Mountain Maidu and Pioneers
Mountain Maidu and Pioneers

Author: Patricia Kurtz

Publisher: iUniverse

Published: 2010-11-24

Total Pages: 96

ISBN-13: 1450261760

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BEGINNING WITH THE GEOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION of Indian Valley, Pat continues with descriptions of Mountain Maidu life upon the arrival of white men searching for gold in the northeastern Sierra. Initially relations remain peaceful between the Indians and whites, but eventually conflicts arise as tribal lands were taken from the Indians. Later, some whites with government entities made unsuccessful attempts to civilize the natives. Additional demands were made upon the Indian to abandon his traditions and language. Some did embrace the new life style, but many continued to practice cultural traditions while being slowly drawn into a foreign way of life. These are their stories. This Masters Thesis written by Patricia Lindgren Kurtz in 1963 was termed excellent by Dr. Katherine Dresden, Professor of Education at Chico State College. Dr. Clarence F. McIntosh, Professor of History and former president of the conference of California Historical Societies said, Mrs. Kurtz has compiled the most valuable information ever collected about the Indians of her locale.

Decorative Art of the Southwestern Indians
Decorative Art of the Southwestern Indians

Author: Dorothy S. Sides

Publisher: Courier Corporation

Published: 2013-03-05

Total Pages: 127

ISBN-13: 0486155242

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The decorative art of the Indians of the American Southwest has long been recognized as one of the most beautiful art traditions in the primitive world. It demonstrates a technical skill with simple materials, a symbolic richness, and a faculty for creating rich effects by the imaginative use of ornament that are all almost unique. Museums use Pueblo ceramics for display pieces, and modern artists and crafters have turned eagerly to the handwork of prehistoric Indian women for inspiration and working ideas. Mrs. Dorothy Sides, a noted artist and collector, has gathered together and redrawn in black and white nearly 300 examples of the finest authentic Southwestern Indian decoration that she has seen in a lifetime of study. She has not limited her selection to one period or style, however; to make her book as useful as possible, she has selected material ranging from the thirteenth century great geometric art of the Pueblos to the handcrafts carried on by the nomadic and Pueblo peoples of the present. The main emphasis of this volume is on ceramic decoration, and Mrs. Sides includes pieces from the rich archeological sites of Pecos, Sikyatki, the Mimbres, and modern Pueblo pottery from Acoma, Zuni, Cochiti, and the Hopi. She also includes designs and motifs from the basketry of the Apache, Pima, and Papago; beadwork from the Mohave; authentic Zuni masks; Hopi kachina dolls; and sand paintings and blanket designs from the Navajo. This broad coverage of beautiful ornament illustrates many different art styles to fit every situation: geometric designs based upon balanced mirror fields of design, symbolic figures of the thunderbird, and modern stylizations. All is beautiful and imaginative. Any crafter working with ceramics will find this book indispensable as a source of rich, easily used, powerful design; workers in wood, weavers, metal workers, and leather workers will find that it will enlarge their decorative resources considerably. It also offers unusual and eye-catching designs for commercial artists who wish to do work suggesting travel, handcrafts, the Southwest, or the social sciences. Individual drawings are royalty-free and may be reproduced without fee or permission. "Worthy of an honored place in the library of aboriginal American art." — F. H. Hodge, Director, Southwestern Museum.

Native American Basketry
Native American Basketry

Author: Frank Porter

Publisher: Greenwood

Published: 1988-04-27

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13:

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This bibliography includes more than 1,100 entries from books, journals, newspaper articles, and dissertations concerning North American Indian basketry. More general cultural works with some information on basketry are also included, and the materials date from early ethnographic work in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to 1987. . . . The introduction offers a good overview of research in Native American basketry, and although the annotations vary greatly in thoroughness and length, they are generally useful. This unique, well-produced bibliography is recommended for collections supporting programs in anthropology, crafts, or Native American Studies. Choice Interest in Native American basketry dates from the late 1800s, when an enthusiastic public, together with curators, academic collectors, and archaeologists, first began to appreciate the value and uniqueness of these beautiful hand-crafted artifacts. This bibliography is the first comprehensive guide to publications on the subject. Organized by major cultural areas of North America, it offers annotated listings of books, journal articles, dissertations, theses, monographs, and selected newspaper articles published over the last 100 years. In his introductory essay, Porter discusses the history of Native American basket making and the findings and views of some of the anthropologists, archaeologists, and popular writers whose works contribute to our knowledge of the subject. The bibliography is divided into eleven sections, each dealing with a specific geographical/cultural area. Entries are cross-referenced, and a comprehensive index gives convenient access to authors, titles, and subjects.

Contemporary California Indian Basketry
Contemporary California Indian Basketry

Author: Bev Ortiz

Publisher:

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 734

ISBN-13:

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Baskets have been woven for at least 10,000 years in the area now known as the western United States. Originally created by California Indians as utilitarian objects for everyday family use, by the late 1800s baskets had become a commodity that provided much-needed income. Collector interest in baskets resulted in an expanding literature that focused on their collectability, promoted their making with largely store-bought, imported materials, and compared their techniques of fabrication. While most basketry literature, whether scholarly or popular, has largely concerned itself with the object (form, design, materials, technique, and function), since 1970, the literature on basketry has begun to shift its focus to the process and the weavers themselves. The present study begins by surveying the worldwide literature about basketry, with an emphasis on California Indian basketry. It recounts the history of the practice of basketry in California, which began to decline in the 1930s because of lack of need and interest, the economics of the Depression, and a desire to not stand out as Indian. Attention then shifts to organizational efforts by California Indians since 1940 to reverse this trend. By establishing basketry organizations, California Indian women sought to gain respect for their cultures within the dominant society, while, at the same time, rebuilding pride among the young. Based on 30 years of field research with hundreds of California Indian basketmakers statewide, the present study examines the effectiveness of organizational efforts to renew basketry, as well as impediments to its continued practice, including (1) lack of time to learn and weave, and (2) lack of access to properly managed basketry materials growing in safe areas free from chemical contamination. After detailing these issues and the solutions that California Indians have devised to resolve them, the study illustrates the diverse reasons why California Indians continue to make baskets and the varied ways they learn, through the stories of individual weavers, including biographies of four elder basketmakers whose influence was widespread. The humanity, tenacity, and resourcefulness of the weavers are highlighted, as they continue to find new ways to bring an old practice into the future.