The Antelope Valley Indian Museum State Historic Park is a state historic park of

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, United States, interpreting Native American cultures of the

Great Basin The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic basin, endorheic watersheds, those with no outlets, in North America. It spans nearly all of Nevada, much of Utah, and portions of California, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and Baja California ...

and surrounding regions. The park and its grounds are situated on the

Antelope Valley The Antelope Valley is located in northern Los Angeles County, California, and the southeast portion of Kern County, California, and constitutes the western tip of the Mojave Desert. It is situated between the Tehachapi, Sierra Pelona, and the ...

's rural east side in northern

Los Angeles County, California Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the List of the most populous counties in the United States, most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, ...

. The museum contains the combined collections of H. Arden Edwards and subsequent owner and anthropology student Grace Oliver. The exhibits represent and interpret Native Americans groups, both aboriginal and contemporary, of the

Southwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

, Great Basin, and Californian cultural regions. A number of the artifacts on display are rare or one-of-a-kind items. Antelope Valley Indian Museum California Hall 2016-12-10

Antelope Valley Indian Museum California Hall 2016-12-10

The museum was originally constructed by homesteader/artist H. Arden Edwards in 1928. The chalet-style structure was built over the rock formation of Piute Butte in the

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily in ...

. The unusual

folk art Folk art covers all forms of visual art made in the context of folk culture. Definitions vary, but generally the objects have practical utility of some kind, rather than being exclusively decorative art, decorative. The makers of folk art a ...

structure, originally used as a home, is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Demonstrations and special events

Joshua Cottage features a "touch table" room where visitors can experience food grinding and processing techniques, or learn how earlier Native Americans started fires using sticks or bow drills. Outside the museum is a self-guided

nature trail An educational trail (or sometimes educational path), nature trail or nature walk is a specially developed hiking trail or footpath that runs through the countryside, along which there are marked stations or stops next to points of natural, techno ...

, a

picnic A picnic is a meal taken outdoors ( ''al fresco'') as part of an excursion, especially in scenic surroundings, such as a park, lakeside, or other place affording an interesting view, or else in conjunction with a public event such as preceding ...

area, and an outdoor ceremonial arena. Occasionally guest Native American groups perform traditional dances and other programs. An annual opening event each fall features a traditional ground blessing ceremony. There are also Native American artists demonstrating and selling their work, Native American food, and special activities for children. The museum also sponsors periodic educational seminars.

References

External links

Official Antelope Valley Indian Museum State Historic Park websiteCalifornia State Parks: Antelope Valley Indian Museum website
{{National Register of Historic Places in California California State Historic Parks Antelope Valley Museums in Los Angeles County, California Native American museums in California Geography of Palmdale, California History of Los Angeles County, California National Register of Historic Places in Los Angeles County, California Parks in Los Angeles County, California Protected areas of the Mojave Desert Protected areas established in 1979 1979 establishments in California