The Mission Indian Federation

Terence Robert Przeklasa, Jr.
History
UC Riverside

I researched and digitized records held at the National Archives in San Francisco. This repository holds Bureau of Indian Affairs records for Southern California from the 1948-82. These holdings will inform my dissertation on the Mission Indian Federation.

The Federation was a uniquely conservative organization that fought for Indian rights in Southern California Indian Country. My study realigns the historic understanding of California Indians politics, as they are often turned into icons of liberalism. I argue that the MIF was conservative as they fought to maintain traditional governance on reservations through alliances with local Republican politicians. Federationists themselves red-baited government officials, supported Right-wing candidates, and promoted fiscal responsibility and limited government. This conservative inclination not only brought about unfortunate contacts with the far right in the 1930s, but also made the Federation one of the most influential forces in post-war federal Indian policy.