Opening day ceremonies, January 23, 2005. 1. Maria Leilan Dominguez and Dee Dominguez, 2-3. The People of California exhibition, 4. The People of the Southwest exhibition, 5. Apache Gan Dancers, 6. John L. Gray, President and CEO Autry National Center, 7. Dr. Duane King, Executive Director, Southwest Museum of the American Indian, 8. Anthony Morales, Chief of Tongva / Gabrielino Tribe, 9. California State Senator Jack Scott, Senate District 21, 10. Ohlone Dancers. All photos: Tony Dontscheff.
”Your environment teaches you how to live. You live within your environment unless you alter it.“ — Barbara Drake, Gabrielino / Tongva
Come see the rededication of two galleries at the Southwest Museum of the American Indian–the museum's first remodeling in 20 years. Trace the history of Indian cultures through the diverse objects they have created, as Native voices describe the adaptation and continuance of their traditions in the Southwest and in California–home of the largest urban American Indian population in the nation.
The People of California
Native peoples have lived in California for at least 10,000 years. They still live here today.
California Indians came to this area for the same reasons people continue to come here: for the climate, natural resources, and room to expand. In fact, people have been harvesting the wild bounty of California for thousands of years. Its plentiful resources include grasses, seeds, root crops, nuts, cactus, land mammals, birds, fish, sea mammals, shellfish, minerals, and raw materials such as obsidian and steatite.
When the first Europeans arrived in Alta California in 1542, California Indians lived in about 60 tribal areas. Each tribe was divided into smaller bands of extended family members. These tribes and bands spoke more than 100 languages or dialects. They generally lived in groups of small villages. The communities each had different traditions and ways of doing things, but they also shared common activities:
Moving to gather seasonal resources
Managing their environments to enhance natural resources
Making many types of baskets for daily use
Starting in the mid-1700s, rapid, often violent colonization disrupted California Indian life. Under the Spanish, Mexicans, and European Americans, American Indians suffered starvation, forced labor, disease, and military rule. Native populations declined drastically. Although people adapted to new ways of life such as herding cattle and using new plants, they did not abandon their traditional beliefs, many of which continue today.
Along the Southern Coast, people took advantage of the rich sea resources and established semi-permanent villages.
The limited resources of the Desert and Mountain areas could not support large concentrations of people. They lived in small groups that were almost constantly on the move.
Central California cultures depended on acorns to support large village populations.
The dependable resources of Northwestern California’s rivers and streams allowed for a large population.
People of the Southwest: Changing Traditions
This exhibition at the Norman F. Sprague Jr. Auditorium traces the history and adaptation of the
cultures of the Southwest through the area’s art.
Early cultures, such as the people of the Colorado Basin (Anasazi), decorated their baskets and other cultural materials
with elaborate designs and symbols. The designs added beauty to the pieces and served to create cultural identity. As early
as 1000 BC, these people moved away from a nomadic lifestyle and settled in permanent villages to farm. Eventually, art
traditions shifted from the production of portable baskets to pottery. The pots were also richly decorated, but like the
baskets, they remained a tool for everyday use.
When the Navajo and Apache moved into the Southwest from Canada, they brought along their own art traditions. However,
they also borrowed designs and styles from the Pueblo people. The Navajo, in particular, worked closely with Pueblo artists
and learned the finer points of weaving. The Apache became known for their fine basketry and hide cut-work.
Native art traditions were also dramatically affected by the Spanish, who were the first Europeans in the area. They introduced
silversmithing, which the Navajo adopted and soon excelled at, creating ornate concho belts and jewelry. The Spanish also brought
with them religious objects related to Christianity. Many Pueblo artists created their own interpretations of these objects.
The openings of the Santa Fe Trail in 1821 and the Santa Fe Railroad in 1880 brought an influx of Anglo-Americans looking
to experience Southwest culture. A cash economy emerged wherein artists created works that appealed to these new tourists
and collectors. The demand for souvenirs and collectibles dramatically affected the size, shape, and design of traditional
arts.
Today, Native artists of the Southwest continue to mix traditional designs with new media to create innovative art forms.
Navajo wearing blankets, c. 1840-1880. Photo by Lawrence Reynolds.
The Southwest Museum, one of the nation's preeminent anthropological institutions,
is dedicated to the preservation and presentation of the history and culture of the
American Indian. In support of its mission, the museum collects, preserves, and protects
the art and artifacts of our First Nations. The museum fulfills its mission through
permanent and temporary exhibitions, innovative public programming, maintenance and enhancement
of its collections, furtherance of scholarly research, and support of contemporary
art development. The museum, in cooperation with American Indian Nations, seeks to
present their history, art, dances, music, lifeways, and religion in a sensitive
and enlightening manner.
Since its inception in 1907, the Southwest Museum has played an important role in
developing the arts and humanities as they illuminate the cultures of indigenous people.
Nestled majestically above downtown Los Angeles and the historic Arroyo Seco, the landmark
building is an example of Mission Revival architecture. Founded by Charles Lummis and members of the Southwest Society, it has the distinct honor
of being the oldest museum in the City of Los Angeles.
“The museum's collections, recognized around the world, are
a source of pride, validation and empowerment for the American Indian community.”
The Plains Hall. On June 11th, 2004 Darrel Norman, an enrolled member of the Pikuni Blackfeet Nation,
raised a tipi that he created (pictured) as a special commission by the Southwest Museum of the American Indian. Photo by Topi Arvi.
Ceramics by Nampeyo, Hopi-Tewa c. 1900. Photo by Lawrence Reynolds.
The museum's four permanent exhibitions explore the
native cultures of California, the Northwest Coast. the Great Plains, and the Southwest. Each
hall portrays the general culture patterns of Indians societies—subsistence, social and
political organization, religion, and art. Since 1920, the gateway to the museum has been through a
subterranean diorama gallery depicting historical Indian lifeways. The museum also features
changing galleries that present temporary and traveling exhibitions.
The Museum's collections, recognized around the world, are
a source of pride, validation, and empowerment for the American Indian community. The collections
contain more than 350,000 objects including: 11,000 pieces of pottery; 13,000 baskets; 1,000
Kachina dolls; 1,300 Navajo textiles; 600 Pueblo textiles; and beadwork, costumes, clothing,
tools, and paintings from the Great Plains, Plateau, and Eastern Woodland Nations.
The Museum's collections are supported and enhanced by the holdings of the Braun
Research Library. The internationally recognized library serves as a major center of information about archeology
and anthropology of the Americas and the history of the American West.
The library contains 50,000 volumes, 700 manuscript collections,
over 100,000 photographs, 900 sound recordings, and more than 150 linear feet of ephemera material.
It includes personal collections of such noteworthy scholars as Charles F. Lummis, George
Bird Grinnell, George Wharton James, and Webb Hodge.
“The museum, in cooperation with American Indian Nations, seeks to
present their history, art, dances, music, lifeways and religion in a sensitive
and enlightening manner.”
