April 13, 2009

The Table Mountain Rancheria’s $10 million donation to the Henry Madden Library at California State University, Fresno was celebrated in a campus event today, April 13.

The “Table Mountain Rancheria Tower” name near the building entrance was unveiled, as well as the “Table Mountain Rancheria Reading Room” on the third floor. The reading room contains a stunning 11-panel etched glass mural that honors the history of the Rancheria.

President John D. Welty acknowledged the generosity of the people of Table Mountain Rancheria. He noted that over the last three years, the university has worked in consultation with the Tribal Council and the staff at the Table Mountain Rancheria Cultural Resources Department to ensure the historical accuracy of the cultural heritage and history of the tribes of Central California.

“The gift from the Table Mountain Rancheria has made the Madden Library a showpiece for the world,” said Welty. “Visitors from across the nation and internationally are already making special visits to view this spectacular facility and cultural exhibit.”

Vice President for Administration Cynthia Teniente-Matson said the influence of American Indian culture on the library begins with the tradition of basket making.

“The baskets, woven for daily use, hold the memory of lives and cultures. Now, thanks to the Table Mountain Rancheria, the library is the storehouse of knowledge, and a reflection of Native American people, another way of remembering our history and preparing for our future,” she said.

The Library’s elliptical Table Mountain Rancheria Tower is inspired and architecturally designed to reflect a twined cooking basket. It is a five-story elliptical tower of steel, glass and angled wood lattice woven together to symbolize a traditional native basket design. The basket-inspired tower connects the exterior garden design through the entryway into the interior of the tower and the library.

The granite stone entryway is an artistic replication of the stair-step basket pattern constructed of Academy Black and Sierra White granite from quarries in Clovis and Raymond. The design, inspired by a Choinumni basket from the Table Mountain Rancheria museum collection, was carefully constructed and laid stone by stone to ensure the accuracy of the pattern. The entryway is surrounded by wood slats that replicate the basket weaving pattern from the tower.

The ribbon-like form of the stairway is blanketed in woven metal reflecting the intricate weaving of the basket. The continuous woven staircase is seen throughout the library.
In the Table Mountain Rancheria Reading Room is a just-unveiled 9-by-30-foot wide permanent, museum-quality mural of the history of the Table Mountain Rancheria. Two custom-made oak benches are in front of the mural to encourage visitors to sit and reflect on the history of the Rancheria.

The windows are insulated with a honeycomb core, which appear like tubes of glass when viewed up close. The view changes as you move through the room and also mutes the landscape to allow a closer look at the striking mural.

Throughout the library are custom-made fabric coverings replicating the imagery of the deer hoof, butterfly and stair-step basket patterns. The fabric coverings are placed in various seating locations throughout the library.

In the second-floor Ellipse in the Table Mountain Rancheria Tower, a show titled “Pursuit of Beauty: California Indian Basketry & Art of Ansel Adams” will be on display until June.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, 1-5 p.m. Saturday and 1-8 p.m. Sunday.

Click the "Play" button below to listen to the audio clip or click here to download a transcript.

Related links:
The Native Plant Garden
Library’s high-tech digital media project captures ancient Indian weaving tradition
View the footage for LED display, courtesy of Narduli Studio