|
|
|
|
|
Focus on
Tribal People Takes Local Professor To Laos and
Pakistan, and in an Unexpected Twist, to a Southern
Calif. Tribe
|
 |
For the last 15 years, Sheila Pinkel has focused much of her
work on the differences and similarities between tribal
people and urban people. The fascinating journey has taken
the Pomona College photography professor to Hmong and
Cambodian refugee camps in Thailand and Laos, tribal
communities in the Baluchistan desert in Pakistan and in
Laos, and Hmong and Cambodian immigrant communities across
the U.S.
Two years ago however, a surprise twist in her work on a Los
Angeles County Library mural project plunged Pinkel into a
culture much closer to home - the Tongva (also known as the
Gabrielinos), a native people who have lived in the Los
Angeles area for more than 450 years.
To create the library mural, Pinkel intended to photograph
Tongva artifacts from the local Southwest Museum, which is
widely recognized for its Native American collections.
Instead she found that because the Tongva often buried their
dead with remnants of their lives, and because their
material culture was not collected, there were almost no
Tongva artifacts in the museum.
"So," explains Pinkel, "I had to roll up my sleeves and
locate Tongva people so that they could teach me about their
culture." She spent almost two years photographing Tongva
artifacts and many days walking in nature with either Tongva
or Western naturalists who showed her which animals and
plant life were important to Tongva material culture. Edra
Moore, of the Antelope Valley Native American Museum in
Palmdale/Lancaster, was particularly helpful, she says.
"That Museum focuses on artifacts that have come from the
islands, specifically Catalina, and Moore was generous in
allowing me to copy images of the artifacts in this
collection."
In May 2003, Pinkel unveiled "Journey to Tovangar, The World
of the Tongva," a 5 x 32-foot mural spanning a long wall in
the Sherman Oaks Public Library. The colorful mural is a
striking photo collage of locations, plants and animals
important to the Tongva throughout the year and as well as
native artifacts incorporating those resources. (Note: a
scanned jpeg image of the mural is available.) A month after
its unveiling, the mural and the creation process were
featured in an episode of KCET Television's Life and Times.
Pinkel's is now working with the Tongva to create an
interactive, educational CD of Tongva artifacts and culture
for children. In working on the mural, she amassed an
archive of thousands of photos, "probably one of the most
complete photo archives of the material culture of the
Tongva," she explains. "As a result, I feel the obligation
to go the next step and make it available as an educational
resource."
Pomona College has stepped in to help, awarding Pinkel a
preliminary grant to scan all of her proof sheets and
donating computing time to develop an interactive template
that can be used as a teaching tool. When finished, the CD
will display a series of photos and ask users to identify
which Tongva artifact is analogous to which piece of western
technology. When kids select the right answer, information
about the artifact will come appear. Barbara Drake, a local
Tongva scholar, is now to going through the proof sheets and
selecting images.
The Pomona College Information and Technology Services staff
will also develop the software module for the web program.
Once the CD is completed, copies will be sent to all of the
Tongva ceremonial centers and will be made available to
schools. "Eventually," says Pinkel, "our goal is to have a
photograph of every artifact on a CD and linked to a
database of information about that artifact. Fortunately,
Pomona has generously agreed to create that module as well
and help with the scanning and data input for this second
phase."
Currently, Pinkel's work "Without Alarm III," a
site-specific installation of works related to custody,
captivity and containment, is on display at the LAPD
Experience Museum (6045 York Boulevard, Los Angeles),
through August 30. She is also working on a City of Los
Angeles Cultural Affairs commission to design a gate for
Green Meadows Park in Los Angeles.
During her 2004-05 sabbatical, Pinkel plans to work on her
book Hmong in Transition. "The book will trace the lives of
an extended Hmong family who survived the second Laotian
War," she says. "Some of the members of this family are in
Laos, some fled to Thailand and some immigrated to the
United States, France and Australia. I am interested in
better understanding the long-term effects of war on the
lives of people who survive it."
Pomona College is one of the nation's premier liberal arts
institutions, offering a comprehensive program in the arts,
humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. Its
hallmarks include small classes, close relationships between
students and faculty, and a range of opportunities for
student research.
For more on Pinkel, read her
Faculty Profile. |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Quick Links |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Explore Pomona's Web |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Find It |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Search |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
