Native Californians

Project: Native California Sovereignty Support

Principal Investigator: Charlotte Sunseri

Client/Partner: Native California communities, California Indian Legal Services

Summary: For eight years, we have partnered with Native California groups (including the Mono Lake Paiute and Dunlap Mono communities) to support bids for federal recognition with documentation required for this petition. The project focuses on community mapping, historical and archival study, genealogical study, oral history collection, and digitization of tribal records.

Timeline: 2012-Ongoing.

Outcomes: Possibilities for student research and internships for students interested in collaborating with Native California communities. Student volunteers, interns, and researchers must be approved by tribal councils.

Student Opportunities: There are opportunities for funded student research assistantships and individual student MA projects and theses.

Student Researchers: Michael Boero, Julianne Cadden, Kris Cameron, Jillian Ferini, Robert Gelb, Arianna Heathcote, Nancy Johnson, Alisha Ragland, Wil Reibach, Erik Savage, Rebecca Spitzer, Courtney St. Aubin, Lily Van Osdol, Megan Watson

Project: Physical Anthropology

Principal Investigator: Elizabeth Weiss

Client/Partner: N/A

Summary: Research in osteological studies using the Amerindian curated skeletal collection to reconstruct the past and better understand bone biology.

Funding: N/A

Timeline: N/A

Student Opportunities: Students who are interested in pursuing a physical anthropology (e.g. forensics, paleoanthropology, or bioarchaeology) thesis should contact Elizabeth Weiss (Elizabeth.Weiss@sjsu.edu).

Student Researchers: N/A