The Story of Indian Canyon Today - The Canyon Museum

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UCSC Students Mali Lopowsky and Tom Morgan studied and worked all year to bring a museum of Costanoan/Ohlone life and culture to life.

July 17, 1997
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Linda Yamane, Ohlone/Rumsien teacher and builder crafted these tule replicas from everyday Costanoan Life. Tules made strong, comfortable housing such as the house shown here. Tule boats ferried hunters and travelers all over once-extensive wetland waterways such as the the now shrunken Elkhorn Slough and Rivers such as the Pajaro and San Benito. Families might entertain themselves at any time by gaming. These dice made from nuts were never far away. Gambling was very popular among Costanoan people. Costanoans had a lot of time to indulge in social fun since extremely plentiful game herds/flocks and bountiful plant supplies made "bringing home the bacon" relatively simple and quick. The small mortar is used for small jobs like grinding dyes and/or medications. The basket is a loose weave willow variation - baskets were the most common form of storage and containers for all facets of Costanoan life at one time.

This replica of a Costanoan arrow uses all native materials Which Mali and Tom painstakingly learned to obtain and finish. The paddle-like tool is used for stirring acorn mush in the basket where it is cooked. All winter, 1997. Mali and Tom planned and constructed the museum display. this photo was taken at the UCSC campus in Santa Cruz, about 60 miles borth of the Canyon Allotment Lands.

more to come

The museum was a cooperative effoert between members of the Costanoan/Ohlone community, UCSC interns Mali and Tom and Costanoan Indian Research. CIR staffer, Russ Imrie helped Mali and Tom through the installation of track lighting, YES! TRACK LIGHTING! that runs on our solar powered wiring system. This photo shows an exhausted trio after 10 hours of drilling, crawling, wiring and mounting. We basked in the just hooked up lights. l. to r. Russ Imrie, Tom Morgan, Mali Lipowsky .

Return to the Costanoan-Ohlone Indian Canyon home page.


Linda Yamane, Ohlone/Rumsien teacher and builder crafted these tule replicas from everyday Costanoan Life. Tules made strong, comfortable housing such as the house shown here. Tule boats ferried hunters and travelers all over once-extensive wetland waterways such as the the now shrunken Elkhorn Slough and Rivers such as the Pajaro and San Benito.	Families might entertain themselves at any time by gaming. These dice made from nuts were never far away. Gambling was very popular among Costanoan people. Costanoans had a lot of time to indulge in social fun since extremely plentiful game herds/flocks and bountiful plant supplies made "bringing home the bacon" relatively simple and quick. The small mortar is used for small jobs like grinding dyes and/or medications. The basket is a loose weave willow variation - baskets were the most common form of storage and containers for all facets of Costanoan life at one time.

This replica of a Costanoan arrow uses all native materials Which Mali and Tom painstakingly learned to obtain and finish. The paddle-like tool is used for stirring acorn mush in the basket where it is cooked.	All winter, 1997. Mali and Tom planned and constructed the museum display. this photo was taken at the UCSC campus in Santa Cruz, about 60 miles borth of the Canyon Allotment Lands.
	more to come
The museum was a cooperative effoert between members of the Costanoan/Ohlone community, UCSC interns Mali and Tom and Costanoan Indian Research. CIR staffer, Russ Imrie helped Mali and Tom through the installation of track lighting, YES! TRACK LIGHTING! that runs on our solar powered wiring system. This photo shows an exhausted trio after 10 hours of drilling, crawling, wiring and mounting. We basked in the just hooked up lights. l. to r. Russ Imrie, Tom Morgan, Mali Lipowsky	.