07/15/2026
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=122295273812200304&set=a.122173608110200304&type=3&sfnsn=mo&mibextid=VhDh1V
California history looks different when Native people tell it.
A new 10-part docuseries, “People of the West,” centers Indigenous voices in the story of California, from creation histories and first contact to the mission system, the Gold Rush, boarding schools, Alcatraz, and present-day sovereignty.
Created and executive produced by Brad Munoa, Payómkawichum and a member of the Pechanga Band of Indians, the series is a co-production of Pechanga Studios and Boardwalk Pictures. It uses oral storytelling, cinematic dramatization, archival material, and expert testimony to examine how California Native Nations experienced five centuries of colonization, survival, and cultural renewal.
The series features stories and perspectives from Kumeyaay/Ipai, Ohlone, Wintu, Payómkawichum, Miwok, Nisenan, Wailaki, Ahwahneechee, Paiute, Chumash, Yurok, and other Native Nations across the state.
Actor Montana Cypress, Miccosukee, appears in the first episode, “First Contact,” which depicts the recorded 1542 encounter between Spanish explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo and Native peoples along the California coast. Cypress said that cultural advisors were present during filming and that the story was difficult but important to portray.
The final episode, “Future Generations,” includes contemporary survival and renewal stories, including the Augustine Tribe of Coachella Valley. In the 1970s, Chairwoman Mary Ann Martin was the Tribe’s last original language speaker. Her daughter Amanda Vance later reclaimed the reservation after her mother’s death in 2017, helping develop tribal lands that now include Temalpakh, an organic farm known for specialty dates, and a casino.
Munoa said the project grew from seeing his own children taught incomplete versions of California history, including classroom activities about missions and the Gold Rush that left out Native experiences.
The series is aligned with California Ethnic Studies and History-Social Science standards and includes a 155-page curriculum for educators. It will be released to schools first, with a streaming platform still being sought.
Source: ICT
What parts of California Native history do you think need to be taught more widely?