Where the trails return : cultural influences on Hupa history

The history of the Hupa in northwestern California after the California Gold Rush in\ud 1848 includes many struggles and wars, of which the Treaty of 1864 was a climax. This\ud study uses an ethnohistorical approach to examine how culture guided Hupa responses\ud during this era, and influenced the cause, course, and outcome of events. The cultural\ud themes of the homeland and legal systems of conflict resolution played a key role in\ud Hupa strategies and actions. The Hupa collectively countered the invasion of settlers in\ud their homeland, and engaged in complex power struggles with the United States\ud Government. The focal motivation of Hupa efforts was in ensuring the continued\ud possession of their homeland, which was executed through Hupa systems of law and\ud conflict resolution. The Hupa were successful in their struggle, as the Treaty of 1864\ud established a reservation encompassing a vast amount of aboriginal territory, which has\ud remained a foundation for the Hupa to this day