Immediately
after the US takeover in the mid 19th century, the decline of the
indigenous population accelerated. This was evident in a decrease
in population numbers, greater political, economic and social marginalization,
and in the practice of Indian slavery. On most Mondays in the 1850s
and 1860s the Administrator of Rancho Los Amigos auctioned off Indians
who had been imprisoned during the previous week for one week of
servitude. Most Indians were sold to local ranchers who used them
to perform agricultural labor. Typically incarcerated for loitering,
drunkenness, and begging, Indians were sold anywhere from one to
three dollars, one-third of which was to be given to the worker
at the end of the week, if he had performed satisfactorily. This
“wage” was usually paid in the form of liquor, often
leading to a repeated cycle of arrest and forced servitude. |
