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Native American Collection at Home at CSU, Chico

Dorothy Morehead Hill’s family has donated her extensive collection of Native American materials to CSU, Chico. Hill spent much of her adult life studying the Native American cultures of Northern California. The local teacher, author, and anthropologist was motivated by a fervent desire to preserve the past. Hill, a third generation Chicoan, died in 1998. Over her lifetime she amassed a huge collection of photos, audiotapes, and other Native American materials.

“This collection represents years of collaborative work between Dorothy Hill and members of Native communities throughout Northern California,” says Professor Lisa Emmerich, American Indian Studies Program coordinator. “The collection will stay close to the places that Dorothy Hill knew, and near to the American Indian people who worked so closely with her,” Emmerich says.

Hill interviewed and photographed many Native elders as a way to keep a record of information that would otherwise be lost. The Dorothy Hill Collection will be housed in Meriam Library’s Special Collections. Hill also authored Indians of the Chico Rancheria, and Maidu Use of Native Flora and Fauna.

A series of events highlighting Native American culture will be held this month to commemorate the collection. See calendar.}