native american Archives

Lecture: Native Baskets – Function and Art – CANCELLED

THIS PROGRAM IS CANCELLED. Speaker: Robin TenEyck Woven baskets have served essential functions in societies worldwide for thousands of years. However, there is also an artistry to creating beautiful baskets, and Robin TenEyck has been weaving exquisite ones for many years. In tonight’s program, Robin displays some of her baskets as well as Kumeyaay and Diegueno baskets from her collection. She also discusses the history of basket making among Southern California’s native people, and how the arrival of the railroads in California led to a significant shift from utilitarian to decorative baskets, prompting the establishment of trading posts and a growing interest in collecting baskets for display as artwork. At the ABDNHA Library. General Public: $12, Members: $10, Volunteers: $8. Register online or at the Nature Center, 760-767-3098.

Hike: Smugglers’ Canyon Overlook & Pictographs (Moderate) – FULL (waitlist)

Leader: Bruce Kelley, ABDNHA Volunteer HIKE IS FULL - PLEASE CALL ABDNHA at 760-767-3098 to get on waitlist. This hike is located in Blair Valley, off S2, and involves a 45-minute drive from the ABDNHA parking lot, with the last five miles on a jeep road that is rough in places and requires 4WD/high clearance. This is a three-mile (round-trip) hike past pictographs and a native American village to a beautiful overlook. Bring water, sunscreen, good shoes, and a 4WD vehicle. Carpooling is encouraged. Meet in the parking lot of ABDNHA no later than 7:50 am. No charge; call the Nature Center to reserve.

Lecture: Native Baskets – Function & Art

Speaker: Robin TenEyck Woven baskets have served essential functions in societies worldwide for thousands of years. However, there is also an artistry to creating beautiful baskets, and Robin TenEyck has been weaving exquisite ones for many years. In tonight’s program, Robin displays some of her baskets as well as Kumeyaay & Diegueno baskets from her collection. She also discusses the history of basket making among Southern California’s native people, and how the arrival of the railroads in California led to a significant shift from utilitarian to decorative baskets, prompting the establishment of trading posts and a growing interest in collecting baskets for display as artwork. At the ABDNHA Library. General Public: $12, Members: $10, Volunteers: $8. Register online or at the Nature Center, 760-767-3098.

Lecture: Where it All Began, El Presidio of San Diego

Speaker: Author and Historian Richard Carrico Join Richard Carrico as he explores Alta California’s first Spanish settlement at Presidio Hill in San Diego. Founded in 1769, the ruins of the mission and fort are now beneath the landscaped hills in Presidio Park. Carrico’s newly released book tells the stories of those who lived at the presidio, including the Kumeyaay people. One highlighted story is of Sinusin, a Kumeyaay woman who married a Spanish soldier and raised her family at the presidio. Carrico's extensive research draws from Spanish archives, Kumeyaay oral traditions, and nearly a decade of archaeological work at the site. In the ABDNHA Library. General Public: $12, Members: $10, Volunteers: $8. Register online or at the Nature Center, 760-767-3098.

SPECIAL ROCK ART WEEKEND: Dr. Whitley’s Lecture, Part 1 – Understanding Native Californian Rock Art

Speaker: David Whitley, Ph.D. The meanings of pictographs and petroglyphs have long been a mystery to most people, including archaeologists. The result has been a series of supposedly common-sense guesses, like “hunting magic” or “maps to water,” that were offered because people claimed Native Americans themselves did not know why these sites were made or how they were used. But the unpublished field notes of the state’s Native American tribes — the ethnographic record — some dating back to the 1870s, together with extensive published research, paint a different picture. With substantial research to identify and compile this widely scattered information, Dr. Whitley will explain how a clear understanding of the origins, meanings, and uses of the sites results, providing a better understanding and appreciation of the remarkable artistic and intellectual record of California rock art. In the ABDNHA Library. General Public: $12, Members: $10, ABDNHA Volunteers: $8. Register at abdnha.org or the Nature Center at 760-767-3098.

Field Trip: Ancient Lake Cahuilla

FIELD TRIP IS FULL. Call 760-767-3098 to get on waitlist. Leader: John Peterson, Hydrologist and…