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Conducting Ethnographic Research in the Archives CONDUCTING ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH IN THE ARCHIVES: MAPPING THE ACTIVIST AND ARTISTIC SUBJECTIVITIES OF FRANK LAPENA A Thesis Presented to the faculty of the Department of Anthropology California State University, Sacramento Submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in Anthropology by Valerie Marie Garcia FALL 2014 © 2014 Valerie Marie Garcia ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii CONDUCTING ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH IN THE ARCHIVES: MAPPING THE ACTIVIST AND ARTISTIC SUBJECTIVITIES OF FRANK LAPENA A Thesis by Valerie Marie Garcia Approved by: __________________________________, Committee Chair Terri A. Castaneda, Ph.D. __________________________________, First Reader Liam D. Murphy, Ph.D. ____________________________ Date iii Student: Valerie Garcia I certify that this student has met the requirements for format contained in the University format manual, and that this thesis is suitable for shelving in the Library and credit is to be awarded for the thesis. __________________________, Graduate Coordinator ___________________ Jacob L. Fisher, Ph.D. Date Department of Anthropology iv Abstract of CONDUCTING ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH IN THE ARCHIVES: MAPPING THE ACTIVIST AND ARTISTIC SUBJECTIVITIES OF FRANK LAPENA by Valerie Marie Garcia Archives are critical sites for investigating intersections in contested history, for mapping the social and material landscape upon which humans engage with one another—violently, unsteadily, compassionately, creatively—and for expanding the depth of our understanding of human nature in cultural context. Personal archive collections provide a partial but focused interpretation of this history—our history—through the eyes, heart, and mind of someone who was there, struggling with it, documenting the gains, the losses, the uncertainties, the firmly entrenched obstacles in the road and the creativity with which people transcend them everyday. The personal collection of Native artist and activist Frank R. LaPena (Wintu-Nomtipom), held by the Special Collections and University Archives, California State University, Sacramento, is a particularly powerful site for loosening the grip of oppressive forces and revealing the varied dimensions of human existence and experience that have been silenced for centuries. Based on my ethnographic research on LaPena’s collection, I highlight the ways that art and action can reshape history and make it more whole, more consistent, and more “truthful.” The broad scope of LaPena’s life and the wealth and breadth of materials he bequeathed—which include personal and professional correspondence, artwork, photographs, manuscripts, project files, and newspaper clippings—make this collection a particularly evocative and relevant site for v anthropological investigation, one that has the power to bring to light the actions of those individuals who make it their responsibility to reconcile the social inequities that humans create and reaffirm everyday. _______________________, Committee Chair Terri A. Castaneda, Ph.D. _______________________ Date vi DEDICATION For Frank LaPena, and all the artists and activists who light up their rightful time. vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis is a product of the concerted efforts of many individuals. First and foremost, I would like to express my utmost gratitude to my thesis committee chair, Dr. Terri A. Castaneda, for providing guidance and inspiration throughout this process. This project would not have been possible without her, and any success I have had during my time at Sacramento State, I owe to her. Any and all errors and shortcomings in my work are mine alone. I would also like to thank Dr. Liam Murphy, my first reader, for his invaluable suggestions, kinds words of encouragement, and ability to bring levity to the most daunting of situations. I am incredibly thankful to Jacob Fisher for taking the time to deftly review my thesis. I am indebted to the professors who expanded my knowledge of anthropology while at Sacramento State University: Dr. Data Barata, Dr. Joyce Bishop, Dr. Cindi SturtzSreetharan, Dr. Raghuraman Trichur, and Dr. David Zeanah. I would like to thank the staff in the Department of Special Collections and University Archives at Sacramento State University for their continuous support and for finding a place for me ‘in the archives.’ I would especially like to thank Department Head Sheila O’Neill for her helpful advice and for providing opportunities for me to flourish professionally and creatively. I am beholden to my fellow graduate students, Brittany Chilton, Carrie Cohen, Sarah Finn, and Amanda Murray, for sharing their friendship and intelligence in and out of the classroom. Together we have developed as scholars and as individuals, and this program would not have been as enriching without their brilliance. A special thank you goes to Sarah Finn, my partner in crime. Without her humor, heart, and strength of mind, I would not have made it through this program. viii To my family and friends “back home,” I thank you for all your love and unwavering support. I am most grateful to my mother and father, Leta and Richard X. Garcia, two of the strongest individuals I know: any good I have to give, I have acquired by their example. To my sister, Angela Gearheart, and my brother, Richard J. Garcia, and their growing families, thank you for the letters, photographs, and videos that would always remind me of what matters most in this world. I thank Daniel Fullmer for encouraging me to finish with grace. Lastly, I thank Libby Ann and Jamie Lou Garcia for their unconditional love and friendship. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Dedication............................................................................................................................... vii Acknowledgements................................................................................................................ viii Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 1 Statement of the Problem............................................................................................. 2 Elaboration of the Problem............................................................................. 3 Frank LaPena and His Collection................................................................... 4 Methodology................................................................................................................ 6 The Archives on Display: Exhibit Design as Preliminary Analysis............... 7 Ethnographic Encounters................................................................................ 9 Materiality and Virtuality ............................................................................. 11 A Life History............................................................................................... 13 A “Useful” Approach ................................................................................... 15 Structure of the Thesis ............................................................................................... 17 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................... 19 Anthropology and Ethnography In and Out of the Archives..................................... 19 Anthropology, Colonialism, and The Archives............................................ 20 Archives, Sovereignty, and Materiality........................................................ 22 The Power of the Archives ........................................................................... 23 The Archive as a Site of Subversion............................................................. 25 Archives of Resistance and Self-Determination........................................... 28 x Personal Archives of Resistance from a Postcolonial Perspective............... 32 Cultural Self-Representation and Ethnographic Authority......................................... 34 Native Anthropology and Self-Representation............................................. 37 Life History................................................................................................................ 40 Life as Narrative ............................................................................................ 42 Life Narratives.............................................................................................. 43 Current Approaches to Life Narrative .......................................................... 44 3. A (LIFE) HISTORY OF NATIVE AMERICAN ACTIVISM THROUGH ARCHIVAL PRODUCTION............................................................................................................... 46 Mapping the Complicated Terrain and Shifting Planes of Native American Identity.......................................................................................................... 47 Native American Identity in the U.S. Settler State....................................... 49 Articulating and Documenting Native Sovereignty .................................................. 52 The Red Power Movement ........................................................................... 57 Reclaiming Indian Land and Fighting for Self-Determination..................... 58 Rooting Identity in the Land......................................................................... 61 Searching for Identity in the Archives........................................................................ 68 Early Anthropology and Contemporary Rewritings....................................
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