Susanville Indian Rancheria Collections Preservation Assessment

FAIN: PG-52500-15

SIR (Susanville, CA 96130-3628)
Meredith Gosejohan (Project Director: May 2014 to October 2016)

Hiring a consultant to undertake a preservation assessment for a collection of stone utilitarian objects, beads, baskets, and other material culture items documenting the history and culture of the four tribes (Maidu, Northern Paiute, Pit River, and Washoe) that make up the Susanville Indian Rancheria.  The consultant would assist this northern California rancheria in planning for storage and rehousing of the collection, which is used by tribal members and local school groups.  The consultant’s recommendations would be used to improve preservation of and access to collections.

The Preservation Assistance Grant will support a general preservation assessment for the Susanville Indian Rancheria (SIR) humanities collection. The SIR will contract with Catherine Magee Conservation to conduct an assessment of an estimated 500 items in the prehistoric and historic collection currently stored in boxes. The collection contains lithics or stone artifacts including mortar bowls, metates, pestles, grinding stones, and hammer stones as well as projectile points of various sizes and shapes, beads, shells, drills, pendants, and knives. The SIR also possesses a woven Maidu basket and a small Maidu Cradle Board. The assessment will focus on the size and condition of the collections as well as the current state of storage and display spaces. The assessment will yield an item-level inventory and a summary of findings as well as recommendations for short-term remedial improvements to storage and display and long-term actions and improvements relating to collections preservation.