Abstract
This thesis examines the widespread lack of public knowledge in California regarding California Native peoples, particularly the genocide between 1846–1873. It contributes to the historiography of California memory theory by exploring how the state’s history is memorialized and how events such as the Clearlake Massacre are underrepresented or omitted. This thesis analyzes the memorialization work undertaken by the Native Sons of the Golden West and the Native Daughters of the Golden West, focusing on how their plaques and markers underrepresent—or obscure—Native history. Additionally, it analyses California’s public school history curriculum, assessing how prominent textbooks and supplemental materials have addressed evolving standards for teaching California Native history. Together, these investigations reveal how both helped establish the framework for a heroic settler narrative while silencing Indigenous perspectives within California public consciousness.