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FOREWORD

Culture resource overviews such as this bring together much of the
available information on prehistoric and historic peoples and present-
day Native American groups along with their associated environments. The
purpose behind these studies is to provide background information for
the management of and research into these prehistoric, historic, and
contemporary resources.

This overview is one of seven covering the southern California
deserts undertaken as part of a comprehensive planning effort by the
Bureau of Land Management for these deserts. Overviews aid in the
day-to-day management of cultural resources and in the completion
of environmental analyses and research projects. Its general value
to the public in the fields of education and recreation-interpretation
must also be stressed.

Usually cultural overviews are completed prior to beginning the
field assessments of prehistoric and historic remains and contemporary
ethnic values. In this case, however, the nature of the planning
effort was such that both field-work and literature search were com-
pleted at approximately the same time. The complementary field
report by Gary Coombs (1979) in this series is titled "The Archaeo-
logy of the Western Mojave". Portions of the field report are
discussed in this overview.

The final report manuscript was submitted by Environmental Research
Archaeologists in May of 1979 following contract initiation one year
earlier. The authors are to be congratulated for their time-consuming
efforts in bringing together relevant information on lands administered
by the Bureau and considerable data concerning the surrounding private
land.

This work should prove popular with both the lay-reader and pro-
fessional as it presents new ideas and interpretations of existing
data which is sure to stimulate further interest and work. Its value
to the management of cultural resources has already been realized in
part and will no doubt continue.

Eric W. Ritter
General Editor