About Us

This website serves as one of many projects undertaken by UC Riverside to affirm its positive partnerships with California Indians. In collaboration with tribes, UCR faculty and students are conducting research for new tribal museums, conducting oral histories with elders for tribal histories, helping to preserve vital photographic and documentary records, designing a certified site monitor program to help protect tribal cultural patrimony, embarking on studies of environmental, educational, and energy issues on reservations, and contributing to Takic language revitalization efforts. This is just a start. These efforts provide a good foundation for future projects.

With the launching of this website, UCR heralds its desire to create new and stronger collaborations with California tribes. Toward this goal, Chancellor France Córdova, Dean Patricia O’Brien of the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences and faculty at UCR envisage the creation of a Center for California Native Nations at UCR. This world-class institution will support interdisciplinary, tribally responsive research partnerships. Emerging on a campus with a unique historic connection to California Indians and at a university with a strong record of service to California nations, the Center will help ensure that the project of revitalization flourishes far into the future.

The University of California, Riverside is located near several reservations of Cahuilla, Serrano, Chemhuevi, Luiseño, Kumeyaay, Cupeño, and Tongva Indians. The UCR Center for California Native Nations will enhance the relationship between the tribes and the University by fostering programs of crucial importance to the Native Populations and facilitating the expansion of knowledge of the diverse cultures in our region.

The Center for California Native Nations will advance scholarly research focused on the rich and diverse Native American cultures of California. The Center will provide opportunities for research collaborations with California’s Native peoples that will benefit tribal communities and expand scholarly research in the field of Native Nations.

The Center for California Native Nations will offer curriculum, residential programs, conferences, publications, archives, and web-based media on issues pertaining to land and resources use and conservation, economic development, heritage, language, and culture so to engage and inform policy-makers about the implication of governmental and corporate actions. Its director-designate is Joel Martin, Costo Professor of American Indian Affairs.

American Indian Nations is designed to be a dynamic, informational tool for American Indian tribes, policy makers, scholars, students, and anyone interested in the past, present, and future of American Indian Affairs. Featured items on the website include: Academic Programs in American Indian Studies at UCR, Current Partnerships with California Indian tribes, Discussions and Debates on American Indian Issues, Past and Future Events and Conferences, the unique heritage and strategic vision for the future of American Indian Studies at UCR. The References and Resources section of the website will include Takic Language resources and interactive lessons, bibliographies for Southern California Indian nations, reprints of historic articles and features from The Indian Historian and The Weewish Tree (a resource for children and teachers). The website will be continually updated with news features, events at UCR and the surrounding reservations, and more resources. STAY TUNED!