By SAFIYA MOHAMED
San Diego State University Press proudly presents Tipai Ethnographic Notes: A Baja California Indian Community at Mid-Century, by William D. Hohenthal, Jr., edited by Thomas C. Blackburn with contributions from Margaret Langdon, David Kronenfeld, and Lynn Thomas.
The story behind this book is as remarkable as its contents. While conducting research at the Bancroft Library, anthropologist Thomas C. Blackburn discovered an extensive set of manuscripts titled Field Observations I by William D. Hohenthal, Jr. Captivated by the depth and richness of Hohenthal’s fieldwork, Blackburn reached out to the author. Hohenthal, thrilled that his work had been rediscovered, provided Blackburn with the original manuscript along with field notes, sketches, photographs, maps, wordlists, and other vital materials — realizing their collective importance for future scholarship.
Born in 1919, William Dalton Hohenthal, Jr. grew up immersed in different cultures, thanks to his father's military postings. Experiences in the Philippines, China, Brazil, and across Europe sparked his lifelong interest in anthropology. After completing his undergraduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and serving in World War II, Hohenthal returned to Berkeley to pursue graduate work in anthropology, receiving his Ph.D. in 1951. His early exposure to diverse Indigenous groups and his extensive field training shaped the extraordinary ethnographic sensitivity found in Tipai Ethnographic Notes.
The book itself is a comprehensive study. It not only documents Tipai life but also includes valuable information about the Paipai and Kiliwa peoples. Hohenthal’s work details their natural environment — climate, animal life, water sources, vegetation, and topography — alongside their social structures, clan territories, settlement patterns, and languages. Readers will find careful linguistic documentation, including many Tipai, Paipai, and Kiliwa words with an explained orthography system.
Hohenthal’s notes also delve into:
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Prehistory and history of the region, including discussions of pictographs, petroglyphs, and archaeological sites
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Subsistence practices such as agriculture, hunting, fishing, and food preparation
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Social organization, law, and governance
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Religious beliefs, ceremonies, and healing practices
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Ethnoscientific knowledge systems
Tipai Ethnographic Notes preserves a unique record of Indigenous life during a pivotal period of transition — offering an irreplaceable resource for scholars, students, and anyone interested in the ethnology of Baja California, Indigenous studies, and the history of the U.S.-Mexico borderlands.
Rich in observation, respectful in detail, and essential for a deeper understanding of the region’s cultural history, Tipai Ethnographic Notes is a major contribution to anthropology and Indigenous studies.
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ISBN 10: 0879191449
ISBN 13: 978-0879191443
