Indian Defense Association of Central and Northern California records, approximately 1915-1939

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Summary

Creators:
Indian Defense Association of Central and Northern California, Collier, John, Atwood, Stella M., Indian Defense Association of Santa Barbara, and American Indian Defense Association
Abstract:
The records of the Indian Defense Association of Central and Northern California, an Indian reform organization operating from 1923 until 1938.
Extent:
17 Linear Feet 12 cartons, 2 boxes, 2 oversize boxes, 2 cardfile boxes
Language:
English and Collection materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Indian Defense Association of Central and Northern California records, BANC MSS C-A 360, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Background

Scope and content:

The records of the Indian Defense Association of Central and Northern California consist of seven series: correspondence, administrative materials, legislative files, publications and publicity, assorted manuscripts, subject files, and clippings scrapbooks.

The correspondence, which is arranged chronologically by year from 1923 to 1938, consists of a mixture of incoming and outgoing letters to and from various officials in the Indian Defense Association of Central and Northern California, including a large amount of correspondence to and from John Collier. The correspondence documents all of the major areas of work of the organization and includes some letters from prominent figures such as Mary Austin. Some correspondence from the IDA branches in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles is included.

Adminstrative files include founding documents, scattered meeting minutes, financial records, and other materials. Legislative files document the involvement of the IDA in legislative work on behalf of Indians in California and throughout the nation. The publications and publicity series consists of bulletins written by John Collier about developments relating to Indian policy in Washington, D.C. as well as other IDA publications and press releases.

The subject files, which arranged alphabetically, are a rich source of information on a range of issues relating to Indian life in California and other states during the 1920s and 1930s.

Biographical / historical:

The Indian Defense Association was founded in 1923 by John Collier, an emerging critic of the federal Indian policies that had taken shape in the wake of the 1887 Dawes General Allotment Act. In 1920, Mabel Dodge Luhan invited Collier, then a social worker and adult educator in California, to Taos, New Mexico, where he observed Pueblo Indian culture and developed a strong interest in its preservation. Shortly after his stay in Taos, Collier was appointed field worker for the General Federation of Women's Club's Committee on Indian Welfare, a position that allowed him both to investigate the living conditions of Indians in the Southwest and in California and to formulate ideas for reforming Indian policy. The Indian Defense Association was founded, with initial funding from prominent women in the Caliofrnia women's club movement, to investigate and educate the public about Indian living conditions as well as to promote government policies that, in the words of the IDA, "would permit the Indian to remain spiritually and physically on this earth" (see founding documents in carton 4, folder 15). Collier and the IDA sought to protect Indian rights to their land as well as their rights to practice their own religions. The IDA would over the course of its existence advocate and lobby on issues relating to all aspects of Indian life in the United States, including land, religion, housing, health, and education. The IDA had its main headquarters in Washington, D.C., where it could be close to the government bodies and agencies that shaped Indian policy. The Indian Defense Association of Central and Northern California (with offices in San Francisco) acted as a west coast headquarters. The IDA also had other California branches in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. The California branches were active in issues relating to California Indians but were also crucial advocates for Indians throughout the Southwest.

Acquisition information:
The Indian Defense Association of Central and Northern California records were gifted to the Bancroft Library by the California League for American Indians in 1962.
Processing information:

Collection processed by Lara Michels in 2015.

Physical location:
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Materials in this collection may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley 94720-6000. See: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Indian Defense Association of Central and Northern California records, BANC MSS C-A 360, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Location of this collection:
University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft Library
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000, US
Contact:
510-642-6481
bancref-library@berkeley.edu
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