They were the earliest known inhabitants of the Santa Clarita Valley.  A Native American tribe known as the Tataviam lived a life unchanged for centuries until a Spanish expedition led by Gaspar de Portola entered the Valley in 1769. From then on, life for the Tataviam would never be the same. The Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society will be hosting Dr. Laurie Solis, Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at College of the Canyons, and author of “Tataviam: People Who Face the Sun” , who will be giving a presentation on this little known Native American tribe. The presentation, entitled “Ancient Enterprises: How the Prehistoric Tataviam survived and thrived in an ancient landscape”, will be given at 2 pm on Saturday, December 6, 2014, at the Old Town Newhall Library, 24500 Main St., in Newhall, California.

This lecture will cover the history of the Tataviam people: the Native American group who occupied the upper San Fernando Valley, the Santa Clarita Valley, Acton, Agua Dulce, and the southern Antelope Valley.

The lecture will also cover archaeological as well as ethnographic evidence. Tataviam artifacts, such as manos, metates, projectile points, and scrapers will be shown. Children will be able to participate in hands-on activities.

Dr. Laurie Solis is an archaeologist and Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at College of the Canyons. She has over 15 years of experience as an archaeologist working for large environmental firms.  She has conducted numerous investigations and excavations on Tataviam sites, as well as hundreds of other sites throughout the Great Basin. In addition, Dr. Solis has worked closely as a liaison with several California Indian Tribes, including the Paiute Shoshone, Gabrielino/Tongva, Morongo Band of Mission Indians, as well as the Tataviam/Fernandeno Band of Mission Indians.

She is the author of the book, “Tataviam: People Who Face the Sun” -which is the only book ever published on this local Native American group. A book signing session will be held after the lecture.

The Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society is pleased to present “Ancient Enterprises: How the Prehistoric Tataviam survived and thrived in an ancient landscape” at the Old Town Newhall Library! The general public is welcome. Admission will be free. For more information on this and other upcoming programs from the SCVHS, please call Alan Pollack at 661-254-1275. Website: www.scvhs.org.