California Story Fund
Native American Voices From the Mojave Desert
Main Street Murals
Barstow
Project Director: David Brockhurst
Kids to learn about Native American history and culture of Mojave region; create murals illustrating Native American life
This project will involve Native American education programs for lower school and high school students in the Barstow area.
Some 20 4th and 5th grade students will participate in a six-month program to learn about the history and culture of the Native Americans who lived and traveled through the Mojave Desert region. In addition, a smaller group of eight to 10 students at the local high school will work with a master mural artist to learn how to create murals illustrating Native American life and culture.
The students will research several Indian tribes and learn how the tribes lived. They will also take field trips to see petroglyphs and pictographs. In addition, as part of the project, the young people will conduct videotaped interviews with tribal representatives.
The students, with assistance from the mural artist, will produce two murals: one for Main Street in Barstow and the other for the Desert Discovery Center, a local environmental education and visitor center.
The murals will be unveiled at the Native American Cultural Festival in Barstow in May 2008. The festival will also feature the videotaped stories as well as interpretive music and dance.