Luwana Quitiquit | |
---|---|
![]() Quitiquit, 1979 | |
Born | Luwana Fay Quitiquit November 13, 1941 |
Died | December 23, 2011 | (aged 70)
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley |
Occupation(s) | Administrator, artist, and activist |
Years active | 1961–2011 |
Spouse | Ed Castillo |
Children | 1 |
Luwana Quitiquit (Pomo, November 13, 1941 – December 23, 2011) was a Native American administrator, activist, and basket weaver. During the Occupation of Alcatraz she worked as one of the cooks who provided food to those living on the island. Her career was as an administrator for various California Indian organizations. Subsequently, she became a well-known doll maker, basketweaver, jeweler, and teacher of Pomo handicrafts. In 2008, she and her family were disenrolled from the Robinson Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California. She fought the action claiming it was politically motivated until her death. Posthumously, in 2017, her membership, as well as for her other family members, was reinstated in the first known case where a tribe reversed its decision on membership termination without a court ruling.
Early life
[edit]Luwana Kay Quitiquit was born on November 13, 1941, in Isleton, Sacramento County, California to Marie (née Boggs) and Claro A. Quitiquit. Her mother was an Eastern Pomo and a member of the Robinson Rancheria of Pomo Indians of California.[1] Her father was from Caoayan, in the Ilocos Sur province of the Philippines.[2] Her entire family worked in agriculture as farm laborers in the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta. She attended the David Bixler Elementary School in Tracy, California and graduated from Tracy Joint Union High School.[1]
Career
[edit]After her graduation, Quitiquit began working as a secretary at the University of California, Berkeley.[1][3] In November 1969, she took her children, Alan and Christina Harrison, and Tyrone A. Douglas (1966–2004),[1][4] sailing from Sausalito, California to Alcatraz Island.[5][6] They participated in the Occupation of Alcatraz and along with Linda Aranaydo (Muscogee Creek), Quitiquit provided food for the people living on the island.[7] While on Alcatraz, she met Edward D. Castillo (Luiseño-Cahuilla), an activist and member of the initial board of directors for the Indians of All Tribes, with whom she would later marry and have a daughter, Suelumatra.[8][1] Quitiquit and her children stayed on the island until the occupation ended in 1971.[1]
After attending courses at the University of California, Riverside, Quitiquit completed her bachelor's degree from University of California, Berkeley in 1977.[1][9] During her schooling, she began taking basket weaving lessons from Mabel McKay,[1][10] last surviving tribe member of the Cache Creek Pomo nation and a world-renowned Pomo basket maker.[11] To reach McKay's home in Nice, California, Quitiquit had to travel over 80 miles.[10][12][13] After completing her studies, Quitiquit moved to San Bernardino, California and became the executive director of the San Bernardino Indian Center[14] and in 1979 worked in the Office of Criminal Justice Planning in Sacramento.[15]
By the early 1980s, Quitiquit was directing the Economic Advancement for Rural Tribal Habitats (EARTH) organization in Ukiah, which focused on economic development for American Indians living in Lake County, California, and in areas around Mendocino and Sonoma.[16][17] She worked to obtain state and federal grants to assist in community infrastructure projects for the Coyote Valley Reservation and Hopland, Laytonville, Manchester-Point Arena, Robinson, and Upper Lake Rancherias.[17] From 1986 through 2009 she represented the Robinson Rancheria on the InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council.[18] The council was designed to conserve and protect 7,100 acres of land recovered from Georgia Pacific Corporation and which was eventually split by giving 3,300 acres to the Sinkyone Wilderness State Park and the remaining 3,800 acres to the consortium of 10 federally recognized tribal groups.[19][20] Because of the need for native plants to make traditional baskets, she worked to establish gardens and pass on her knowledge of native plants to younger tribe members.[21]
Simultaneously with her work on the council, Quitiquit worked in Redwood Valley, California as deputy director of the Consolidated Tribal Health Project and participated in educational seminars.[22] Her vision of wellness for Native people included not only physical and mental health, but ties to artistic and cultural traditions.[23] When she retired, Quitiquit began working on and exhibiting her handicrafts more regularly. Though mostly known for her basketwork and cradle weavings, she also produced dolls made of acorns and jewelry made from traditional abalone, beads, nuts and shells.[13][10] Quitiquit organized a system to train Pomo weavers and preserve the traditional craft.[13] Using her skills as a grant writer, she was able to find funding to establish training courses in both weaving and gathering traditional materials needed to carry on the craft.[24] She taught one member from each of the seven Lake County Pomo tribes, who in turn trained others.[13] She also operated the Pomo Fine Art Gallery in Lucerne to give native artists a venue to market their works.[1]
Disenrollment
[edit]In 2008, Quitiquit and her entire family were terminated from tribal membership in the Robinson Rancheria.[1] The disenrollment occurred in a dispute which the Tribal Chair Tracey Avila characterized as removing improperly enrolled members. Avila stated that while the ousted members were definitely American Indian, she believed that they were enrolled in the wrong tribe.[25] Quitiquit maintained that the issue had to do with a disputed election, in which her family had supported Eddie "EJ" Crandall, who won the election but whose victory was set aside by the claim by Avila that he should be terminated from membership and was disqualified from running in the election.[25][26]
As a result of the disenrollments, Quitiquit and her family lost their tribal housing benefits, health care, jobs, education benefits and cultural ties,[25] as well as retirement benefits and elder meal services.[26] She worked to raise funds to mount a legal battle against the termination of membership.[1] In 2010, the Bureau of Indian Affairs refused to intervene, stating that the issue of tribal membership was an internal governance decision.[27] After the ruling, the Tribal Council convened a Tribal Court in 2011 to evaluate eviction orders for the family members.[28] During the trials, Quitiquit died and her family vowed to continue the quest for reinstatement to their tribe.[1]
Death and legacy
[edit]Quitiquit died on December 23, 2011, at her home in Nice, Lake County, California.[1] In 2012, the Tribal Court issued eviction notices for her family and posthumously for Quitiquit.[28] In 2015, Crandall was elected Tribal Chair and led a campaign to readmit disenrolled tribal members. Two years later, under his leadership, the Tribal Council voted to reinstate all members of the Quitiquit family and others who had been terminated from tribal membership in 2008.[29][30] The reinstatement was the first known case in the country where a tribe reversed its decision on membership termination without a court ruling.[29][31]
References
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Lake County News 2011.
- ^ Passenger Lists 1929, p. 103.
- ^ Smith & Warrior 2010, p. 31.
- ^ Lake County Record-Bee 2004.
- ^ Deetz 2019.
- ^ Hankin 2019.
- ^ Smith & Warrior 2010, pp. 31, 464.
- ^ Salgado 2018, p. 8.
- ^ The Sun-Telegram 1973, p. B8.
- ^ a b c Plant 2011.
- ^ Sarris 2013, p. x.
- ^ Sarris 2013, p. v.
- ^ a b c d Alliance for California Traditional Arts 2011.
- ^ Federal Register 1979, p. 21387.
- ^ Arditti 1979, p. B4.
- ^ The Ukiah Daily Journal 1982, p. 3.
- ^ a b The Press Democrat 1983, p. 22.
- ^ Manning 2011, p. 56.
- ^ Sinkyone 2020.
- ^ Poole 1996, p. 52.
- ^ Manning 2011, pp. 56–57.
- ^ The Ukiah Daily Journal 1993, p. 5.
- ^ Brown 2012, p. G1.
- ^ Lambert 2003, p. 12.
- ^ a b c Larson 2008a.
- ^ a b Larson 2008b.
- ^ Larson 2010.
- ^ a b Larson 2012.
- ^ a b Larson 2017.
- ^ Dunaway 2018.
- ^ The Seattle Times 2017.
Bibliography
[edit]- Arditti, Melva (November 12, 1979). "Indian Women and Their Aims (pt. 1)". The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, California. p. B4. Retrieved August 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. and Arditti, Melva (November 12, 1979). "Indians (pt. 2)". The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, California. p. B5. Retrieved August 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- Brown, Patricia Leigh (January 29, 2012). "Study Ties Artistic Traditions to Health (pt. 1)". The Modesto Bee. Modesto, California. p. G1. Retrieved August 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. and Brown, Patricia Leigh (January 29, 2012). "Health (pt. 2)". The Modesto Bee. Modesto, California. p. G3. Retrieved August 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- Deetz, Nanette (November 23, 2019). "Alcatraz Occupation Was 'Total Freedom' for a Kid". The Washington Times. Washington, D. C. Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 28, 2019. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
- Dunaway, Jaime (June 12, 2018). "The Fight Over Who's a "Real Indian"". Slate. New York, New York: The Slate Group. ISSN 1090-6584. Archived from the original on April 13, 2020. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- Hankin, McArdle (November 21, 2019). "After 50 Years, the Occupation of Alcatraz Continues to Fuel Red Power". The Peninsula Press. Stanford, California: Stanford University. Archived from the original on January 22, 2020. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
- Lambert, Leeann (January 13, 2003). "Conference Brings Pomo Basketry to Life: Keeping a Tradition Alive (pt. 1)". Ukiah Daily Journal. Ukiah, California. p. 1. Retrieved August 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. and Lambert, Leeann (January 13, 2003). "Weaving (pt. 2)". Ukiah Daily Journal. Ukiah, California. p. 12. Retrieved August 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- Larson, Elizabeth (April 19, 2010). "Bureau of Indian Affairs Upholds Robinson Disenrollments; Those Affected Vow to Fight Decision". Lake County News. Clearlake, California. Archived from the original on August 30, 2020. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- Larson, Elizabeth (December 6, 2008b). "Indian Disenrollments a Statewide, Nationwide Issue". Lake County News. Clearlake, California. Archived from the original on January 28, 2010. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- Larson, Elizabeth (February 14, 2017). "Robinson Rancheria Citizens Business Council Reverses Disenrollment of Dozens of Tribal Members". Lake County News. Clearlake, California. Archived from the original on September 11, 2019. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- Larson, Elizabeth (December 5, 2008a). "Robinson Rancheria Council Begins Disenrollment of Dozens of Tribal Members". Lake County News. Clearlake, California. Archived from the original on February 11, 2009. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- Larson, Elizabeth (May 9, 2012). "Robinson Rancheria Evicts Five Disenrollees and Their Families". Lake County News. Clearlake, California. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- Manning, Beth Rose Middleton (2011). Trust in the Land: New Directions in Tribal Conservation. Tucson, Arizona: University of Arizona Press. ISBN 978-0-8165-0229-5.
- Plant, Pennie Opal (November 2, 2011). "California Pomo Native Art Show: Luwana Quitiquit and Alan Harrison". Patch. Albany, California. Archived from the original on August 29, 2020. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
- Poole, William (November–December 1996). "Return of the Sinkyone" (PDF). Sierra. San Francisco, California: Sierra Club. pp. 51–52, 54–55, 72. ISSN 0161-7362. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
- Salgado, Ernie C. Jr. (October 1, 2018). "Edward D. Castillo: Visionary, Author, and Educator" (PDF). The American Indian Reporter. San Jacinto, California. p. 8. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
- Sarris, Greg (2013). Mabel McKay: Weaving the Dream. Berkeley, California: University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-27588-1.
- Smith, Paul Chaat; Warrior, Robert Allen (2010). Like a Hurricane: The Indian Movement from Alcatraz to Wounded Knee (Large Print ed.). New York, New York: The New Press. ISBN 978-1-4587-7872-7.
- "Indian Agency Strives to Put Jobs on Reservations". The Press Democrat. Santa Rosa, California. April 17, 1983. p. 22. Retrieved August 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Indians Held Thanksgiving Dinner at UCR". The Sun-Telegram. San Bernardino, California. November 22, 1973. p. B8. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
- "Luwana Quitiquit". Acta Online. Fresno, California: Alliance for California Traditional Arts. 2011. Archived from the original on August 29, 2020. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
- "Luwana Quitiquit, 1941–2011". Lake County News. Clearlake, California. December 27, 2011. Archived from the original on August 28, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
- "Native Americans Will Confer on Tribal Business Entreprises". Ukiah Daily Journal. Ukiah, California. October 28, 1982. p. 3. Retrieved August 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Next 500 Years Focus of Seminar". Ukiah Daily Journal. Ukiah, California. March 17, 1993. p. 5. Retrieved August 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Northern California Tribe to Reinstate Nearly 70 Members". The Seattle Times. Seattle, Washington. Associated Press. February 21, 2017. Archived from the original on September 27, 2017. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- "Our Work". Sinkyone.Org. Ukiah, California: InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council. 2020. Archived from the original on August 29, 2020. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
- "Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at Seattle, Washington, 4 September 1929 – 21 October 1929". FamilySearch. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. August 17, 1929. NARA Series M1383, Roll 152, line 17. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
- "Tyrone Aaron Douglas". Lake County Record-Bee. Lakeport, California. October 1, 2004. Archived from the original on August 29, 2020. Retrieved August 29, 2020 – via Legacy.com.
- "U.S. Department of Labor—Employment and Training Administration, Office of Administration and Management: Fiscal Year 1979 Native American Allocations". Federal Register. 44 (70). Washington, D.: Government Printing Office: 21385–21396. April 10, 1979. ISSN 0097-6326.