Why have some historians described the treatment of Indigenous Californians during colonization as genocidal?

Historians and scholars have described the treatment of Indigenous Californians during colonization as genocidal due to the catastrophic collapse of the Native population and the systematic violence enacted against them by colonial powers and settlers.12

This population collapse was driven by several factors:

• Mission System: Beginning in 1769, Spanish missionaries and soldiers forcibly relocated Indigenous people to missions, where they were subjected to forced labor, cultural suppression, and physical and sexual abuse.13
• State-Sanctioned Violence: Following the 1848 gold rush, the influx of Euro-American settlers led to further devastation. In 1850, the California legislature legalized the de facto enslavement of Indigenous people by allowing them to be declared "vagrants" and bound by indenture.2
• State-Funded Expeditions: Between 1851 and 1857, the state government authorized approximately $1.5 million to reimburse private individuals for expeditions to quell "hostilities." These were frequently little more than slave raids and shooting sprees targeting peaceful Indigenous settlements.2

As a result of these combined pressures, the Indigenous population plummeted from a precontact high of approximately 275,000 to roughly 15,000 by the late 19th century.12