Dear Diary:

I have lived at this mission for over a year now and now I will record when I first came to this mission which is mission Santa Ines. I am not writing in Spanish because I do not want to and the Spanish are a horrible, horrible people. I am also not writing in my language because the padres won't let me. My mother taught me back home how to read and write English. So I can write whatever I want without the padres being able to read it. Then after I learned she told me, "Only use this for special needs." And so I am. But now I will begin my tale.

My name is Golden Sun. It is a very wonderful and respected name to get. Because the sun is important for us to eat, and my father told me I am as important to the tribe as the sun is to the earth. I am a Native Chumash princess. I have vivid emerald eyes but I do not know why, and strait golden brown hair.

My story actually begins when the corn planting time was just finishing. The sun was bright but not fierce with heat and there was a gentle breeze blowing the emerald corn stalks. I began filling my basket with corn when my father came outside. My father is a tall man usually wears deerskins, but not today. He was just wearing a simple traveler's outfit made of cloth. He never wore it unless something was going to happen. Then I heard him say, "Welcome, welcome, tell me more about this...." I did not hear anymore because I began to feel a big knot in my stomach grow and grow I new something was going to happen but what?

Then I realized he was talking to a man. Maybe something wasn't wrong, and he was just a friend. He wore long clothing down to his toes and they were white, maybe they were deerskins smeared with white chalk. He held a book and a cross. I wondered what the book was about. Then they talked and talked and then my father got a gift and a book. Then he bowed and left. Then I knew he was not a friend or anyone I knew at least. I do not know what they said because they began to talk in a different language. Then my father said very calmly, we are going to a Mission."

"Why?" I asked, I was very confused.

"Because these new people speak words of kindness, give us gifts, and offer us a better way of life, and besides I am sure if we don't like it we can go back home" He said. And for the first time in many years my father was wrong and what it did to us all, and mostly him.

We traveled one day on foot and we were walking I thought I was so stupid, I should have asked what a mission was. Now I would not know what to expect. When we entered what I now know as a church my brother was running and slammed into and I dropped to my knees squeezed my hands together and lowered my head so no one could see me cry. The people who I know now as padres looked flabbergasted. I wondered why they did. Then they motioned everyone to do the same. Then they did this thing to us one by one, which is called baptizing. Then he read a long thing from a book, which meant nothing to me. Then we each got a little thing called a wafer. As we all got up to go to breakfast I thought the so far the Spanish people had a weird way of life and I hoped my father was right about being able to go home.

Then we went to get some breakfast. I got a mug, bowl, and spoon. I lined up to get my atole and hot chocolate. The atole was bland and sticky. When I ate it oozed down my throat, as I ate it I felt sick. The hot chocolate on the other hand was delicious and helped to wash the atole down.

Then we went to see how work was to be done and what we were to do. In the blazing heat men mixed water, mud, and hay to make adobe bricks with their feet. They looked very tired and I overheard one of them say, "After one year here I feel like an old, old man, I think I will dig my grave and die right now."

"Your telling me." Said another man," I wanted to leave the mission the first day I came, and my friend tried to runway and the soldiers brought him back and whipped the living daylights out of him." As I walked away I was very scared if I tried to go home would I be whipped? So I tried not to think about it and just hoped my job wasn't to make adobe bricks.

Then the Spanish people took me to granary were I met my first new friend, and who is now my best friend. Her name is Singing Bird. She showed me how to grind corn and make tortillas and grind wheat for atole. She came here a year ago but is still the same age as me. She is a very good cook and I hope some day I will be as good as her.

I was very tired when we were done and Singing Bird noticed and handed me from her dress pocket a piece of chocolate, and said, "You will get used to it."

Then she took me to were I would work most of the time, a candle making workshops. She gave me instructions on how to make them and a little paper, it said:

How to make candles

1.Fist heat tallow (fat from animals boiled)

2.Then tie pieces of string on a wheel above a kettle on a fire.

3.Then pour tallow on each string and let it cool.

4. Then do the same until each candle was the size.

 

I have learned my job is important so we can light up the gloomy mission.

Then we went to lunch it was atole again except this time there was vegetables and meat added, I liked it a lot better than when it was plain. Then we took a nap for two hours.

Then I went back to work and worked with the cattle. Then a boy brought me a jar of water with some vinegar and honey added it tasted very good. Then we ate dinner it was plain atole and prayed in church. Then we got the rest of the day off. As I lay in bed I wonder what the next day would bring, although I already sort of had an idea. Tomorrow I will learn the Spanish language. Missions are run by bells I thought, this is how they work.

Bells ring when it's time to wake up!

Bells ring to go to church!

Bells ring to go to breakfast!

Bells ring to go to jobs!

Bells ring to go to lunch!

Bells ring to go to naps!

Bells ring to go back to jobs!

Bells ring to go to dinner!

And bells ring for more church.

Then after I thought about this I fell asleep.

And now one year later I am in bed, now how much my life has changed, and I know one day no one can stop me from going back home with my family and being the Indian I was always meant to be. But for now I will just go to sleep.

 

Good night Diary,

The End

by Julianne

Dear Diary,

Today was a very hard and busy day. I was awoken by the beautiful bells that ring every morning. My mom was working in the kitchen making porridge for breakfast. After I got dressed I went to church and prayed for my family, friends, animals, and my life. The church is beautiful. It has three stained glass windows on each side and red and white candles light up the whole church. There are 20 rows to sit in. In the back of the church there is a picture of Jesus. When service was over I hurried to the kitchen to eat breakfast. As I entered, I smelled something that smelled just wonderful. I ran up to my mom and said "good morning". My mom filled up my bowl with hot steaming porridge . I went to go sit at one of the tables that was near the large stained glass window. Boy, the porridge was delicious!

Again the bells rang to tell everybody that breakfast was over and it was time to start working. I usually work out in the fields planting crops with some of my friends. The field looks gorgeous with all the crops growing everywhere. Sometimes the fields get very muddy with all the rain so it is very hard to walk in the fields. My hands hurt so much from all the digging and planting. Most of my friends complain because of all the work we do. I truly think that working in the field is great!

Ding! Dong! Ding! Dong! Wow, time has gone by fast, it's already dinner time. I ran to go see what was for dinner. My mom cooked porridge again but it tasted better then the type we had for breakfast. I love my mom's cooking! Soon dinner was over and it was time for a siesta. During this time, everyone rests. Most of the Natives rest and others talk to each other.

By Louisa