DOCUMENTARY ON CALIFORNIA NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY

For Immediate Release

Contact:
Kenneth Shoji
Office of Public Affairs
San Manuel Band of Mission Indians
Ph: 909-864-8933
Kshoji@sanmanuel-nsn.gov

KVCR-TV AND SAN MANUEL TO DEBUT DOCUMENTARY ON CALIFORNIA NATIVE AMERICAN HISTORY OF RESISTANCE AND SURVIVAL

Four Part Television Series to Take Viewers through Stories of Struggle and Perseverance as Told by California Indians and Noted Historians

San Bernardino Calif. and San Manuel Reservation (Highland, Calif.) March 24, 2010 – KVCR-TV in partnership with the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians has produced a new four-part documentary series on the history of near extinction that was faced by California Tribal communities following contact with European and American powers. The series will air on KVCR over four consecutive Mondays starting April 5th at 8:00 p.m. Entitled “The People of the Pines, The California Native” the programs are a third installment of documentaries that have expanded from profiling the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians into a broader account of the history shared by the state’s indigenous peoples and communities.
KVCR-TV’s broadcast range extends thought the eastern portion of Los Angeles to Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. Viewers are invited to watch previews for the series and individual episodes by visiting www.peopleofthepines.org
This series which began nearly two years ago is the product of in-depth research, interviews and reenactments providing California Native Americans an opportunity to bring to light those actions and policies that resulted in the decimation of a Native world that has existed since time immemorial.
“It is my wish that viewers will come to understand the factual accounts of what our ancestors went through in history, so that we can be here today to call ourselves the California Indian People and start to move forward in the broader community with mutual understanding and respect for one another, ”said San Manuel Chairman James Ramos.
The series covers a period of time spanning the internment of natives into the Spanish Mission System to the mid 20th Century when native veterans of World War II returned home to find their tribes terminated through a single action of congress.
In order to get these accounts KVCR crew traveled the state of California and beyond to speak to Native Americans who recount the shared history of their communities. This including the Modoc Tribe which was split between Oregon and Oklahoma following a protracted war that resulted in the death of a United States general and a forced removal of half the tribe to what was then Indian Territory (Oklahoma).
Historians and Native Americans cover the chronology of this history as painted upon the backdrop of American and world history. Discussions focus on various manners in which California Indians fought to maintain and remain within their ancestral lands and preserve their ways of life. Broken treaties, major military campaigns, and the heroic actions of native leaders such as Santos Manuel, leader of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, are recounted by their descendents who candidly share the tragedies and triumphs that are part of the shared identity of over 100 tribal communities located in all corners of California.


About the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians
The San Manuel Band of Serrano Mission Indians is a federally recognized American Indian tribe located near the city of Highland, Calif. The Serrano Indians are the indigenous people of the San Bernardino highlands, passes, valleys and mountains who share a common language and culture. The San Manuel reservation was established in 1891 and recognized as a sovereign nation with the right of self-government. Since time immemorial, the San Manuel tribal community has endured change and hardship. Amidst these challenges the tribe continued to maintain its unique form of governance. Like other governments it seeks to provide a better quality of life for its citizens by building infrastructure, maintaining civil services and promoting social, economic and cultural development. Today San Manuel tribal government oversees many governmental units including the departments of fire, public safety, education and environment.