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Research into non-material aspects of culture and

identity that is from a Native point of view is rare in the

academic world, especially research that pertains to non-

federally recognized or landless tribes or bands. In recent

years, California Indians have taken the initiative in

telling their own stories in publications, such as the

quarterly periodical. News From Native California; An

Inside View of the California Indian World. This and other

local publications and newsletters provide a forum for the

telling of the history and experiences of California Indians

from their own perspective.

Research Objectives

Today, numerous tribes like the Kawaiisu are not

recognized by the federal government, while other tribes
established special relations known as the federal trust

relationship (which includes federal aid and protection).
As a result of the federal government's refusal to recognize

all tribes, numerous tribes in California as well as in
other states, have been declared extinct or non-existing in

a political sense. Despite not having a political

relationship with the federal government, it is known among

locals, especially Native peoples, that many such groups are
in fact not extinct, politically or culturally (Castillo,

1994: 334). The founders of the Tehachapi Museum may have
regarded the Kawaiisu culture to be extinct since the

Kawaiisu are not a federally recognized tribe and the pre-