California Indian Arts Association

Series 1: Videotape masters 1994-2000

Physical Description: 3.25 Linear Feet(49 VHS cassettes, 1 DVD, 1 DVCAM cassette)

Scope and Contents

VHS cassette master recordings of meetings of the California Indian Arts (CIA) Association that took place between the years of 1994-2000.

Separated Materials

VHS cassette copies of the master recordings were made by CIA for sale at the Southwest Museum store, Bowers Museum, or directly by CIA. These cassettes have been separated from the masters (see catalog #) and cataloged into the Library and Archives of the Autry media collection.

case MSA.53.1.1

Cahuilla Baskets and Known Weavers (VHS tape #1) MSA.53.1.1 1994 May 21

Scope and Contents

Description: This presentation by Dr. Chris Moser and Bill Cain is on Indian baskets and takes place at the Riverside Municipal Museum in Riverside, California on May 21, 1994. Cain's program highlights the Cahuilla baskets and weavers that he has encountered in his personal research, covering materials used and distinctive characteristics. Moser gives an overview of basketry before focusing on baskets and basketmakers of Southern California such as Dolores Patencio, Juanita Nejo Lopez, Ramona Balenzeula, Mary Snyder, Jesusa Manuel, Louisa Rice, Ramona Lubo, Guadalupe Arenas, Bridgetta Castro, Rosalie Valencia, and Carlota Lubo. Paul Apodaca speaks over footage of baskets and cog stones from the museum's collection at the end of the video. [This last segment is also included on VHS videocassette MSA.53.1.11.].

Moser, Chris

Dr. Chris Moser, the Riverside Municipal Museum's Curator of Anthropology, has studied baskets created by weavers in Southern California for several decades.

Cain, Bill

Bill Cain, a geologist for Caltrans, is also an authority on Indian basketry of the western United States.

Apodaca, Paul

Paul Apodaca is the Curator of Folk Art at Bowers Museum.

case MSA.53.1.2

Cahuilla Pottery Making (VHS tape #2) MSA.53.1 1994 June 18

Scope and Contents

Description: This presentation by David Largo on June 18, 1994 at the Riverside Municipal Museum focuses on the pottery art form and includes a question-and-answer session with CIA members and a demonstration of pottery making using the paddle-and-anvil procedure and an olla (a clay pot with a rounded bottom and incurving top) as a model.

Largo, David

David Largo is from the Santa Rosa band of Cahuilla Indians from Riverside County. Largo is a trained silversmith and has taken up making Cahuilla pottery.

case MSA.53.1.3

Island Gabrielino Indian Artifacts (VHS tape #3) MSA.53.1 1996 July 16

Scope and Contents

Description: Museum Director Edra Moore gives the CIA group a tour of the Antelope Valley Indian Museum on July 16, 1994. The building was constructed in the 1920s by Howard Arden Edwards to house artifacts, mainly from the Channel Islands, and became part of the California State Park System in 1976, under the ownership of Grace Wilcox Oliver. Much of the video is of the collection itself, which is comprised of baskets, rugs, pottery, seaweed and bird-skin weavings, and other Indian art from the western United States.

case MSA.53.1.4

Basketry of San Diego County Indians (VHS tape #4) MSA.53.1 1994 August 20

Scope and Contents

Description: Justin Farmer hosts the August 20, 1994 CIA meeting at his office in Fullerton where he keeps his collection of around 200 Indian baskets from Southern California. His lecture begins with an explanation of the term 'Southern California Mission Indians' and a description of the geographic regions they inhabit. The video proceeds with a discussion of the similiarities and differences between Diegueño baskets and other Mission Indian baskets, in terms of their construction, materials used, and characteristics.

Farmer, Justin

Justin Farmer is a traffic engineer, a weaver, and - being of Diegueño Indian extraction - a lecturer on Diegueño basketry.

case MSA.53.1.5

Rock Art of Western Riverside County (VHS tape #5) MSA.53.1 1994 September 17

Scope and Contents

Description: Rock art devotee Steven Freers recently published a book with Dr. Gerald Smith about the rock art of western Riverside County entitled 'Fading Images.' This recording of the September 17, 1994 meeting at Riverside Municipal Museum highlights much of information and photos that can be found in their book. Freers opens with an overview of U.S. rock art, largely petroglyphs (images sculpted into a rock) in Utah, Texas, New Mexico, Wyoming, Arizona, and Nevada. He then shows examples of rock art throughout California, before focusing on pictograph (images painted on a rock's surface) sites in western Riverside County. He suggests that many of these images were related to puberty ceremonies or shaman rituals.

case MSA.53.1.6

Tomo Kahni Park and Kawaiisu Culture (VHS tape #6) MSA.53.1 1994 October 15

Scope and Contents

Description: The site of the October 15, 1994 meeting is Tomo Kahni State Park in Tehachapi, California. The CIA group is guided by a park ranger, docents from the Tehachapi Historical Museum, and Andy Green, a native of the region and one of the last full-blood Kawaiisu Indians in the area. The park's name means 'Winter Home' in Kawaiisu since Tomo Kahni is where the ancient people spent their winters, and on its grounds are signs of Indian sleeping circles and a landmark known as Creation Cave, where it is believed that Kawaiisu people emerged from as they entered this world.

case MSA.53.1.7

Chumash Basketry and Cultural Arts (VHS tape #7) MSA.53.1 1995 January 21

Scope and Contents

Description: Jan Timbrook hosts the CIA group for their January 21, 1995 meeting in Santa Barbara. Timbrook's presentation on Chumash basketry details the pieces' distinctive characteristics with over 200 slide images. After, she takes the group to see SBMNH's collection of Chumash baskets and a few other items.

Timbrook, Jan

Jan Timbrook is the Senior Assistant Curator of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.

case MSA.53.1.8

The National Repatriation Laws (VHS tape #8) MSA.53.1 1995 March 18

Scope and Contents

Description: The Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) is the subject of the March 18, 1995 talk by Dr. Kathy Whitaker at the Southwest Museum of the American Indian. Her presentation explains the act, which defines what items held by museums are of a nature that they should be returned to the tribe most directly connected with them, what a tribe must prove about the object, what museums must to do comply, and the legal steps involved in the repatriation process.

Whitaker, Kathy

Dr. Kathy Whitaker is the Chief Curator of the Southwest Museum of the American Indian.

case MSA.53.1.9

Chinigchinish Religion of Southern California (VHS tape #9) MSA.53.1 1995 May 20

Scope and Contents

Description: Paul Apodaca's talk at the May 20, 1995 CIA meeting at the Southwest Museum of the American Indian describes events that happened leading up to the religion's origins, which stem from the teachings of a man named Chinigchinish near Los Alamitos, California during the late 1700s. The religion blends elements of traditional Indian beliefs with Christian myths and spread throughout Southern California into the 20th century.

Apodaca, Paul

Paul Apodaca (Navajo/Mexican) is the Curator of Folk Art at Bowers Museum and is knowledgeable about the Southern California Indian religion known as Chinigchinish.

case MSA.53.1.10

Early California Indian Trade Routes (VHS tape #10) MSA.53.1 1995 June 17

Scope and Contents

Description: Henry 'Hank' Koerper presents a study of trade amongst early California Indians at the June 17, 1995 CIA meeting at Cypress College. Having conducted numerous archaeological digs and performed extensive research on artifacts recovered in the L.A. Basin, Koerper has begun to determine trade practices by tracing the distance objects travel along trade routes. Some of these items include obsidian from the Salton Sea, acorns, sea shells, and steatite (soap stone). Koerper pays specific attention to anthropomorphs and small clay objects referred to as "coffee bean eyes" as they migrated throughout Southern California.

Koerper, Henry

Henry 'Hank' Koerper is a professor of anthropology at Cypress College.

case MSA.53.1.11

Cog Stones and Stanford University Baskets (VHS tape #11) MSA.53.1 1995 July 15

Scope and Contents

Description: Bowers Museum recently acquired over a hundred Indian baskets of the western United States from the Stanford University Art Museum. Paul Apodaca presents the collection during the July 15, 1995 meeting at the museum. The CIA group also gets an opportunity to view a portion of the L.A. Basin cog stones (discoidal-shaped stones with gear-type teeth around their edges) in the Bowers collection, and Apodaca discusses his theories of how they might have been used. The CIA event runs until 11 minutes and 30 seconds into the video, before footage of an unrelated wedding ceremony in a church of an unknown denomination begins and lasts through the end of the recording.

Apodaca, Paul

Paul Apodaca (Navajo/Mexican) is the Curator of Folk Art at Bowers Museum.

case MSA.53.1.12

Southern California Pelican Stones (VHS tape #12) MSA.53.1 1995 August 19

Scope and Contents

Description: Henry "Hank" Koerper presents a program on pelican stones at the August 19, 1995 meeting at Cypress College. Koerper has conducted archaeological digs in Southern California and has written extensively on artifacts of the L.A. Basin, such as stone carvings that resemble pelicans. In this two-hour program, Koerper discusses pelican stones and hook stones, tracing their age, geographic range, and use through Indian and European cultures. One of his theories about the artifacts is that they were phallic/vulva symbols representative of Luiseño Indian duality.

Koerper, Henry

Henry "Hank" Koerper is a professor of anthropology at Cypress College.

case MSA.53.1.13

Making a Diegueño Acorn Granary (VHS tape #13) MSA.53.1 1995 November 18

Scope and Contents

Description: Justin Farmer is one of select few Diegueño Indians who can still make a willow twig granary for acorn storage. In this video of the November 18, 1995 CIA meeting, he demonstrates the process at Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens in Claremont, California. Willow switches must be very fresh to prevent breakage as they are braided into containers. However, the granaries were often destroyed as the stored acorns were removed from them. This explains why it is hard to find any of these creations in museum collections today.

Farmer, Justin

Justin Farmer is a traffic engineer, a weaver, and a lecturer on Diegueño basketry.

case MSA.53.1.14

Making of a Yucca Fiber Sandal (VHS tape #14) MSA.53.1 1996 January 20

Scope and Contents

Description: Prehistoric Indian footwear is the subject of the January 20, 1996 meeting at Southwest Museum of the American Indian. Paul Campbell, a student of primitive survival arts, presents a program specifically on yucca and agave fiber sandals. He demonstrates the art of making these sandals using fibers from agave leaves. The leaves are beaten flat so that their fibers can be extracted and twisted into sandal toe loops and ankle straps.

case MSA.53.1.15

Baskets in the Pomona College Steffa Collection (VHS tape #15) MSA.53.1 1996 February 17

Scope and Contents

Description: The February 17, 1996 meeting is held in the Montgomery Gallery at Pomona College, where Elizabeth Villa takes the CIA group through a current exhibit that she curated. The show features items from the collections of E.H. Parker, Levi Chubbuck, and Emil Steffa, who amassed Cahuilla and Serrano baskets in the early 1900s. After the tour, Villa presents around 50 additional baskets from the Steffa Collection for the group's perusal.

case MSA.53.1.16

Stone Tool Making (VHS tape #16) MSA.53.1 1996 March 16

Scope and Contents

Description: This stone toolmaking workshop at Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens is led by Anastasia "Stacey" Vellas on March 16, 1996. In addition to aiding in the efforts to build a new Imperial Valley College Desert Museum, Vellas studies the making of early stone tools and demonstrates how early man made a stone knife/cutting tool from quartzite cobblestone.

case MSA.53.1.17

Southern California Rattlesnake Baskets (VHS tape #17) MSA.53.1 1996 April 17

Scope and Contents

Description: The subject for the CIA meeting at Riverside Municipal Museum on April 17, 1996 is rattlesnakes used in basketry patterns. Dr. Chris Moser begins the program with a presentation of nearly 100 photo slides of a wide selection of baskets. Justin Farmer continues with images of rattlesnake baskets from museum and private collections, including his own, followed by Len Wood with slides from his personal collection. The meeting ends with members showing off baskets from their own collections.

case MSA.53.1.18

Chumash Cave Baskets and Artifacts (VHS tape #18) MSA.53.1 1996 June 15

Scope and Contents

Description: The June 15, 1996 meeting of the CIA is hosted by Jeff Rigby at Cerritos College. In this presentation, Rigby focuses on Chumash and Gabrielino baskets recovered from excavations in Southern California. He also discusses other cave-found items.

Rigby, Jeff

Jeff Rigby is a professor of anthropology and archaeology at Cerritos College. Rigby has conducted archaeological digs throughout the Channel Islands, Ventura County, and north Los Angeles County, and his primary research interests include Chumash and Gabrielino Indian artifacts.

case MSA.53.1.19

Sherman Indian High School and Museum (VHS tape #19) MSA.53.1 1996 July 20

Scope and Contents

Description: The host for the July 20, 1996 CIA meeting at Sherman Indian High School is Lori Sisquoc. Originally established as the Sherman Indian Institute in the late 1800s, its purpose was to immerse Indian children (who were taken from their reservation homes and boarded there until they graduated) in white, Christian culture. Sherman is now a fully accredited high school, and Sisquoc leads the group through its history and museum.

Sisquoc, Lori

Lori Sisquoc was born on the grounds of Sherman Indian High School, is an instructor there, and is the curator of its museum.

case MSA.53.1.20

Calico Early Man Site, Calico, Calif (VHS tape #20) MSA.53.1 1996 October 5

Scope and Contents

Description: On October 5, 1996, the CIA travels to Calico, California for a visit to the Calico Early Man Site (now referred to as the Calico Mountains Archaeological Site). Yvonne Lipking shares the site's history with the group before taking them on a tour through the main excavation pit and several of the minor pits, where thousands of stone tools and implements have been uncovered since the 1950s.

case MSA.53.1.21

Western U.S. Indian Basketry Hats (VHS tape #21) MSA.53.1 1997 January 18

Scope and Contents

Description: Riverside Municipal Museum serves as the location for a presentation on basketry hats by Bill Cain at the January 18, 1997 CIA meeting. Cain not only studies Indian basketry but collects them as well, so many of the photo examples in his presentation are from his personal collection in addition to museums and other private collections. This discussion covers basketry hats from Southern California all the way north to Alaska.

case MSA.53.1.22

Indian Artifacts of the Los Angeles Basin (VHS tape #22) MSA.53.1 1997 February 15

Scope and Contents

Description: The February 15, 1997 CIA meeting is formatted as a show and tell for members to display and discuss items from their personal collections at the Southwest Museum of the American Indian's Casa de Adobe, with the theme being artifacts of the Los Angeles Basin. Presenters include Jerry Gaither, who leads a discussion on Southern California hunting bows and charm stones, Justin Farmer, and Steve Shearer.

case MSA.53.1.23

Indian Baskets in the Southwest Museum (VHS tape #23) MSA.53.1 1997 March 15

Scope and Contents

Description: During the March 15, 1997 CIA meeting, members are escorted through a portion of the Southwest Museum of the American Indian's collection of Indian baskets. With over 14,000 baskets, it is one of the largest collections in the world. The second hour of the video is of Justin Farmer leading a docent class through the museum's California Room, which is home to Chumash and Gabrielino artifacts.

case MSA.53.1.24

Indian History Through Mission Records (VHS tape #24) MSA.53.1 1997 April 19

Scope and Contents

Description: Archaeologist Stephen O'Neil discusses old Catholic Mission records in relation to early California Indian history at the April 19, 1997 CIA meeting at Cal State Fullerton. Most of the information the world has on the pre-contact history of California Indians comes from records that were kept by Catholic missionaries on the births, baptisms, marriages, and deaths of Indians who had converted to the religion. O'Neil extrapolates on these records, where they can be found, and how they can help trace early California Indian history.

case MSA.53.1.25

Southern California Fake Artifacts (VHS tape #25) MSA.53.1 1997 May 17

Scope and Contents

Description: The May 17, 1997 CIA meeting at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is devoted to the study of both fake and genuine artifacts from Southern California. The counterfeiting of stone, bone, and shell artifacts is traced as far back as the mid 1800s but hit its peak in the early 20th century. They persist in many collections today. John Johnson and Jan Timbrook lead the group on a tour of the museum's collection room, followed by an educational discussion on spotting fake versus genuine artifacts.

case MSA.53.1.26

Western U.S. Indian Bird Songs (VHS tape #26) MSA.53.1 1997 June 21

Scope and Contents

Description: Bird songs are the subject of Professor Paul Apodaca's talk at the June 21, 1997 CIA meeting at Chapman University in Orange, California. Apodaca focuses specifically on historic and pre-contact songs and chants from the Cahuilla, Kumeyaay, Mojave, Cocopah, and Luiseño tribes. He discusses the history and meaning of these bird songs in his 90-minute presentation.

case MSA.53.1.27

Cogged Stones at Riverside Museum (VHS tape #27) MSA.53.1 1997 July 19

Scope and Contents

Description: While the purposes of many of the stone tools dating from 8000 to 2000 B.C. have been identified today, there remains one puzzle that has yet to be solved: cogged stones. These are small, usually disc-shaped stones with grooves cut into their edges that resemble the teeth in a gear. Dr. Chris Moser presents a collection of approximately 300 plaster casts of cogged stones made by S.C. Evans prior to 1930 at the July 19, 1997 CIA meeting at Riverside Municipal Museum.

case MSA.53.1.28

Indian Spirituality (VHS tape #28) MSA.53.1 1997 August 16

Scope and Contents

Description: Little Crow speaks at the August 16, 1997 CIA meeting at the residence of Pam Schader in Costa Mesa, California on the subject of religion. In the informal, backyard setting, Little Crow discusses his early life in the Dakotas in Nebraska, how his religion views the world around him, including plants and animals, and for what he prays.

Little Crow

Little Crow, who is of Lakota and Dakota lineage, is the pastor of the American Indian Church.

case MSA.53.1.29

Pictographs and Petroglyphs in the San Juan River Basin (VHS tape #29) MSA.53.1 1997 September 20

Scope and Contents

Description: The September 20, 1997 CIA meeting is held at Cal State Fullerton and features a discussion led by archaeologist Stephen O'Neil on Indian rock art in the San Juan River Basin of Orange County. In the talk, he explains the difference between pictographs (painted art) and petroglyphs (carved into the stone). O'Neil also includes pictograph forms in western Riverside County in his presentation of 120 slide images.

case MSA.53.1.30

Pavuit Wands at the Riverside Municipal Museum (VHS tape #30) MSA.53.1 1998 February 21

Scope and Contents

Description: Dr. Chris Moser hosts the February 21, 1998 CIA meeting at the Riverside Municipal Museum with a program devoted to a recently acquired collection from Ethel Allen of San Diego. Three of the items are rare 'Pavuit' wands, which were given to Indian boys as a source of power and energy as they were about to enter puberty rites and were often kept for life. The collection also includes "Mission," Panamint, Kawaiisu, and Chemehuevi baskets that Moser also has on display.

case MSA.53.1.31

Weaving an Open Weave Basket (VHS tape #31) MSA.53.1 1998 March 21

Scope and Contents

Description: CIA meets at Craig Regional Park in Fullerton, California on March 21, 1998 for a demonstration on the making of open-weave twined baskets by Chris Roman. These utility baskets are notable because they could be made very quickly, used only a couple of times, and then thrown away. Roman explains different methods of weaving Juncus plant shoots into a sturdy basket.

case MSA.53.1.32

Making and Throwing a California Rabbit Stick (VHS tape #32) MSA.53.1 1998 April 18

Scope and Contents

Description: Also called 'Rabbit Sticks' or boomerangs, Throwing Sticks are believed to pre-date the bow and arrow and atlatl as one of the earliest weapons used by Native people. Dr. Henry "Hank" Koerper and Paul Campbell discuss making and throwing the carved sticks at the April 18, 1998 gathering of the CIA on the grounds of Sherman Indian High School in Riverside. The video is comprised of Koerper's and Campbell's slide presentations, followed by footage of CIA members attempting to throw the sticks.

case MSA.53.1.33

Campbell Collection of Early Indian Artifacts (VHS tape #33) MSA.53.1 1998 May 16

Scope and Contents

Description: The May 16, 1998 CIA meeting features a visit to the Joshua Tree National Park Museum Collection at the park's headquarters in Twentynine Palms, California. Many of the materials are part of the Campbell Collection, comprised of items gathered by Mr. and Mrs. William H. Campbell, who resided in the area during the 1920s. The couple found thousands of Indian artifacts during hikes in the region (obtained with the government's permission), and the collection was eventually acquired by the National Park System.

case MSA.53.1.34

Recent Rock Art Findings (VHS tape #34) MSA.53.1 1998 July 18

Scope and Contents

Description: CIA members meet at the Riverside Municipal Museum on July 18, 1998 for a presentation on rock art of western Riverside County by Steve Freers. The rock art devotee has utilized innovative photography and computer-imaging processes to study hand prints and painting techniques at sites in order to investigate their connection, if any, to ancient cultural rites. He discusses these site locations, as well as rock art styles extant in Riverside, in the first part of the video. The second portion focuses on a display of Plateau Indian basketry and bags at the museum.

case MSA.53.1.35

Details of a Chumash Basket (VHS tape #35) MSA.53.1 1998 August 15

Scope and Contents

Description: On August 15, 1998, Jan Timbrook presents a program on Chumash basketry at the Chumash Cultural Center in Thousand Oaks, California. Due to certain limitations placed on the slides she presented, CIA is unable to video much of her program. Justin Farmer continues with the theme of Chumash basketry in a slide presentation at the September 19, 1998 meeting.

case MSA.53.1.36

Basketry of the Los Angeles Basin (VHS tape #36) MSA.53.1 1998 September 19

Scope and Contents

Description: The September 19, 1998 CIA meeting takes place at the Southwest Museum of the American Indian and centers on Indian basketry of the Los Angeles Basin. Justin Farmer proceeds with the second half of this meeting with information on and slides of baskets of the Fernandeño, Gabrielino, and Juaneño people (See MSA_53_1_35 on Chumash basketry for the first half of this meeting, contained on the later part of the recording.).

case MSA.53.1.37

Southern California Cradle Boards (VHS tape #37) MSA.53.1 1998 October 17

Scope and Contents

Description: Justin Farmer leads a program on cradle boards at the October 17, 1998 CIA meeting at Riverside Municipal Museum. Cradle boards securely held infants as their mothers went about their daily work, and the style and design of these boards varies by geographic area and tribe. Farmer dedicates his presentation to examples from Central California and San Diego.

case MSA.53.1.38

Quechan Songs and Culture (VHS tape #38) MSA.53.1 1999 January 16

Scope and Contents

Preston Arrow-weed is the presenter at the January 16, 1999 CIA meeting at the Southwest Museum of the American Indian. At tribal ceremonies during his youth, he learned many Quechan songs in the Hokan language, and his presentation includes him singing portions of songs, discussing them, and sharing other tales from his childhood.

Arrow-weed, Preston

Playwright and actor Preston Arrow-weed is a Quechan Indian, who was raised by his Kamia grandmother at Fort Yuma in Arizona.

case MSA.53.1.39

Maze Stone Artifacts in Southern California (VHS tape #39) MSA.53.1 1999 February 20

Scope and Contents

Description: Steve O'Neil and Steve Freers present a program on maze stones throughout Southern California at the February 20, 1999 CIA meeting at Cal State Fullerton. O'Neil directs attention to minute differences between maze stones in Orange, Riverside, and San Diego counties and spotlights a well-known maze stone that was found in Trabuco Canyon (Orange County) and was eventually moved to Bowers Museum. Freers utilizes dual slide projectors to discuss maze stones from San Diego and Riverside, as well as some other forms of rock art.

case MSA.53.1.40

Fired Clay Figurines in Southern California (VHS tape #40) MSA.53.1 1999 March 20

Scope and Contents

Description: Dr. Henry "Hank" Koerper hosts the March 20, 1999 CIA meeting at Cypress College with a presentation on fired-clay anthropomorphic "dolls" occasionally found during Los Angeles Basin archaeological digs. He begins the program with a discussion of early trade routes into Southern California to introduce his theory that these small figurines were actually gifts that were mostly made and given by the Mohave people as a way to cement business ties.

case MSA.53.1.41

Unusual Artifacts of the Los Angeles Basin (VHS tape #41) MSA.53.1 1999 April 17

Scope and Contents

Description: Former Cal State Fullerton professor of anthropology Constance Cameron is the guest speaker at the April 17, 1999 CIA meeting at the Southwest Museum of the American Indian. She focuses on some of the more unusual Indian artifacts (smoking pipes, steatite figurines) that were found in the Los Angeles Basin in the 1920s – some of which have been proven to be counterfeit. Justin Farmer concludes the video with a presentation of around 50 artifacts from his personal collection.

case MSA.53.1.42

Pattern Anomalies in Southern Californian Indian Baskets (VHS tape #42) MSA.53.1 1999 June 19

Scope and Contents

Description: This video covers the June 19, 1999 CIA meeting at Riverside Municipal Museum, during which Justin Farmer gives a presentation on the flaws, or 'pattern anomalies' as he calls them, that weavers occasionally placed in basket patterns. He provides examples in Cahuilla, Luiseño, and Diegueño baskets in order to extrapolate on the meaning of these anomalies. [Duplicated on MSA.53.1.51]

case MSA.53.1.43

Indian Weaponry (VHS tape #43) MSA.53.1 1999 July 17

Scope and Contents

Description: Collector Steve Shearer shares items from his vast collection of early-American weapons. He provides an item-by-item narrative at the July 17, 1999 CIA meeting at Torrance Public Library. Other CIA members bring additional items to share from their own collections, including Jerry Gaither's display of atlatl parts, bows, and arrows; Conrad Angone's northwest coast atlatl and longbow; Joan Kitchens with Tarahumara bows and arrows; and Justin Farmer's long bows and assortment of arrows.

case MSA.53.1.44

Curating Museum or Private Collections (VHS tape #44) MSA.53.1 1999 November 20

Scope and Contents

Description: The November 20, 1999 CIA meeting at Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens in Claremont, California concerns curating collections. Bryn Potter of the Southwest Museum of the American Indian presents on the care and storage of paper and photo documents, baskets, and tapestries.

case MSA.53.1.45

Ancient Fish Traps Near Salton Sea (DVCAM tape #45) MSA.53.1 1999 December 11

Scope and Contents

Description: Imperial Valley archaeology expert Jay von Werlhof guides the CIA group on a visit to the ancient Yuha Mesa Fish Traps near the Salton Sea on December 11, 1999. Before Lake Cahuilla dried up (sometime in 1500 A.D.), local Indians constructed these small rock corrals along its western shore to trap and store fish.

case MSA.53.1.46

California Bows and Arrows (VHS tape #46) MSA.53.1 2000 February 19

Scope and Contents

Description: At the February 19, 2000 CIA meeting held at Riverside Municipal Museum, Indian arts and survival skills researcher Paul Campbell discusses the making of bows and arrows in the style of early Southern California people. He presents examples of bows that he constructed in a style that is specific to the Diegueño (Ipai, Tipai, and Kumeyaay) people of San Diego County.

case MSA.53.1.47

California Indian Use of Plants (VHS tape #47) MSA.53.1 2000 March 18

Scope and Contents

Description: Archaeologist Stephen O'Neil discusses the use of native (and some not-so-native) plants for food, fiber, medicine, and ceremonial purposes by the Luiseño and Juaneño people at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden in Claremont, California on March 18, 2000. Much of O'Neil's presentation is based on research into the papers of John P. Harrington, as annotated by Alfred Kroeber. O'Neil states that many of the plants were actually introduced by early Spanish settlers and have been in use by Indians for so long that they acquired Indian names and appear in their oral histories. He also narrates a number of interviews with Juaneño residents of Orange and Northern San Diego County.

case MSA.53.1.48

California Indian Cradles (VHS tape #48) MSA.53.1 2000 May 20

Scope and Contents

Description: Justin Farmer leads a program on cradle boards at the May 20, 2000 CIA meeting at Riverside Municipal Museum. He narrates a slide presentation of over 100 cradle boards created by California Indian tribes, discussing the characteristics that distinguished tribes from near the Mexican border all the way north to the Oregon border. Although they aren't as ornate as those created by the Plains or Plateau people, he argues, they are still works of art.

case MSA.53.1.49

West Coast Indian Bead Work (VHS tape #49) MSA.53.1 2000 June 17

Scope and Contents

Description: The June 17, 2000 CIA meeting takes place at Riverside Municipal Museum and features a talk by collector Steve Shearer on beaded Indian items from the West Coast. Shearer showcases artifacts and artwork from his personal collection that exhibit glass, stone, shell, and bone beadwork from Southern California. He also includes beadwork by the Pomo, Washoe, and Paiute people, in addition to beaded bags, shoes, and clothing of Plateau tribes from Eastern Oregon and Washington.

case MSA.53.1.50

The Chinigchinish Religion (VHS tape #50) MSA.53.1 2000 August 19

Scope and Contents

Description: The Chinigchinish religion is the focus of Justin Farmer's presentation at the August 19, 2000 CIA meeting at Riverside Municipal Museum. In 1812, Fr. Geronimo Boscana was assigned to Mission San Juan Capistrano, and two of his manuscripts from the 1820s contain detailed descriptions of the Chinigchinish religion that was being practiced in what is now the Los Angeles Basin and San Diego County. Farmer summarizes translations of Boscana's narratives in this video.

case MSA.53.1.51

Pattern Anomalies in Southern Californian Indian Baskets (VHS tape #51) MSA.53.1 1999 June 19

Scope and Contents

Description: This video covers the June 19, 1999 CIA meeting at Riverside Municipal Museum, during which Justin Farmer gives a presentation on the flaws, or 'pattern anomalies' as he calls them, that weavers occasionally placed in basket patterns. He provides examples in Cahuilla, Luiseño, and Diegueño baskets in order to extrapolate on the meaning of these anomalies. [Duplicate of MSA.53.1.42]

Series 2: Newsletters 1994-2000

Physical Description: .75 Linear Feet(70 folders in 2 boxes)

Scope and Contents

The California Indian Arts Association newsletters, published between the years of 1994-2000, include meeting notes and minutes, event information, and photographs.

box 1, folder 1

CIA Newsletter 1994-03-26

Scope and Contents

Notes and minutes from the first California Indian Arts Association meeting on March 26, 1994. The folder also includes the group's charter and a handwritten list of museums the group visits from April 23, 1994 through February 1997.

box 1, folder 2

CIA Newsletter 1994-04-23

Scope and Contents

Minutes and summary of presentations by Lowell John Bean on early "Mission" Indian people and by Dr. Chris Moser on ceremonial wands of the Cahuilla, Diegueño, and other Southern California Indians from the California Indian Arts Association meeting on April 23, 1994 at Riverside Municipal Museum, information on the San Jacinto City Museum, and notices on upcoming events for membership.

box 1, folder 3

CIA Newsletter 1994-05-21

Scope and Contents

Minutes from the California Indian Arts Association meeting on May 21, 1994 at Riverside Municipal Museum, including a summary of a presentation by Bill Cain and Chris Moser on basket making. The newsletter also includes information on the museum at the Ramona Bowl in Hemet, California, and details on upcoming events.

box 1, folder 4

CIA Newsletter 1994-06-17

Scope and Contents

Minutes of the California Indian Arts Association meeting on June 17, 1994 at Riverside Municipal Museum, including a summary of a presentation by David Largo (of the Santa Rosa band of Cahuilla Indians) on pottery. The newsletter also includes information on Agua Caliente Cultural Center and details on upcoming events.

box 1, folder 5

CIA Newsletter 1994-07-16

Scope and Contents

Minutes of the California Indian Arts Association meeting on July 16, 1994, including background on the gathering's location, the Antelope Valley Indian Museum, as well as information on the Malki Museum in Riverside County, California, and upcoming events for members.

box 1, folder 6

CIA Newsletter 1994-08-20

Scope and Contents

Minutes of the California Indian Arts Association meeting on August 20, 1994 at the offices of Justin Farmer in Fullerton, California, including a summary of Farmer's presentation on Diegueno baskets. The newsletter also includes details of an Apache basket exhibit at the Riverside Municipal Museum, happenings at Stanford Unviersity Museum of Art (along with a letter from one of the museum's curators), information on the San Bernardino County Museum, and news about upcoming events for members.

box 1, folder 7

CIA Newsletter 1994-09-17

Scope and Contents

Minutes of the California Indian Arts Association meeting on September 17, 1994 at the Riverside Municipal Museum, including a summary of a presentation by Steven Freers on rock art of western Riverside County. The newsletter also includes information on the Tehachapi Museum and upcoming events for members.

box 1, folder 8

CIA Newsletter MSA.53.2 1994-10-29