Before the Wilderness: Environmental Management by Native Californians
That landscape the newcomers saw was not a wilderness, not untouched by nature. It was a landscape carefully managed by knowledgeable people to provide them with food, clothing, shelter, fuel, and tools. It was a landscape where the wilderness came later after Euro-Americans had stopped the controlled burning the Indians had practiced, drained the wet meadows that had preserved the water supplies, and fenced off the areas where Native California women’s coppicing had encouraged the growth of choice basketry materials.
This is a book for those interested in the beginnings of agriculture, for here, in the salubrious climate of California, peoples who lived mainly by hunting and gathering had taken, by the eighteenth century, many of the steps that make up the technology of agriculture. This is also a book for those interested in learning better ways to manage our environment now. Our Forest Service and parks have already acknowledged the value of controlled burning. We may some day catch up with Australia, where the aborigines participate in the management of the national parks because of their special knowledge.
About the Malki Museum:
Malki Museum, Inc., is a nonprofit educational corporation dedicated to saving and sharing the knowledge, cultures and languages of the Indian people of Southern California. The Museum, founded in 1964, was the first Indian-run public museum on a reservation in the United States. Malki has been instrumental in preserving Southern California Indian languages, Cupeno, Luiseno, and especially Cahuilla, with grammar and language books, a bilingual language tape, and videos. All of these are opportunities for Malki to share with Indians and non-Indians knowledge of traditional foods and customs. People of different cultures get to know each other better by working together in a mutual cause and learning to respect each other's differences.
We are committed to lowering our impact on the planet by using eco-friendly, plastic-free packaging materials. We also embrace the power of recycling and often give old packaging a second life; as a result, your items may arrive in a reused package.
This purchase builds habitat.
Proceeds from every purchase in the TPF store support our nonprofit programs such as Adult Education, California Native Plant Landscaper Certification, Native Plant Garden Tour, Seed Conservation and much more. Your support makes the work we do possible!
Shipping & Returns
We do not ship plants.Â
All orders are processed within 1 to 5 business days (excluding weekends and holidays) after receiving your order confirmation email. You will receive an email notification once your order has shipped.
Orders placed over the weekend will be reviewed on Tuesday of the following week. Please note we do not have staff onsite Sundays and Mondays.Â
In-store pickup
Your order will be prepared and ready for pick up usually within 3 business days. You will receive a "Ready for Pickup" email when your order is ready.Â
Our in-store pickup hours are 8:30am-4:00pm on Tuesday-Saturday. Please have your order confirmation email when you arrive. Orders not picked up within 7 days will be refunded minus a 25% restocking fee on plants.Â
How do I check the status of my order once it has shipped?
When your order has shipped, you will receive an email notification with a USPS tracking number. Please allow 48 hours for the tracking information to become available.
If you haven’t received your order within 7 days after receiving your shipping confirmation email, please contact us at store@theodorepayne.org with your name and order number, and we will look into it for you.Â
Local delivery We do not offer local delivery.
International Shipping We do not offer international shipping.
Shipping to P.O. boxes USPS orders can be shipped to P.O. boxes.Â
Returns &Â Exchanges
We accept returns and exchanges within 14 days after receipt for eligible items which are like-new and in their original condition, unused, unwashed, and undamaged. Original shipping fees are non-refundable. We are not responsible for any lost or stolen packages.
If your order is damaged or defective upon arrival, please email store@theodorepayne.org as soon as possible to organize a replacement. We address these on a case-by-case basis but will try our best to work towards a satisfactory solution.
Exclusions: All sales are final and no returns or exchanges will be accepted on plants, seeds, bulbs, gift cards, sale items, food, etc. If you're unsure, please check the product page to verify if the item is returnable.
