Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology

Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology
Title	Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology
Discipline	Anthropology
Language	English
Abbreviation	J. Calif. Great Basin Anthropol.
Publisher	Malki Museum Press
Country	United States
History	1974–present
Frequency	Biannual

Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology is a peer-reviewed periodical focusing on anthropological, archaeological, ethnohistorical, linguistic, and Native American cultural studies centered on the geographic regions of California and the Great Basin. The journal publishes research relevant to scholars associated with institutions such as University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, Santa Barbara, Stanford University, and University of Nevada, Reno, and engages with communities including Yurok Tribe, Hupa Tribe, Paiute Tribe, Shoshone, and Miwok.

History

The journal was founded in 1974 by community and museum leaders connected to the Malki Museum and scholars from University of California, Riverside and San Diego State University. Early editors collaborated with researchers from Smithsonian Institution, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, American Museum of Natural History, and Bureau of Indian Affairs-affiliated scholars. Over subsequent decades, the journal documented projects linked to federal programs such as National Park Service surveys, Bureau of Land Management inventories, and initiatives under the National Historic Preservation Act. Contributors included fieldworkers affiliated with California Indian Heritage Center, Nevada State Museum, Nevada Test Site archaeologists, and tribal cultural committees from Hoopa Valley Tribe, Susanville Indian Rancheria, and Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribes.

Scope and Content

The journal emphasizes research on prehistoric archaeology, historic archaeology, ethnohistory, linguistic documentation, ritual practice, material culture, and repatriation issues as they intersect with tribes like the Yurok, Karuk Tribe, Hupa, Yahi, Maidu, Miwok, Ohlone, Pomo, Chumash, Tongva, Cahuilla, Cocopah, Quechan, Mojave, Chemehuevi, Washoe, Goshute, Western Shoshone, Northern Paiute, Southern Paiute, Ute, and Umatilla. Articles often draw on artifacts curated at institutions such as the Autry Museum of the American West, California Academy of Sciences, Grinnell College, and Lassen Volcanic National Park collections, and engage with legal frameworks including Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act proceedings and Forty Ninth Congress-era treaties referenced in ethnohistoric analyses.

Editorial and Publication Details

Editorial boards have historically included scholars from University of California, Davis, California State University, Long Beach, University of Arizona, Arizona State University, University of Oregon, Oregon State University, University of Montana, University of Colorado Boulder, and independent researchers associated with Society for American Archaeology, American Anthropological Association, Western Association of Vertebrate Paleontologists, and Society for California Archaeology. The journal is produced by Malki Museum Press with contributions routed through peer reviewers from programs at National Museum of Natural History, Field Museum of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, and regional tribal cultural offices. Publication frequency is typically biannual with special issues devoted to projects funded by agencies like the National Science Foundation and initiatives tied to California Department of Parks and Recreation research.

Abstracting and Indexing

The journal is indexed in regional and disciplinary services used by researchers at University of California Library System, Los Angeles County Museum of Art researchers, and independent scholars. Abstracting entries cite contributions in bibliographies maintained by Society for American Archaeology bulletins, the Journal of Anthropological Research compendia, and library catalogs including those of Library of Congress, Bancroft Library, Autry National Center, and university presses. Citation traces appear in monographs from University of California Press, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, and compilations published by Smithsonian Institution Press.

Notable Articles and Contributions

The journal has published influential reports on site chronologies, lithic analysis, and rock art documentation that intersect with studies by scholars associated with Julian Steward, Alfred L. Kroeber, C. Hart Merriam, Kroeber's students, and later researchers such as those at Riverside Archaeological Center and Archaeological Research Facility. Noteworthy articles include syntheses of Mission-era contact drawing on archives at Mission San Juan Capistrano and Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, paleoenvironmental reconstructions using data from Mono Lake, Clear Lake, Owens Lake, and Walker Lake, and linguistic preservation studies referencing field notes collected by researchers linked to International Congress of Americanists. The journal has also featured collaborative pieces on repatriation involving National Museum of the American Indian, tribal representatives from Hoopa, Big Pine Paiute, and curators from the California State Parks.

Reception and Impact

Scholars at University of California Press and proponents within Society for California Archaeology regard the journal as a venue for regionally focused scholarship that bridges museum practice and tribal collaboration. It has informed cultural resource management plans for projects overseen by California Department of Transportation, Bureau of Reclamation, and Western Area Power Administration, and its case studies have been cited in environmental assessments prepared with input from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration researchers and historians from California Historical Society. The journal’s contributions to debates on stewardship, repatriation, and indigenous rights have been referenced in proceedings of the American Association of Museums and policy briefings submitted to the California Governor's Office.

Access and Availability

Back issues are held in research libraries including Bancroft Library, Huntington Library, Nevada Historical Society, and university archives at UC Berkeley, UCLA, San Diego State University Library, and University of Nevada Special Collections. Selected articles appear in interlibrary loan catalogs and are digitized in collections managed by tribal cultural centers such as Malki Museum and university repositories like Calisphere. Subscriptions and single-issue purchases are coordinated through Malki Museum Press and distributed to museums, tribal offices, and academic libraries across the United States, often cited in course readings at institutions such as University of Oregon and Portland State University.

Category:Anthropology journals