![]() | Antelope Valley Indian MuseumBrochure |
Brochure of Antelope Valley Indian Museum State Historic Park (SHP) in California. Published by California Department of Parks and Recreation.
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Antelope Valley
Indian Museum
State Historic Park
Our Mission
The mission of California State Parks is
to provide for the health, inspiration and
education of the people of California by helping
to preserve the state’s extraordinary biological
diversity, protecting its most valued natural and
cultural resources, and creating opportunities
for high-quality outdoor recreation.
California State Parks supports equal access.
Prior to arrival, visitors with disabilities who
need assistance should contact the park at
(661) 946-3055. If you need this publication in an
alternate format, contact interp@parks.ca.gov.
CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS
P.O. Box 942896
Sacramento, CA 94296-0001
For information call: (800) 777-0369
(916) 653-6995, outside the U.S.
711, TTY relay service
www.parks.ca.gov
Antelope Valley Indian Museum
State Historic Park
15701 East Avenue M
Lancaster, CA 93535
(661) 946-3055
www.avim.parks.ca.gov
© 2005 California State Parks (Rev. 2018)
“
Nestled in the rocks and
buttes of the Mojave
Desert on Piute Butte
is a precious gem that
contributes immeasurably
to the mosaic beauty of
the desert, the Antelope
Valley Indian Museum.”
– Shirley Harriman
Antelope Valley Woman Magazine
S
tanding snugly among the
majestic granite outcroppings of
Piute Butte, the Antelope Valley
Indian Museum incorporates
the bedrock into its interior
and exterior design. The folk
art construction of this one-ofa-kind building—listed on the
National Register of Historic
Places—is a Tudor Revival-style
structure, inside of which is incorporated an
entire natural rock formation. Located in the
Mojave Desert at the northeastern corner of
Los Angeles County, the museum displays
artifacts of the American Indian groups of
three major cultural regions—the Southwest,
the Great Basin, and California.
PARK HISTORY
American Indian Peoples
At the end of the Ice Age, lakes, springs, and a
variety of natural food resources provided the
native people with all they needed to survive
and thrive here. For at least 4,000 years,
groups traded with each other along vast
routes that extended from Mexico to Northern
California, and from the coast to
the Southwest.
Artifacts discovered by archaeologists
have been dated as far back as 11,000 years,
though little is known of these ancient
cultures. Later artifacts attest to the everyday
lives of these people over time. Grinding
tools reveal how they processed plants for
food, while spear and arrow points provide
insight into their hunting methods.
Perhaps as many as 2,000
years ago, speakers of the
Shoshonean language
group—the Kitanemuk,
Tataviam, Kawaiisu, and
Serrano cultures—became
the valley’s inhabitants. In
the late 1700s, their lives were
drastically changed by the
arrival of the Spanish and
other Europeans.
Franciscan priest Father Francisco Garcés
passed among the native people in 1776
on a trip through the Mojave Desert,
keeping a diary that has been invaluable in
determining what groups lived here. Contact
with European and American immigrants
increased gradually until the Indians
found themselves being “resettled” in the
mission system.
In 1853 Fort Tejon was established just
west of the valley, ostensibly to “protect”
the Indians. Though many Indians deserted
the fort over the years, the U.S. government
continued relocating them to reservations
into the 1900s.
THE COLLECTORS
Howard Arden Edwards, a theatrical set
painter and self-taught artist, so admired
the grandeur of the Antelope Valley that
he decided to make Piute Butte his home.
In 1928 he homesteaded 160 acres, and
with his wife and teenage son started
construction on their home. The home
included an exhibit area that Edwards called
his Antelope Valley Indian Research Museum
to display his large collection of prehistoric
and ethnographic American Indian artifacts.
In 1939 Grace Wilcox Oliver, a student of
anthropology, bought the Edwards home.
She added her own collections, converted
the living quarters to exhibit rooms, and
opened it in the early 1940s as the Antelope
Valley Indian Museum. Ms. Oliver operated
the museum for more than three decades,
continuing to add to the collection over time.
In 1979, with the support of local groups
and individuals, the State of California
purchased the museum. Grace Oliver
donated its artifacts at that time.
California State Parks designated the
museum as one of its regional Indian
museums in the mid-1980s. The collection
of prehistoric, historic, and contemporary
artifacts comes from various geographic
regions: the Southwest region is represented
in the Kachina Hall and Southwest Room;
the upstairs California Hall houses artifacts
from California Indian cultures. The Great
Basin and Antelope Valley rooms present the
peoples of the western Great Basin.
THE COLLECTIONS
Many of the museum’s thousands of artifacts
are rare or one-of-a-kind items:
Pottery — A variety of storage, cooking, utility,
and decorative types originating
from the Southwestern and Southern
California cultures.
Baskets—Twined and coiled baskets, bowls,
cradleboards, hats, and footwear from three
cultural regions were used for storage,
carrying, winnowing, and cooking, as well as
for decorative and ceremonial purposes.
Food preparation tools — Bowls and cooking
vessels were made of pottery, stone, and
basketry. Stone utensils include mortars and
pestles for grinding acorns and seeds.
Hunting / fishing equipment—Spears, darts,
and arrows tipped with flaked stone points
were the Indians’ primary hunting tools.
Fishhooks of bone and shell were also used.
Work tools — Knives, anvils, drills, scrapers,
axes, and arrow-shaft straighteners were made
of flaked and ground stone.
Clothing—Clothing items include a Hopi
men’s wearing robe (circa 1860) and fragments
of 2,500-year-old sea grass garments made by
California coastal and Channel Islands groups.
Textiles — The museum displays a number
of Navajo rugs, mats, saddle blankets, and a
chief’s wearing blanket.
Adornment — Jewelry made by various
cultural groups is on display.
Paintings — The museum
displays several tempera
paintings by Navajo
and Zuni artists,
as well as murals, paintings,
drawings, and design motifs by
Howard Arden Edwards.
Katsina Dolls—Originating from
the Hopi Tribe, authentic katsina
dolls are carved from cottonwood
root and decorated with fabric,
paint, feathers, beads, and
yarn. The dolls are an important
element in Hopi (and some other
Puebloan) religious expressions.
In the Antelope Valley Indian
Museum, exhibit styles of former
owners blend with contemporary
exhibits. They illustrate more than 80 years
and several eras of evolution and change
in the way American Indian materials are
displayed and interpreted in museums such
as this one.
The museum has made every attempt
to provide reliable identification and
descriptions of the artifacts, but staff
cannot guarantee complete accuracy.
If any errors are found, please contact
the curator at (661) 946-3055.
INTERPRETIVE SALES
The interpretive sales area features authentic
handcrafted American Indian jewelry, katsina
dolls, and pottery. Publications on American
Indian history and crafts are also available.
ACCESSIBLE FEATURES
The park’s terrain affords no wheelchairaccessible activities here. However,
parking, restrooms, and routes of
travel meet current accessibility guidelines.
Accessibility is continually improving. For
updates, visit http://access.parks.ca.gov.
PLEASE REMEMBER
• Pets are not permitted in the museum
or on the nature trail; horses are not
permitted in the park.
• No food, drinks, or smoking are allowed
inside the museum.
• Call the park to make advance
arrangements for guided tours
(led on designated weekdays only, for
groups of ten or more).
• Guided tours for school groups (led on
designated weekdays only) are free
and require advance arrangements.
Adult tours are also available.
• The park is open only on weekends.
• Admission is charged.
• The park closes when the museum closes.
NEARBY STATE PARKS
• Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve
15101 Lancaster Road
Lancaster 93534
(661) 724-1180 or 946-6092
• Saddleback Butte State Park
Avenue J and 170th Street East
Lancaster 93534 (661) 946-6092
This park is supported in part through a
nonprofit organization. For information contact:
Friends of the Antelope Valley Indian Museum
P.O. Box 1171 • Lancaster, CA 93534
(661) 946-3055
Antelope Valley Indian Museum
State Historic Park
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© 2005 California State Parks (Rev. 2018)
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