00:00.80 alan Love everybody in archeology podcast land this is your host Dr Alan Garfinkel for episode 93 of the rock art podcast and we are blessed to have our guest scholar our our interview e of Alexis Zubia who's the ah performance lead for the petoglyph festival in ridgerest the one and only the ah the rock art extravaganza that has been going on for quite a number of years and I believe it's the only one in the world Alexis are you with us. 00:33.79 Alexis Zubia Hi there. Yes I am thank you for having me on today's podcast for the ninety third episode 00:41.57 alan Ah, thank you Alexis so the way I yeah start this out is I ask you to kind of reflect and go back in your mind about how you ever got involved with with this with a petroglyph festival and being involved in the performance. Aspect. How did that come to pass and how did you get interested in being part of this whole shebang and maybe ah give some people um a sound bite or 2 about what a petroleph festival could be. 01:10.11 Alexis Zubia Yeah, cool, awesome! Well um I have been joined um for the eighth annual richs petrogla festival was my first year as the performance lead. Um I did it only Saturday and then this year was my first time doing both days. Um, a little backtrack on how I got started. Well my dad is the chairman of the pet re trust ah petrolyph foundation educational foundation and so he's kind of but prior to him being the chairman he had been associated with the festival kind of helped get it together in its early years. Um, and he was actually the performance lead for it and so I used to go as just an attendee of the event of the festival and I would just see everything to light and it was just really really exciting for me I really enjoyed it and then. 02:00.50 alan Are. 02:01.50 Alexis Zubia When he kind of moved up in that Realm I decided to kind of you know, ask around and take that lead and here I am. 02:08.44 alan That's fantastic. So what is the bridge Crest Festival Maybe give us a few sound bites if you could about what it what it has been my and what yeah, go ahead. Please. 02:14.65 Alexis Zubia Yes, yes, so the whole idea of. 02:24.13 Alexis Zubia Yes, um, so the rich crest petroglaph festival first started um, nine years ago and the whole idea behind it was just to bring to life. You know first of all the petroglyphs that um, you would probably have more information on but that are you know on our China Lake but naval base and um, so that was one of the reasons why we we considered it being the petrogla festival um, and then all the native american culture that is surrounding our area all the tribes that are in our region. And so that was really the focus of it obviously the first few years were not as geared towards as native american while we were still getting our footsteps in the door. Um, but now we've really kind of um, made it centric to the native american culture and the petroglyphs and prior to covid we did um, have. As you know we had tours that would tour um a group of people and get on China Lake base and you'd go see the royal petrolyphs um post covered that has not been and that has been an issue that has not actually happened so we've just been doing the tours. Um for the park that are right next to the location of the. Festival and so that's kind of the whole That's the whole realm of the festival now you know it's just really there to have fun and and understand the culture and respect it and to just really see this side that the native american culture is allowing us to see so that's. 03:54.94 Alexis Zubia That's really what the festivals is about. 03:55.34 alan So the petrolyph festival is an annual function I believe it's the first weekend in November and they've set that up because November is a native american month isn't it. So I know it's evolved. 04:05.99 Alexis Zubia Yes, that is correct. 04:13.47 alan Ah, from its original inception I think I've been part and parcel of that attempting to support and help with identifying native american themes and entertainment and what have you both being successful and also failing miserably. It's been It's been quite an adventure. Um, maybe you could give our our audience our listeners some kind of understanding about you know some of the idiosyncrasies or the journey. We've been on Alexis it's it's quite amazing. Isn't it. Ah. 04:33.83 Alexis Zubia Um, it has been. 04:50.80 Alexis Zubia Yes, it has been such a journey it is. It's been very complex. Um, you know at the start of it. We did have um, an understanding of wanting to bring local tribes um part and to be a part of the Richress Petrickla festival. 04:51.26 alan It's not so simple. 05:05.90 Alexis Zubia And within our few years you know we obviously took a big a large step backwards with that because we were not capturing native american culture like we should have and we definitely got the backlash from it and so you know to continue to keep the native american culture alive with this festival that happens. Um, we had to outsource and we had to find tribes from um The Grand Canyon um and obviously in recent years we started to get more local tribes. We started with the tu but tolabels um can't remember his name. Ah, darn. 05:42.34 alan So you had the yeah so you had the bottle labble who in the south park of the currentn river and the far Southern Si internet 05:44.23 Alexis Zubia Something like that he he yes, we finally yes, we finally got them back for the first time you know which was a first local tribe in a long time which was last year. Um, our point of contact rest and peace. He um, actually ah. 05:55.59 alan Yeah. 06:01.77 Alexis Zubia Was in a motorcycle accident and passed away. Um, but that was really unfortunate. But after that um, we started to really get local tribes to want to commit to this and this was our first year where we had you know the importance of the local tribes and we really got to. You know we got. Um, well we as in my dad he got the ah powwow out there and just really beautiful to see how from past years where we started with local tribes to where we kind of backtracked and we're just trying to fulfill fulfill native american culture to where we're actually starting to to get the local tribes back and it's just such an honor for them to be in our presence. And um, yeah. 06:37.19 alan what's what's it what's it what's it like to strategically align with another group and develop a powow I know we in what in years past we had one I remember but then but then we we had skipped that for many years as well. 06:45.13 Alexis Zubia Um, yes, yes. 06:52.20 alan And then brought it back. Did we not. 06:54.41 Alexis Zubia Yes, no, that's completely correct. Um I don't mean to like you know, put all on my dad but my dad really did Matthews Dubia he really did commit to to to learning about you know the powwow and getting in touch with Pete white horse and and really you know. Doing his best to really like have those conversations with like what can we do to support you to get you out here. You know to put on this Powwow to show everyone what the native american culture is about and that's really what he did. It took him I was just having this debrief with him last night um about how he got him here and you know how it took about eight months to actually get it. Get the powow here and to see it through unfortunately, he didn't see it through because he ended up getting covid you know, right? before the event which was so crazy. But um, yeah, he really do that was really what it was and I talked to Pete White horse and you know he would love to to talk. 07:36.18 alan You know. 07:45.98 Alexis Zubia You know to his point of contact what she sees as my dad and and really see if maybe next year is going to be the start of something great. 07:52.98 alan Well I I know that um I've experienced powows before not many just a handful and you know I'm an anthropologist archeologist and I I sort of always felt kind of Ill at ease I didn't know what to do with myself when I was there or or what that was really all about. 08:07.57 Alexis Zubia Um, a. 08:09.89 alan But this one I felt very differently I have to tell you um the way the announcer and the drummers and the the ceremonial dancers were respected and introduced and loved on and honored and paid homage to was really really. 08:27.45 Alexis Zubia Um, yes, it really was. 08:28.48 alan Something Do you understand? Yeah, it was just a very different ambiance. A sense of recognition and partnership and blessings and prayer I mean all of that all mixed together with with the dancers. And I thought that the the general public who saw it and appreciated it I think I think they were into it I think they they enjoyed it. Did you get much feedback on that. Yeah. 08:57.82 Alexis Zubia I think so too. Um I actually got a lot of feedback I got so much feedback I didn't know what to do with it to be quite Frank with you. Um, of course. Yeah, um, so a lot of people were really impressed with. 09:03.54 alan But well look Okay, well tell give me some so give me some sound bites please to. 09:15.11 Alexis Zubia How much native. Ah native american culture that we brought to the richest petro the ninth annual one this year and that was that was really like you said the soundb bite for everything. Um, everyone was just really happy that the powow was there not only the powow but you know the fried bread and just. Just everything and its whole entire ambiance that the native american culture brings to our community. Our small little community I mean there was people that were coming up to me from outside of our region I mean people from outside of our country. There was people from Europe like there was people from all over it was really really amazing to see how you know they just. Heard a powow and you know maybe they're visiting from Dow Valley and they they drove on over here. Um, there was obviously locals that were just really impressed with how large the turnout was this year um I got local vendors and um vendors from all over that were just like wow. So you know, local vendors being like wow this is amazing I've never seen it like this before even prior to that one time we did have the powwow and I had other vendors that weren't lot local that were like I'm going to come back. This is great I've never been here before but they they just were so they they they did great financially they they made a good amount of revenue. 10:21.50 alan Well I have to say that that you know you know you know I've been to many I don't think everyone but but many of the original functions. The petrickliv festivals the 2 day events and. 10:24.40 Alexis Zubia Um, and. 10:37.88 Alexis Zubia Um, here. 10:39.66 alan And and this one was a transformation for me. There was something very very different. First of all the numbers of people were just out extraordinary I think that I think the the visitation was up radically I don't know what the numbers did you get any estimates or anything like that. 10:41.11 Alexis Zubia I. 10:46.81 Alexis Zubia Um, yes. 10:58.29 Alexis Zubia I think our marketing team is still working on those numbers and they'll probably um, give those numbers to our executive director of the welcome center here shortly? Um, and then will will ah put those numbers on our website like we usually do on the ourfestival.com 11:11.38 alan But it's someone some in the neighborhood of 5 to 10000 people 11:15.46 Alexis Zubia Website which will kind of okay right? It'll showcase the numbers um from each year ah moving forward. 11:23.35 alan Yeah, so that was amazing and then additionally there seemed to be seemed to be more high quality vendors and the food was phenomenal and the and the people were very very friendly, very open and and very it was just different. There was a. 11:27.50 Alexis Zubia Your eyes. 11:33.80 Alexis Zubia It. 11:41.91 alan Ah, different flavor and feeling about the whole festival. 11:42.32 Alexis Zubia It was it really was I totally agree with you. 11:49.27 alan So give us a ah bit of an understanding of your role and what your responsibilities were with respect to the last festival. 12:01.31 Alexis Zubia Ah, yes, um, so obviously as you mentioned my title is a performance lead. Um I took that on you know last year and moving forward. Um I will probably take on that role for a few more years to come um my title or my my role specifically is to. Not you know more so last year but to help get the performers out here to to help selective performers to help them to feel at ease to help them. Um, want to come out here now once we get them out here. My role at that point is to. Make sure we get all their writers which is like the requirements for what they will need to be able to perform um and you know I set them up in a green room and you know we have basically it's basically a space you know for them to be able to um, unwind you know, get get ready for the performance. 12:42.90 alan E. 12:54.33 Alexis Zubia And you know get get changed. Whatever get some refreshments in and then at that point um, they'll come up on stage and I I introduced them I'm kind of like the mc and I you know give everyone a little bit of a backstory about them and they perform and then at that point you know same thing i. You know, take them to the green room again and kind of just sit's on repeat and I really get at that point I really get to understand their culture and get to know them on a deeper level. Um, just being you know face to face and having that interpersonal um interaction with them and just make sure you know that they are very pleased with. With how everything's turning out so we can get them back next year 13:31.95 alan So I guess one of the first things was. It's not so easy to acquire a native American Performer is it I mean it's not. It's not just like yeah. 13:41.54 Alexis Zubia It it definitely is not you know? Ah, if you if you've were at our festival annual. Yeah, if you were not at our eighth annual a lot of the performers that were at our eighth annual were not back for our ninth annual. 13:53.50 alan No. 13:55.18 Alexis Zubia And that was just transitioning transitioning into local tribes and transitioning into getting different. You know, understanding of the culture and from different sides of view, especially from our local region which is something that we've been deprived of for for fear or a few years and so um. 14:06.57 alan Yes. 14:12.34 Alexis Zubia So yeah, it's definitely a challenge but I really hope that this year's lineup sticks with us for a few years we had a lot got a lot of great feedback from them. You know we had the basket weavers. We had Eric or Terry Goodell's nephew Eric Hernandez um we had oh man I can't even name it. We just had some great performers and I think that it really highlighted not only need the native american culture but in a way that are like our native american local region is one. 14:40.83 alan Well it gave you a good it gave you gave you a good good cross section of understanding both the music the dance the the arts um last year when I was at the festival I decided that you know. 14:44.43 Alexis Zubia Um, yes. 14:57.00 alan Have this thing called a petroliff park and and wouldn't it be interesting to use that as a means of of educating and entertaining people and having them learn a bit about the ah petoglyphs since that's the theme of the of the festival and. 15:00.40 Alexis Zubia Um. 15:13.52 Alexis Zubia Yes. 15:15.41 alan I didn't know if it would work I didn't know if it would work or not I mean I'd never we'd never tried that so we gave it a go and people loved it and then this time we we elevated that made it ah 1 of the centerpieces had people sign up and oh my word there was like you know I did 4 15:23.73 Alexis Zubia Um, is. 15:34.10 alan Little tours walking tours one day and 3 the next and I think the most people I had one was a dozen and it it's a lot of people and and very entertaining and people people signed up and I actually had to add an early one because. 15:42.71 Alexis Zubia It's a lot of people. 15:53.32 alan A couple of people from San Diego wanted to have that tour as well. So it's ah it's interesting to be part and parcel of this of this you know theme and with that I'll catch you on the flip-flop. We'll continue in the next segment. 16:11.14 archpodnet And. 16:12.40 alan Thank you. 16:13.27 Alexis Zubia Um, thank you.