Pahma Tribal Newsletter (spring, 2009)

Tribal Newsletter Vol. 2: Spring, 2009

Letter from the Interim Director Dear Tribal Chairperson: I believe that we are well underway with our new paths toward repatriation and improved tribal relations, as I outlined in my letter in the previous issue of this newsletter. The new Repatriation Committee has met several times under the leadership of Philip Frickey, Professor of Law. There are quite a few repatriation discussions and requests underway, and we continually look for ways to make the process more efficient and effective. One way will be the Repatriation Video, which is described elsewhere in this issue. The new Chancellor’s Native American Advisory Council held its first meeting on March 19th. Members are Joseph Myers (Pomo; Chair), Brian Wallace (Washoe; Vice Chair), Larry Myers (Pomo), Joely De La Torre Proudfit (Luiseño), Cynthia Gomez (Yokut), Karen Biestman (Cherokee) and Patty Dixon (Luiseño). Issues discussed were the mission and role of the Council, ways in which it will work, and organization. One of the functions of the Council, which we welcome, will be an annual review of the repatriation program. The search for a permanent director of the Museum continues forward and is progressing well. I have much enjoyed my interim role in that position since September 2007, and I believe that we have made substantial progress. However, with my having been with the University of California for 46 years, being formally retired, and still having my previous function as Director of the Center for Studies in Higher Education, it is time for us to move toward an Director with programmatic knowledge and museum experience, who can continue and build on the paths that have been established. Sincerely, C. Judson King Interim Director

Native American Education Program As the Native American Education Specialist for PAHMA, Richie Richards, an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe (Lakota), has been active in utilizing Museum resources and materials as teaching tools, and in drawing public awareness to issues regarding indigenous communities in both past and present times. One of his many projects includes the second annual Native American Educational Resource Conference scheduled for September 11th and 12th, 2009. The NAERC is designed to open a dialogue between educators and Native Americans in promotion of fair education about Natives in K–8 classrooms. Through breakout sessions, lectures, and speaker panels, this conference is meant to ensure that there is accuracy in our children’s schools with regard to indigenous teachings. Teachers in urban areas are often left to find Native American information and stories on their own and are unaware that these resources perpetuate and encourage negative images created by pop-cultural media regarding the original nations and people of this country, as well as their descendants. One of the goals of this conference is to help create cultural awareness and sensitivity for Native communities located in California and the United States. By bringing in Native perspectives and first-hand information, we will provide resources for teachers to use in the classroom and meet our goal to avoid using myths and stereotypical images as educational tools. Richie is also working on other Bay Area communitybased projects that will continue to bring awareness to Native communities in and around urban areas. Some projects that Richie is working on include: • Coordinating the “Junior Archaeology” and “Children of Ancient Civilizations” after-school programs; • Speaking about Native Americans in classroom presentations and to school assemblies; • Guest-lecturing at Bay Area colleges and universities; • Training PAHMA docents to ensure they are providing accurate information about indigenous cultures; • Research within the collection for the benefit of public education; • Assisting with tours for tribes visiting the Museum; • Reaching out to the community as a recognizable public resource. For more information, please contact Richie Richards at: [email protected]

Current Tribal Museum Loan A new exhibit at the California Indian Museum & Cultural Center (CIMCC) seeks to provide a “lens of continuity” that will allow the public to see Ishi, the issues and their own assumptions about Native people from an indigenous perspective. Ishi’s experiences mirror the survival and adaptation experienced by all California Indians. They must be understood not only as Ishi’s own story, but within the context of the issues faced by California Indians of his generation and California Indians of today. CIMCC opened this first of seven planned permanent exhibits on January 31st, 2009. The exhibition, which includes artifacts on loan from the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology seeks to enrich and expand the story of Ishi and build upon the public’s awareness and appreciation of California Indian history. For many years, Ishi’s legacy has been a non-native construct framed by public and scientific fascination with stereotypical views of the past. The new exhibit’s approach is to reframe Ishi’s legacy through the inclusion of California Indian voices and perspectives on issues, and to build upon current scholarship that helps to change the ways in which Ishi’s legacy is characterized and taught in public schools. The exhibition will be accompanied by a website and curricula to support classroom activities. Multimedia and audio presentations are also included. Ishi’s journey offers us a dialogue about humanity and gives an important voice to an inhumane period of American history. He was a figurative and imaginative survivor. His legacy became a catalyst for change. We hope you enjoy this exciting new program. CIMCC hours: Mon-Fri. 9–5, general admission is $7.00 for adults and $5.00 for children and seniors. Photo: Courtesy of the PAHMA University of California, Berkeley

Article by CIMCC

New Staff at PAHMA

Sarah Filley Principal Preparator

Penelope Betts Head of Development

Sarah joined our exhibitions team with enthusiasm in February. She brings to us over 15 years of experience in museums and galleries. Her past work experiences include relocating the Asian Art Museum from Golden Gate to the Civic Center, designing mounts, and installing around 13,000 objects. Recently she worked for the Oakland Museum of California to relocate their collection, and also designed several exhibits for the Science and Education departments. In the short time Sarah has been with us, she has renewed our current Guatemala Textile exhibit with curator Margot Scheville.

Penny was thrilled to join the Hearst Museum in January 2009. High on her agenda is strengthening the Hearst Museum’s membership groups; building the Museum’s relationships with its existing supporters and volunteers; and encouraging partnerships with new donors. Penny believes in “friend raising” rather than fundraising, as experience has shown that it is an institution’s friends who can help define a museum’s future, and in the case of the Hearst, help create a world-class museum worthy of our world-class collections.

She is looking forward to using her background in metal work, design, and fine art to best highlight the extraordinary collection found here at the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology. Sarah is looking forward to future exhibits showcasing this important collection. Sarah is also an accomplished artist. Her artwork has been exhibited throughout the Bay Area and nationally.

Penny was formerly the Head of Fundraising at the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology at the University of Oxford; prior to this she worked at the Guggenheim Museum, New York. Penny encourages you to join the Hearst Museum membership program. By supporting the excellent outreach, education, and conservation work the Museum staff does every day you can enjoy a range of benefits that she guarantees will get you up close and personal with our world-renowned collection.

Native Artist Cheryl Seidner Wiyot Tribal Member The youngest of five children, Cheryl Seidner was brought up on the old reservation at Table Bluff, in Loteta, California. Cheryl served as the Tribal Chairperson from 19962008, during which she assisted and represented the tribe on many issues. Representing her tribe on a government-togovernment basis, Cheryl has been active in working at the city, county, state, and national levels. Additionally , she continues to work with many tribally based organizations. Most notably she has been: Executive Secretary for the Indian Action Council of North Western California; Secretary for the Northern California Indian Education Project; Chairwoman for the Northern California Indian Development Council; Board Member for KEET-TV, Eureka California; Board Member for the Humboldt County Historical Society; Sacramento Area Vice President of National Congress of American Indians. Through all of this, Cheryl continued working a full-time job at Humboldt State University in the Education Opportunity Program office. Involved with supporting Native youth as they further their educational goals and become leaders in many areas, Cheryl has continued to say, “you can do it” and smile. Just before retiring after 28 1/2 years from HSU on May 17, 2008, she received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from California State University System. Now in a new phase of her life, intent on spending more time with family and building her native business (Tik Wolana Welth: “beads and things”), Cheryl continues to say “You can do it.” Over the past six years, Cheryl has been creating beautiful jewelry, many of which has a strong traditional culture basis, yet incorporates trends from the contemporary lives we lead today. Her work conveys a strong sense of who she is and tells a story based in the richness of Wiyot culture. Using bead and shell as a base, she creates wearable objects of significant beauty. As one of many Native American artists entering the marketplace today, Cheryl will truly make an impact on the Native Art scene. See her work at http:// www.tikwolanawelth.com. Photos: courtesy of North Coast Journal and artist

Native Artist Meyo Marrufo Robinson Rancheria Tribal Member “I once dreamed that I was a famous basketweaver with all of the skills and knowledge of the old ones...but when I awoke, I was still me…. I am still me....a native woman, a mother, a wife, a friend, a daughter, a basketweaver, a beader, a cook, a gatherer. I am still me...” -Meyo Marrufo Meyo Marrufo is an Eastern Pomo from the Clear Lake Basin. At the age of sixteen Meyo began formal training in the “old ways “of traditional practices by preparing acorn mush with a mortar and pestle. Around the same time, Meyo, who made her own dance regalia, began incorporating more abalone shell jewelry into her work. By her early twenties, regalia making became a serious art form in her life. The abalone jewelry she creates is often inspired by older designs found in traditional regalia. You can often find Meyo creating a new piece of wearable art by researching older designs, paying particular attention to their meaning and past use. Meyo feels “each design represents a different strength and you can change the tone with a different color arrangement.” Today, inspired by basket designs, she weaves ancient patterns into beaded objects such as belts, armbands, and necklaces and adorns them with abalone and clamshell disk beads. Meyo Marrufo is one of today’s leading regalia makers and artisans. For orders please contact: Meyo Marrufo PO Box 1564 Nice, CA 95464 Article by Meyo Marrufo

Photos: courtesy of the artist

Repatriation Corner We are producing a video as part of a class presentation on the U.C. Berkeley campus on how repatriation is done at the Hearst Museum. We will post the presentation on our website at the end of May. We would appreciate receiving any questions that you have about the repatriation process in advance so that we might incorporate them. Please email questions directly to Anthony Garcia at amgarcia@ berkeley.edu by Wednesday, April 25th. We will send out an email reminder when the video is posted or you can check our website near the end of May at http://hearstmuseum.berkeley.edu/.

From our Bookstore

Highly Recommended

First Families draws on a recently compiled collection of 1,500 images donated by California Indians from their private family photo albums chosen specially for this project. Enlivened by personal stories and deepened by carefully researched historic and cultural asides, it presents a richly varied, warmly nuanced, constantly surprising portrait of California’s oldest communities. Heyday Books $23.95 + tax Phone: 510-643-7648 http://[email protected]

New Publication Capturing the vitality of California’s unique indigenous cultures, this major new introduction incorporates extensive research of the past thirty years into an illuminating, comprehensive synthesis for a wide audience. Based in part on new archaeological findings, it tells how the California Indians lived in vibrant polities, each boasting a rich village life including chiefs, religious specialists, master craftspeople, dances, feasts, and ceremonies. Throughout, the book emphasizes how these diverse communities interacted with the state’s varied landscape, enhancing its already bountiful natural resources through various practices centered around prescribed burning. A handy reference section, illustrated with more than one hundred color photographs, describes the plants, animals, and minerals the California Indians used for food, basketry and cordage, medicine, and more. At a time when we are grappling with the problems of maintaining habitat diversity and sustainable economies, we find that these native peoples and their traditions have much to teach us about the future, as well as the past, of California. $50.00 + tax Coming soon to our bookstore.

The PAHMA Basket Collection Many tribes have taken advantage of the opportunity to review our entire basket collection. Additionally, during planned tribal visits the opportunity to review and research all documentation regarding various baskets of interest and concern have been made available. This has been helpful to tribes and tribal people who are exploring their past and working to preserve and promote their cultures today.

Cat No. 1-6 “Treasure basket” Tlinkit type Date unknown

THE AMERICAN INDIAN FILM SERIES SALE : VIDEOS NOW $50.00 EACH

TO ORDER CONTACT: ALICJA EGBERT PHONE: 510-642-6842 Email: [email protected]

These 15 classic films, made from 1961 to 1965, are more important than ever today as people become increasingly aware of the splendid heritage of Native American culture. All were produced by Clyde B. Smith under the anthropological supervision of Prof. Samuel A. Barrett, UC Berkeley.

Acorns: Staple Food of California Indians Pomo tribe members demonstrate traditional acorn harvesting, storing, and leaching. 28 min Color 1962

Basketry of the Pomo – Introductory Film Shows, in slow motion and animation, the important basketmaking techniques of the Pomo. 30 min Color 1962

Basketry of the Pomo – Forms and Ornamentation Illustrates the great variety of shapes, sizes, and design elements of Pomo baskets. 21 min Color 1962

Basketry of the Pomo – Techniques Detailed study of Pomo basketry techniques, showing how the various weaves were executed. 33 min Color 1962

Beautiful Tree – Chishkale Shows how the Pomo removed poisonous tannic acid from the acorns of the tanoak tree and built an entire food economy around them. 20 min Color 1965

Buckeyes: Food of California Indians Shows how the Nisenan harvested buckeyes and processed them by stone boiling and leaching. 13 min Color 1961

Calumet, Pipe of Peace Depicts Indian rituals surrounding pipe and tobacco and shows traditional methods of fashioning, decoration, and consecration of the pipe. 23 min Color 1964

Dream Dances of the Kashia Pomo Pomo women dance the century-old Bole Maru. Five dances are shown, each danced in costume around a fire within a brush enclosure. 30 min Color 1964

Game of Staves Pomo boys demonstrate the game of staves, a form of dice played by most of the American Indian tribes. 10 min Color 1962 Obsidian Point Making A Tolowa Indian demonstrates ancient ways of making an arrow point from obsidian. 13 min Color 1964

Kashia Mens’ Dances: Southwestern Pomo Indians Records four authentic northern California Pomo mens’ dances performed in elaborate costumes and headdresses. 40 min Color 1963 Pine Nuts Members of the Great Basin Paviotso and Paiute tribes demonstrate how pine nuts were harvested and prepared as food, using techniques in practice since pre-Columbian times. 13 min Color 1961 Totem Pole Explores the totem poles and the sophisticated woodcarving art of the northwest Pacific coast Indian tribes. Shows the carving of a pole by Mungo Martin, chief of the Kwakiutl. 27 min Color 1963

Sinew-Backed Bow and Its Arrows A Yurok craftsman shows the traditional construction of a sinew-backed bow – the finest of the American Indian bows. 24 min Color 1961

Wooden Box: Made by Steaming and Bending Illustrates a woodworking specialty of the Kwakiutl of the northwest Pacific Coast: the steaming and bending of a single wood slab to form a tight box using no nails, screws, or glue. 27 min Color 1962 Image from: Acorns: Staple Food of California Indians

Environmental Issues Affecting Tribes California Tribes: Don’t be left out! As a sovereign tribal government located in the state of California, it is important to have your water needs recognized and listed as a priority. The California Water Plan provides a framework for water managers, legislators, and the public to consider options and make decisions regarding California’s water future. The Plan, which is updated every five years, presents basic data and information on California’s water resources including water supply evaluations and assessments of agricultural, urban, and environmental water uses to quantify the gap between water supplies and uses. The Plan also identifies and evaluates existing and proposed statewide demand management and water supply augmentation programs and projects to address the State’s water needs.

Membership The Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology serves the community through exhibitions, educational programs, and research opportunities that promote understanding of the history and diversity of human cultures. Membership is a great way to get involved and assist the Museum in providing valued programming for the community. Join, renew, or give a gift of membership and enjoy the benefits below. Call 510-642-3682 or email pennybetts@berkeley. edu.

The California Department of Water Resources began publishing the California Water Plan in 1957. Nearly fifty years later, for its Water Plan Update 2005, the Department made its first concerted effort to involve California Native American Tribes in the planning process. Despite the Department’s good intentions, Tribal engagement remained minimal. As a result, Recommendation 13 of Update 2005 called for increasing Tribal involvement in statewide, regional, and local water planning. Building on Recommendation 13, the Department took a different approach for its Water Plan Update 2009. Rather than staff designing its outreach plan, it convened a Tribal Communication Committee to advise it on how best to contact and communicate with California’s 168 Native American Tribes. A few leaders, members, and staff from Tribes throughout the state began going to Sacramento in October 2007, and nine months later released a Tribal Communication Plan to guide the Department in its outreach for the Water Plan. Today a team of around 30 people are meeting regularly to plan a statewide California Tribal Water Summit, with the theme of Protect Our Sacred Water, to be held in Sacramento on August 26–27, 2009. For more information, visit www.waterplan.water.ca.gov and click on Tribal Communication Committee in the left-hand column, or contact: Barbara Cross Government and Community Liaison Office of the Director California Department of Water Resources P.O. Box 942836 Sacramento, CA 94236 (916) 653-5150 [email protected] Article by Barbara Cross from DWR and, Dorian Fougères Ph. D.

Members Annual membership benefits include: ♦ 10% discount on merchandise in the Museum Store ♦ Advance notice of all Museum events and activities ♦ Invitation to private members events Membership Categories: ♦ $30.00 Student/Senior/Disabled † ♦ $40.00 Individual ♦ $40.00 Dual Senior (two cards provided) ♦ $50.00 Family (two cards provided) †

Valid Student ID requested. Senior is age 55 and above. Museum Mailing Address: Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology University of California 103 Kroeber Hall, Berkeley, California 94720-3712 Open: Wed – Sat 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM, Sun 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM Closed Mon – Tue (510) 643-7648

http://hearstmuseum.berkeley.edu

Staff Contributors C. Judson King – Interim Director Sandra Harris – Deputy Director Dr. Anthony Garcia - Repatriation Coordinator Akiko Minaga – Exhibitions & Programs Manager Bradley Marshall – Tribal Liaison Richie Richards – Native American Education Specialist All unattributed photos: courtesy of PAHMA