Applied Research for People

All my research was conducted at the request of American Indian reservations, individuals, or their attorneys. Reports and results went to them and were published with their approval. Due to potential legal use, all work had to be double checked; ethnographic interviews with many elders were cross checked. To be a credible witness in court and before various agencies, I was never an "advocate" but rather a "witness." I made it plain to all that I might at times make statements they did not like but that I could neither stretch nor ignore the records. I could not ignore unpleasant data but must accurately account for all. I must be able to prove my statements for legal purposes, a much more demanding task than theoretical research. Further, as factionalism (really their own political parties) was always present, I made clear to all that I did not work for any faction, but rather to clarify the records and hopefully help resolve problems. As a result of these methods, theoretical breakthroughs have developed.</jats:p

Slicks in the San Luiseño Area

Although I have not seen the slicks described by True and Waugh (1981:84-115), a notable slick exists on a vertical rock face near the north end of Rincon Reservation which I will describe

Las repercusiones de los europeos en la cultura kumiai

Los europeos que llegaron a la conquista, colonización y catequización de las Californias fueron observados en un principio por los aborígenes con asombro y temor, pero en la medida en que se adueñaban de la tierra donde decenas de comunidades kumiai habitaban en íntimo equilibrio con su entorno natural, sus actividades se tornaron agresivas, rebeldes y finalmente en desánimo. Aquellas comunidades que una vez fueron dueñas de las tierra tuvieron que cederlas y sujetarse a nuevas normas y costumbres, no obstante, como lo demuestra en última instancia la autora en este trabajo, los kumiai no van a desaparecer sino siempre van a estar ahí.</jats:p

Las repercusiones de los europeos en la cultura kumiai

Los europeos que llegaron a la conquista, colonización y catequización de las Californias fueron observados en un principio por los aborígenes con asombro y temor, pero en la medida en que se adueñaban de la tierra donde decenas de comunidades kumiai habitaban en íntimo equilibrio con su entorno natural, sus actividades se tornaron agresivas, rebeldes y finalmente en desánimo. Aquellas comunidades que una vez fueron dueñas de las tierra tuvieron que cederlas y sujetarse a nuevas normas y costumbres, no obstante, como lo demuestra en última instancia la autora en este trabajo, los kumiai no van a desaparecer sino siempre van a estar ahí

Kuuchamaa: The Kumeyaay Sacred Mountain

While over the years I have been able to reconstruct a few portions of the Kumeyaay religious beliefs, the occasion for discussing my fragmentary reconstruction had not occurred. To discuss these matters under ordinary circumstances would be to cause someone's death. Thus, passage of the National Environmental Policy Act and the Native American Religious Freedom Act, which provided the opportunity to protect the sacred mountain, Kuuchamaa, presented the opportunity opportunity to develop a more complete and correct understanding of the moralistic and mystical philosophy of the Kumeyaay religion. Further, the Kumeyaay elders, having become aware of the published descriptions of their society and their religion and desiring that more correct information be presented, have asked that this material be published

Evans-Wentz: Cuchama and Sacred Mountains

Cuchama and Sacred Mountains. W. Y. Evans-Wentz. Frank Waters and Charles L. Adams, editors, Chicago: University of Ohio Swallow Press, 1981, 196 pp., $22.95 (cloth)