Ethnographic Overview and Assessment for Devil’s Postpile National Monument and Sequoia-Kings Canyon and Yosemite National Parks

Project ID: P13AC01223

Federal Agency: National Park Service

Partner Institution: Portland State University

Fiscal Year: 2013

Initial Funding: $50,000

Total Funding: $135,845

Project Type: Research

Project Disciplines: Cultural

National Park: Pacific West Region California

Principal Investigator: Deur, Doug

Agreement Technical Representative: Hardin, Jennifer

Abstract: This project is a collaborative effort by the National Park Service (NPS) and Portland State University (PSU) to develop an Ethnographic Overview and Assessment for three units of the NPS: Devil’s Postpile National Monument (DEPO), Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park (SEKI), and Yosemite National Park (YOSE).
All three parks were historically used and occupied by Native American communities, but documentation of these historical associations has not been fully or adequately summarized. The current study will seek to remedy this situation by systematically reviewing and presenting data on Native American uses of all three parks. This information will aid Native American communities in documenting and commemorating their history, will aid the NPS and park-associated tribes in maintaining a constructive long-term dialogue about the protection and public interpretation of park lands, and will aid the NPS in better managing places of cultural and historical importance in all three parks for the benefit of all Americans. The project will be conducted in phases, with Phase I products including a work plan and an Interim Report that includes an annotated bibliography of all key sources consulted to date, preliminary findings relating to tribal associations with DEPO and SEKI, an outline for remaining DEPO and SEKI work to be completed, and a discussion of anticipated research needs to inform the future phases of the project.