Making Magic – UNCUT

Hi friends…

A few weeks ago I interviewed Dr. Kaitlin Brown, an anthropology professor from Cal State University Northridge; her expert information provided great insight. She introduced two tribes, the Chumash and the Tongva, to me and shared how they once traded tar for other resources. The same tar found in the La Brea pits! This resource has been used by people like us for centuries and she humanized them in a way I had not been deeply exposed to before. These individuals are incredibly misrepresented by the media, and hearing anecdotes that forced me to realize how similar we all are, though from wildly different worlds, was touching. Unfortunately, as moving as it was, it does not have a place in my story as it relates to anthropology rather than paleontology. However, I am grateful to Dr. Brown for encouraging me to learn about subjects that aren’t touched on in our day to day, and I will certainly move forward with this mindset.

Signing off,

Violet G.