Spiritual rituals have always been an important aspect of life for Antelope
Valley Native American groups. Original drawing by Jonathan Baker.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, most Native American residents
remaining in the Antelope Valley blended, to some degree, into the European
culture expanding all around them. Knowledge of traditional lifeways was passed
orally through families, but the binding group ties of pre-contact times had
disappeared. Intermarriage with other culture groups further eroded what had
been the sustaining cultural base.
World War II and its aftermath brought a new migration of Native American
residents to the Antelope Valley. Many who had served in the military chose
not to return to their former reservation homes and remained in Los Angeles
and its surrounding vicinities. In addition, "Urban Indian programs” relocated
many people from their homelands into the Los Angeles area during this period.
A number of these Native American families migrated from the Los Angeles basin to the
Antelope Valley over several decades in search of jobs, affordable homes, and
as an escape from problems related to congested city living.
There are no formal reservations or rancherias in the Antelope Valley. However,
its Native American population was estimated in the late 1990s to be approximately 16,000.
These peoples represent tribes and groups from throughout the United States
and other areas in the Western hemisphere. Several intertribal groups have
established councils in Antelope Valley. Periodic local cultural events, such
as gatherings, powwows, and cultural fairs, highlight the continuing effort
by the Native American residents of Antelope Valley to preserve and revitalize
their cultural identity.
The Native American people remain an enduring element in this diverse society.
We all benefit from their incredible history and tenacity:
- Their long occupancy marks the landscape with projectile points
that date from at least 12,000 to 100 years ago, deep food processing mortar
holes
in bedrock outcroppings, fascinating petroglyphs and pictographs, and traces
of ancient village sites, all attesting to the adaptive
ingenuity of these
ancestral groups.
- Their example of cultural perseverance through time, in the face
of all odds, is remarkable. Currently, they are working to strengthen their
cultural base through legislative, business, and educational efforts.
- Their ongoing contributions toward maintaining and reinforcing
their heritage through music, dance, oral history, gatherings, and many other
traditional
cultural expressions are tributes to human endurance and continuity.
Antelope Valley Native American Peoples
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