00:00.00 archpodnet And you're live. 00:02.59 alan Well welcome back everybody this is Dr Allen Garfinkel episode 93 with Alexis Zoubia talking about the ridgecrest petrolev festival the only ah rock art festival in the world to my mind and Alexis I know we. Sort of gave people a few sound bites and some of the overarching elements of what it's like to deal with orchestrating a performance like this. But what is the purpose of of some sort of ah a 2 wo-day affair like this and attracting the general public. What do we hope to accomplish. 00:40.56 Alexis Zubia Ah, yeah, So um, that's a good question I think you know the primary focus is really the native American culture for one. Um, but really to get a crowd out there to want to dive into that culture and to want to learn about a culture that was so. Um, far past you know what? that people think the reality of it was um and to really understand it and into the in the way that it was not only for enjoyment. But for you know, respect and for you know, just a complete complex understanding in in the way that. A Festival brings you know food friends family. Um, you name it, you know? and so I think that's really like the primary purpose of having the festivals to just dive deeper into that culture for people that may not be in that culture to like want to to be a part of it. And be a part of something bigger than themselves and I think that's really the cap what we try to capture in this festival. 01:35.41 alan Bigger than themselves right? Yeah and I know as an archaeologist anthropologist I've worked with indians native americans for 404050 years and it's not always an easy. Interaction. There's conflicts. There's conflicts. There's different values. There's laws that are regulating the way I behave and sometimes those laws are not respectful or not in the same vein as the native american traditions or the. 01:57.53 Alexis Zubia Um, now. 02:14.99 alan Directions. They want me to go So it's ah it's a It's really a challenging circumstance. But with this festival you have entertainment. You've got food. You got fun but you do but you do have um, authentic native people that are attempting to. 02:24.80 Alexis Zubia Correct. 02:33.70 Alexis Zubia Yes. 02:34.11 alan Preserve their culture through a variety of ways through traditions singing drumming dancing decorative Arts. What have you and then introducing some of that to I think the public who may have never seen that Before. Or may have never experienced it. So Intimately am I correct. 02:56.72 Alexis Zubia I Think you hit the nail on the donkey I Think that's exactly what it is and I um I don't think I could have said it better quite frankly I think I think that's exactly what the Festival's about you know. 03:02.11 alan Oh. 03:10.23 Alexis Zubia Preservation and um of the native American culture. 03:11.16 alan Um, so that's ah, that's an interesting issue preservation of native american culture. Um, and that kind of overlaps with the ah resource base that sort of spawned this whole festival. Now Ridgecrest is attempting to brand themselves as the city of the petroglyphs. What does that mean. 03:38.80 Alexis Zubia Um, are you asking me what it means as far as oh. 03:40.36 alan Yeah, what did they? What did? what did they do to do that and why would they want to be perceived as the city of the petrolyphs and that there's no, there's no right or wrong answer. Yeah. 03:50.84 Alexis Zubia Well I I mean I are you sure know I'm just I think for one you know like we highlighted earlier. Um the petrolyphs that are on the naval base trying to like naval base I think for one that really is you know. The stepping stone for why where the city of rich Chris help holds this festival and I think. 04:15.10 alan Yeah I think I think they were looking for some sort of a a tagline a signature something that something that would give them distinction and certainly the Matterango museum being there on the main drag and also ah. 04:19.39 Alexis Zubia Um, right. 04:30.42 Alexis Zubia Exactly I mean yeah, those 2 right there and then you know ah just introducing it every year for people introducing it every year for people to come and to come see it again. Um, or people that have never been to come and understand it in a way that they've never understood it before or f at all. 04:32.47 alan The world class nature. Yep yeah. 04:46.62 alan Here. 04:47.77 Alexis Zubia And so I think that that is why the city of Redress really tries to highlight such such a festival because it's important to highlight it I mean we said it earlier preservation of the native American culture. Um, it's been hindered for so long and I think that to so to speak out in a festival. It's like there's no other way. There's no better way to do that. 05:18.10 Alexis Zubia Um, did I did I lose you? okay. 05:18.51 alan No I'm still here I got you I don't know I don't know what happened though I don't I don't see me hey yeah Chris Chris are we and yeah, but I'm I don't see any little wavy lines when I'm talking. 05:24.00 archpodnet I Alan act I still hear you. 05:35.11 archpodnet Yeah, you haven't had them because you're really really quiet. Um I don't know why it's so quiet on your side but it's the come the recordings coming through. Yep get. 05:39.19 alan Okay, okay, okay, thank you I'll just keep going so ah Alexis that's that's a really good you know way to look at this because I think one of the themes the functions. The um. Way in which that the city of Ridgecrest has partnered with the you know ridgecrest chamber of commerce and the ah the the welcome center as well. There's a lot of different different moving parts isn't there a lot of different entities that are that are all. 06:11.60 Alexis Zubia Um, yes, no. 06:16.16 alan Sort of integrating you've got the materango museum and then you've also have the base now the base at China lake you know is a million acres but their mission of course is to create instruments that we can defend ourselves with and they're in the business of armaments and weaponry. So but they have been a ah a very active advocate in preservation conservation in allowing people to visit the ah one main canyon now part of the reason that they were unable to facilitate visitation. Was twofold. Of course one was because of the pandemic right? But what's the other one remember that earth the the the the earthquake so 06:57.11 Alexis Zubia Right. 07:03.60 Alexis Zubia I mean I would I would assume security boo the earthquake the earthquake. Yes, the 2019 earthquakes 07:13.96 alan Right? Why don't we say a little bit about those earthquakes doctor so we had ah I think think we had 2 of them right. 07:18.66 Alexis Zubia Um, yeah, um, we did. We had him what July I want to say July fourth and then July fifth. 07:25.47 alan It was July fourth. Yeah July fourth and July fifth I think the fourth one was off the base. The fifth had its centerpiece there at the base and I'm told they had something they have something like $8000000000 worth of damage on the base something that's. 07:33.91 Alexis Zubia Um, correct. 07:43.37 Alexis Zubia I heard that I heard that too. Oh I was just hang out I did I did hear that um, a lot of a lot of it was all C centered around the base and the. 07:44.40 alan Cat Its go ahead. Did you hear something like that. Go ahead. 08:00.32 Alexis Zubia Most of the earthquake damage was on base and it prevented you know people from coming they became you know more stricter with um Civilian Um cat which um I can't remember the the terminology of the a brebbreviation but it's essentially a card security card. Um, security clearance card and so um I know I know I'm just a regular Civilian and you know at some point they just stop permitting access say that again. No I didn't but my my dad has been working on base for years and so um, because of that I was able to get a civilian. 08:22.36 alan Did did you work on base. Yeah did you work on base. No. 08:37.29 Alexis Zubia Access card and be able to you know, take get get on base for whatever I needed to go um on base for maybe the pool or maybe the bowling Alley. You know, fun little things you know throughout that base and yet at some point they restricted everybody after the earthquakes from being able to be a Civilian on Base. You know that including. Spousal you spousal Cowards. You know, not even a spouse who of the government um employee could even access the base at that point and to this day. 09:05.30 alan Yeah, so I know that during my tenure. My association with the base through many many decades. Um, things have gotten more and more and more difficult to access the bays to go anywhere else but little petrickliff canyon now fortunately in the last. few years I had a um, a graduate student who wanted to get her ph d from the University Of Florida and she was permitted to go to a number of different canyons and photograph and document petrolyphs throughout the base. During her tenure there. She was there for a couple of months to do that. So there are occasions and circumstances windows of opportunity. But again it it. It just depends upon the circumstances and there's been a lot of. Ah, you know, chaotic and tremendous challenges that the base is facing so I I've heard hopefully hopefully I've heard that come come this spring come may they're now considering opening up little petchliff canyon again. 10:02.90 Alexis Zubia Um, right. Definitely. 10:18.25 alan But we shall see. 10:19.38 Alexis Zubia I heard that too. We shall see right? Um, it would be such an honor to re restart what we'd started nine years ago um the visits, the visits and so I think that that would really highlight our festival again. 10:27.70 alan The visits. 10:36.76 Alexis Zubia More than you know it did before because we've been like I said deprived of being able to to visit the Canyon and so I really you know I Really hope that we get to see the light someday again, but at the same time. Um I am understanding of. The concept as to why it is restricted from the public. 10:57.70 alan Yeah, yeah, and I and I do too now I I think I understand that they're opening the Canyon or the the facilities they're on the base to native Native Americans selectively. And they're allowing them to go to the coso Hot Springs for their sweats have you heard that or no. 11:19.31 Alexis Zubia I Actually have not heard that enlighten me I'm I'm a little intrigued on this. 11:28.20 alan Well, ah in the past they use the um, the old 1930 s structures and they bring in tarps and they do sweats out at the coso hot springs because the the steam and the and the you know the actual heat. 11:40.79 Alexis Zubia Um. 11:45.78 alan Allows them to do that there and they they can stay overnight and camp there and I think it's I think it's only for native people and those that want to ritual? Yeah I mean I mean group of native people but the native people can invite you know other non-natives and if they wanted to go there for sweats and. 11:50.80 Alexis Zubia Um, interesting. That's that's really neat and this is just a select. Okay. 12:04.86 alan But I believe there is someone there at least there was in the past who leads those kinds of trips and they're given somewhat free access because you know that ah the cosal hot Springs of course has been a religious or sacred site to the native people for. 12:08.36 Alexis Zubia Um, nice. 12:23.16 alan Hundreds if not thousands of years so have you ever been out to the hot springs though. Coso hot springs though. 12:25.84 Alexis Zubia Rape me that that's really me. 12:34.50 Alexis Zubia I Have not that is something that as being a local I have not dived into yet and I would really it really interests me to go but I'm just waiting for the right time right. 12:48.23 alan Yeah, yeah, and and and it's it's difficult in ah, another situation where you'd have to have special access. That's where they do the the geothermal facility right there and they've produced energy that I think is exported outside of Ridge Crestin 12:52.90 Alexis Zubia Um, right. 13:04.71 alan I think they produce an equivalent amount of energy as a nuclear power plant. That's what I'm told so you can imagine with this active geothermal energy available. It. It makes it an an interesting exercise. You've got the. The ah you know the the industrial side plus you've got the religious sacred and native tradition side meeting up at an at 1 interface. So and with that we'll take a break and come back for the third and last segment. 13:38.61 Alexis Zubia Awesome! It sounds good. 13:40.33 alan In the flip flop gang.