversation and discovery. Vladimir Guerrero's book The Anza Trail and the Settling of California and glasses of California wine will be sold to benefit educational programs at Peralta Hacienda.

Official Website: http://www.peraltahacienda.org