Pomo History - A Look At Before and After
This is a gathering of five Pomo men dressed in their traditional ceremonial clothing for the Bird Dance. The man on the far right looks as though he is holding drumsticks and may be the drummer for the Bird Ceremony. The three men in the center are the Pomo Bird Dancers holding rattles and other instruments. The man on the far left is standing proudly with his arms folded across each other.
Soon after colonists began approprating Indigenous lands, Pomo children were forced into being "re-educated" in government run schools. These schools were used to teach Pomo youth European history and values, while severing ties to their own cuture. This allowed the government to further separate them from their own families and history. The government's objective was to bring the Pomo youth into the modern era. Thus assimilating into American culture. The concept behind this was the hope that Indigenous Peoples would change their ways, stop resisting, and allow the U.S. government to do whatever it wanted.