Ramona Phail Assis Moreno

Kayla Contreras plays Ramona, 2016

The story of Ramona is told in a novel of the same name first serially published in 1884 by Helen Hunt Jackson. Jackson hoped that her story would dramatize the plight of Native Americans whose lands were being taken from them by Americans. Instead, the success of the novel, which paralleled the arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad in southern California, sparked a tourist boom and an interest in the “wholly generous and wholly free” Mexican ranchero life about which she wrote. Several films were made of the novel and a “Ramona pageant” has run every year in Hemet, California, since 1923.

Ramona was born to a Scottish father and an Indian mother. When her foster mother dies, she grows up on the Moreno ranch, the ward of a woman who does not like her and disdains her mixed parentage. Senora Moreno’s son Filipe, however, loves Ramona like a sister.  The story begins when Ramona is 19 and a band of Native American sheep shearers comes from Temecula, headed by Alessandro. Felipe is not well during the shearing and Alessandro sings and plays his violin, which soothes Felipe. Alessandro is asked to stay on when the shearing is finished, which makes him happy as he has fallen in love with Ramona. Alessandro brings Felipe out into the air, where he begins to recover.

Ramona and Alessandro meet and confess their love for each other, but Senora Moreno finds them. She is outraged and locks Ramona in her room. Felipe tells Alessandro to leave until her anger blows over. When Senora Moreno tells Ramona she will not permit her to marry an Indian, Ramona says, “The whole world cannot keep me from marrying Alessandro.” At last Senora Moreno tells Ramona about her birth mother and shows her the jewels which were given to Ramona. Ramona keeps the scarf in which the pearls are wrapped, but assumes the rest will be given to the church.

Alessandro does not come when he is expected, but after many days Ramona senses he is near. She goes to meet him. He is a wasted shadow of himself. The people of his village have been driven out, his father has died and his flocks and cattle taken. Ramona begs him to take her with him anyway. They steal away in the night, planning to get married and then go to San Pasquale where a cousin of Alessandro lives. There Alessandro finds that his father had sent some of their animals, so he is still well off. He worries whether Ramona can live in an Indian village. Ramona is happy, making their home in a small adobe with a verandah. She has a baby girl with blue eyes. She is saddened to hear that her friend Father Salvierderra has died. She had hoped to have his blessing.

Once again, however, they find that San Pasquale has become the property of the U.S. government. The lands can be filed on and homesteaded. When a man arrives with lumber to build a house, Alessandro sells everything. “Where will we go?” asks Ramona. “I know not,” says Alessandro. “Somewhere the Americans do not want.” They set off toward the San Jacinto mountains.

Back on the Moreno ranch, everyone misses Ramona. Felipe searches, but an Indian who knew them misdirects him. When he returns he finds his mother is dying. Before she does, she directs Felipe toward the hiding place of the jewels and the letter written about them. Felipe is ashamed. He vows to find Ramona if she is still alive.

Alessandro and Ramona suffer privations and finally settle in another small village, making another home. But Ramona does not feel safe and the baby sickens. They try to take it to San Bernardino, but the baby dies on the way. They go into the mountains, far from people. Alessandro builds another house. They are happy for a while, Ramona becomes pregnant again, but Alessandro broods, repressing his feelings to the point he begins to go mad. At times he has delusions. Ramona hopes the priests can help him, but one day he rides in on an unknown horse. Soon a gunman follows. Insisting that Alessandro has stolen the horse, he shoots him. Ramona sets off with the baby on a day’s journey to the next village.

Meanwhile, Felipe has been searching all over California. He finds the horses, which had been given to a young man from Tennessee who helped them. Then comes the news of Alessandro’s death. Felipe and Aunt Ree find Ramona lying ill in the village, but Aunt Ree knows herbs which will save her. When she grows better, Felipe takes Ramona and her baby, also called Ramona, home to the Moreno ranch.

Ramona wrestles with her bereavement, remembering her duty to be joyful, as taught by Father Salvierderra. Felipe finds American life intolerable and begins to dream of moving to Mexico. He and Ramona plan a new life in this new world. Felipe finally declares he loves Ramona, who tells him, “Part of me is dead, but I will be your wife, if you think it is right.” The Moreno name is remembered in Mexico City and upon their marriage, Felipe and Ramona have sons and daughters. When Ramona hears doves singing, however, she looks up and remembers Alessandro.

Ramona’s faithfulness to her love and courage in taking up a nomadic existence with its privations is moving. Though written by a white woman, and incurably romantic, the story reflects something of the history of the time when “the Franciscans were dying out” and Hispanics were beginning to cede their lands to Americans as well. Its pervasive effect on the region surprised me, a story I did not know until I moved to southern California myself.