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10

Methodology

To better understand the experiences of the Kawaiisu

over time it is important to be aware of the historical

context and some of the larger historical trends taking

place in California. Technical as well as nontechnical

literature (documents, manuscripts, biographies, etc.) were

researched in order to provide a brief overview of the

history of Indian and white relations of California and of

the Tehachapi area which precedes the presentation of the

interviews. Kawaiisu voices are included in the historical

overview. Knowledge of the local historical context

facilitates a greater understanding of the world of the

Kawaiisu.

According to Glaser and Strauss (1967), the library is

full of "voices begging to be heard" and in the process of

researching, I stumbled upon an interview conducted by an

anthropologist in 1938 with an elderly woman of the

neighboring Tubatulabal tribe who spoke, in her own words,

of her interactions with the Kawaiisu (Voegelin, 1941).

This and other accidental discoveries of interviews are

voices with stories to tell. I was also furnished with

taped interviews of an elderly Kawaiisu couple conducted by

a researcher almost 40 years ago (Klein, 1958). In these

tapes, the couple spoke about their daily lives and

perceptions of spirituality and God, which differed from

their non-Indian neighbors.