Treasures from Native California ─ The Legacy of Russian Exploration

The brief Russian presence in California yielded some of the earliest ethnography of Native Californians and some of the best collections of their material culture. Unstudied by western scholars because of their being housed in Russian museums, they are presented here for the first time in an English language volume. Descriptions of early nineteenth-century travelers such as von Wrangel and Voznesenskii are followed by a catalog of objects ranging from hunting weapons to household objects to ritual dress to musical instruments, games, and gift objects. An essential volume for those interested in the ethnology, archaeology, art, and cultures of Native Californians.

The late Travis Hudson was Curator of Anthropology at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. A specialist on the Chumash people of California, he was author of numerous books, articles, and reports on the subject, including sailing technology, rock art, archaeoastronomy, and material culture. He coauthored, with Thomas Blackburn, the five volumes of The Material Culture of the Chumash Interaction Sphere. Craig Bates is former Curator of Ethnography at the Yosemite Museum. A specialist in basketry, he is author of over 100 articles and monographs on western Native American materials culture and history. Thomas Blackburn is emeritus professor of anthropology at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. He has published extensively on symbolic anthropology and native peoples of California. He is recipient of the Fredrickson Lifetime Achievement Award of the Society for California Archaeology. Glenn J. Farris is a Senior State Archaeologist for the California State Parks. He is a recipient of both the Fredrickson Lifetime Achievement Award and the Baumhoff Special Achievement Award of the Society for California Archaeology. Stephen D. Watrous is emeritus professor of history at Sonoma State University and an expert on the Russian experience in America.