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Kawaiisu Informants

In keeping with the focus on a changing Kawaiisu

culture and identity over time, the informants were chosen

to represent four generations from three Kawaiisu families.

Voices of the past were provided by:

Fred and Rosie (husband and wife) in their late
60's or early 70's at the time of their
interviews, conducted by Dr. Sheldon Klein, in
1958. Both were born and raised in Kelso Valley.

Voices of the present were:

Clara was born in 1919 and she grew up in the
Piute Mountain area. She was married to a
Kawaiisu, Ed (now deceased); they were the last
Kawaiisu couple. She currently resides in
Tehachapi. The other adult informants all have
non-Indian spouses.

Harold is Clara's son. He was born in 1945 and
raised in the Tehachapi and Piute Mountain areas
and he also resides in Tehachapi.

Andy was born in 1917 in Sand Canyon near
Monolith. He grew up in and around that area and
has lived in Tehachapi proper since the early
1960's.

Carmen is Andy's daughter, she was born in
Tehachapi in 1939 and raised in Monolith, Mojave,
and the surrounding area of Tehachapi. Carmen
lives in Montana.

Monty is Andy's son, he was born in Bakersfield in 1959
and raised in Tehachapi where he now resides.

These informants shared extensive information about

their lives, their family histories and their feelings.

This research departs from previous research on Kawaiisu

culture in methodology and perspective. Not only will some

Kawaiisu members tell their own stories in their own words,