In Calaveras County, many Miwok villages were abandoned amid the tragic destruction of a way of life tied closely to nature and the seasons. In one account, while men were away hunting, women and children were by the river pounding acorns and singing when deer and grey squirrels running in panic signaled danger. Strangers then appeared in the water pointing at shiny yellow material and shouting words the people did not understand. A violent attack followed, with women trying to protect their children, some struck with rocks and some killed with a noisy stick, while the wounded Hyapo, or chief, looked skyward and prayed to the Creator as he prepared to fight despite being greatly outnumbered. The attackers showed no mercy to women, children, or the elderly and were driven by gold. The account holds that, had greed not consumed them, the Miwok might have helped them, because Miwok people are presented as caretakers of Mother Earth and keepers of the land. It also dedicates remembrance to Indian people who died, were sold as slaves, were stolen away, were forced into boarding schools, had their hair cut, and were forbidden to speak their own language, honoring those who had to learn an entirely new way of survival and specifically remembering Uncle Dave Jeff as a keeper of the language and keeper of the land.