California State Indian Museum

Infobox_protected_area | name = California State Indian Museum State Historic Park
iucn_category =

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caption = The California State Indian Museum
locator_x =
locator_y =
location = Sacramento, California, USA
nearest_city =
lat_degrees = 38
lat_minutes = 34
lat_seconds = 22
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 121
long_minutes = 28
long_seconds = 17
long_direction = W
area = less than convert|1|acre|m2|sing=on
established =
governing_body = California State Parks

The California State Indian Museum, also known as State Indian Museum State Historic Park, is a prehistoric history museum in Sacramento, California that is operated by California State Parks. The museum is dedicated to the history, traditions, and materials of the state's Native American population.

Location and displays

The museum is co-located on the grounds of the Sutter's Fort State Historic Park in downtown Sacramento. The museums exhibits the details of daily life and traditions for the regions Native inhabitants, who numbered at nearly 500,000 and 150 tribal groups prior to the Spanish colonization of California beginning in 1769 with Mission San Diego. Another exhibit within the museum is specifically dedicated to Ishi, the last of the Yahi Tribe. Ishi managed to remain hidden from Western Civilization until 1911 when he was discovered in Northern California. The museum also includes a hands-on area, where visitors may learn how to use historic tools such as a pump drill used for drilling holes in shell beads.The State Indian Museum is located at 26th and K Streets.

Improvements

A state grant of $200,000 USD helped to renovate the museum in 1986 by a volunteer group composed of mostly Native American Indians.

Proposed for closure

The State Indian Museum Historic Park is one of the 48 California state parks proposed for closure in January 2008 by California's Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as part of a deficit reduction program, since rescinded following public outcry. [ [http://cbs5.com/local/California.parks.budget.2.627476.html CBS5.com: List Of Calif. Parks To Close In Budget Proposal] ]

ources

* [http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1046699365 "Task force appointed for creation of California Indian museum and cultural center" as retrieved January 19, 2007.]
* [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1216/is_v176/ai_4261169 "Indian artifacts on display at revitalized Sacramento museum - California State Indian Museum exhibition" from "Sunset Magazine"1986.]
* [http://www.museumsusa.org/museums/info/1153226 "Museum Info"]

ee also

*List of California state parks
*Sutter's Fort

External links

* [http://parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=486 California State Indian Museum offical site]