Destroying a Culture in Less Than Ten Years: Colonialism on Steroids

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It is undeniable that contact with whites seriously undermined the family social standards of most Indigenous communities who had the misfortune of having civilization foisted upon them. Problems such as disease, degradation of women, loss of economics, and other factors erupted quite rapidly when colonizers entered an area.  But just how quickly could a society be destroyed by colonialism?
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Writing about a community of Paiute living in Owens Valley, California, in 1859, Captain John Davidson was quite impressed by the serenity of their community, the chastity among the Indians, and the lack of venereal and other diseases amongst the people. However, just 3 and 4 years later when the US Army Fort Independence was built to "protect" the Paiute, the economy and morality of the tribe was almost completely disrupted by the intrusion of the white man and the introduction of their strange and immoral “civilization”.[1]

White soldiers began taking advantage of the Indian women, and the Indian women were forced to offer themselves to the whites for food and protection when their own tribesmen were unable to provide for and defend them. By 1862, rampant prostitution and alcohol had severely damaged the social and familial structure and the local economy collapsed. Acts of rape and forced cohabitation, and resulting half-breed children further decimated the tribe’s community. A working, traditional culture was destroyed in less than a decade.[2]

Shockingly, Fort Independence is a California Historic Landmark for its role in ending Indian "hostilities" in the region, allowing European settlers to expand and take the land from the Paiutes.

REFERENCES
[1] Wilke, P.J. and H.W. Lawton (eds.) (1976). The Expedition of Captain J.W. Davidson from Fort Tejon to the Owens Valley in 1859. Ballena Press, Socorro.
[2] Cook, S.F. (1943). The Conflict Between the California Indian and White Civilization. Ibero-Americana 21-24.