In 1966, the Center for Community Development (CCD) was established at Humboldt State University (HSU) to provide services and outreach to American Indian communities in Indian Country on behalf of the university. The name was changed to the Center for Indian Community Development (CICD) in 1991. The materials in this collection include Hupa, Karuk, Tolowa and Yurok language materials, educational materials, and documentation of the Center's community and economic development projects. Center publications are also listed in this guide's bibliography with links to the HSU Library catalog and Humboldt Digital Scholar.

In 1966, Humboldt State University (HSU) established the Center for Community Development (CCD) to provide services and outreach to American Indian communities in Indian Country on behalf of HSU. The name was changed to the Center for Indian Community Development (CICD) in 1991. In 1967, Tom Parsons became the Center's director. Towards identifying areas in which the Center could connect the University's resources with tribal priorities, the desire to revitalize languages and cultures was named as one goal that many local tribes shared. Beginning with the Hupa language as the nearest tribe with living fluent speakers, the Center offered to help establish and sponsor school-based and community-based language classes and with transcribing the language into a phonetic spelling system called Unifon, which was developed and promoted by The Unifon Alphabet Foundation (The Foundation for a Compatible & Consistent Alphabet, or F.C.C.A.). Soon afterwards, the Center became involved with the Tolowa, Yurok and Karuk languages, establishing classes in the communities of Crescent City, McKinleyville, Hoopa, Weitchpec, Happy Camp and Orleans. Center staff also developed teaching materials and publications in support of the language program. Ruth Bennett worked for the Center in several capacities, including Bilingual Education Program Director (1978-1988) and Ethnographic Researcher/Technical Writer (1993-2011) until her retirement. Bennett facilitated and recorded many of the community classes from the 1970s to the early 2000s. Bennett edited many of the publications and printed materials that were used by the various communities. Bennett also provided copies of audiotapes upon request once transcriptions had been made and approved by recorded participants, in compliance with the Center's Ethnographic Transcriptions Policy of 1993. After Tom Parsons retired in 1988, Victor Golla served as director until June 1991. Lois Risling was appointed director in August 1991, and she retired in 2007. Zo Devine served as director until the Center's closing in 2013 except when Jonathan Damp briefly served as director in 2009. The Center facilitated mutually beneficial partnerships between American Indian community members, tribes, Indian organizations, governmental agencies representatives and university departments such as Fisheries, Teacher Education, Social Work, Nursing, History and Economics. The language curriculum was created and used in Humboldt State University's Multiple Subjects American Indian Bilingual Cross-cultural Teacher Training and Credentialing Program. Frequently, the goals and needs within tribal communities are intertwined with state and federal agencies and services such as public school districts, NOAA, the United States Department of Agriculture and Caltrans. Native and non-Native students have spearheaded projects such as graphic arts and book publications. Through its Graphics Department, the Center produced materials including curriculum, dictionaries, business plans, reports, cassette tapes, videos, brochures and computer programs. The Center has posted its enabling documents and history on Humboldt Digital Scholar at http://humboldt-dspace.calstate.edu/handle/2148/1235. In a 1988 letter, the HSU Dean of Behavioral and Social Services at HSU explained the history of the Center's enabling legislation and mission. In the 1974-5 session of the California legislature, the Program Change Proposal of the CSU System Support Budget officially defined the mission of the Center for Community Development, "…to provide leadership in relating university resources to the educational, economic, social and cultural needs of the north coast population, with special emphasis on the Indian population." The full document is available at http://hdl.handle.net/2148/1238. Over the years, the Center's primary services have included: American Indian languages and material development. Ethnographic and linguistic research and coordination for linguistic and ethnographic projects. Grant writing and grants administration. Development of materials and resources such as books, audio and video resources, language curricula, and Tribal archives. Representation of American Indian communities' interests in public forums and assisting in negotiations between the Tribal governments and federal, state, and local governmental agencies. Planning, coordination, and production of conferences, workshops, seminars, educational courses, and meetings. Technical assistance. Providing a conduit for Humboldt State University resources including faculty, services, and materials to Tribes, American Indian communities and organizations. Presentations and training including grants management, curriculum development, Native American history, federal Indian law, linguistics, and cultural traditions. Research and development for general services such as needs assessments, distance learning opportunities, program development, and support for American Indian activities and projects.

116 boxes, 1 cabinet, and 3 map drawers

Humboldt State University holds copyright to the materials of this collection which were created by employees and contractors of Humboldt State University. For materials created by others, copyright has not been assigned to Humboldt State University. To obtain permission to publish or reproduce in any format, please contact the Special Collections Librarian.

This collection is processed. It is currently available by appointment. The Center's Ethnographic Transcripts Policy of 1993 applies to the audio recordings.