Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Early Native American study sources

This is a primary source of information on the religious beliefs and practices of the Luiseño people, who resided in what is now North San Diego and Orange counties in California. DuBois spent years with the remaining Native Southern Californians, and her ethnological work is of continuing value. This monograph includes information on ceremonials, mythology and lore. There are descriptions of dozens of songs used in magical and ritual context. She includes two versions of the Luiseño creation myth cycle, one of the most extensive in the literature of Californian creation mythology.
 
This is an 'interrogatorio,' a survey taken in 1811 by the Spanish government of Mexico regarding the status of the Native Californians at each mission in Alta California, translated and heavily annotated by A.L. Kroeber. Along with Boscana's account, this one of the few glimpses we have of the Native Californians, when pre-contact individuals were still alive. The accounts vary from friar to friar, but some are very detailed and mention completely unknown placenames and languages. There are reasonably value-free descriptions of religious beliefs, mythology, language, dance, music and ethnobotany.
 
This is one of the few ethnographic studies of the original religious practices of the Native American residents of San Diego county. Called Diegueño by Europeans after the mission which named the city, they today call themselves Kumeyaay, a term of unknown meaning.

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