Ishi: Last of His Tribe | Setting

Ishi: Last of His Tribe Setting

The book recounts Ishi's life from the time he is about thirteen in the mid1870s, until his death in 1916. During the California gold rush that started in 1850, the white men invaded the land and dwellings of Ishi's ancestors, the Yahi Native Americans. Although the Yahi had called this area home for over four thousand years, almost all of them were either killed or driven away. When the story begins, Ishi and six other natives are the only survivors known to be living in the traditional ways. As the white men relentlessly track the small family from one hiding place to another, the group diminishes one by one, either by violence, natural causes, or simple disappearance until only Ishi is left. In 1911, after living alone for about three years and barely surviving, Ishi is found, treated kindly, and brought to the Museum of Anthropology of the University of...
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