Bean, Lowell John, 1931-

<p>Lowell John Bean is a gentleman and a scholar. And most importantly, he is a kind soul. In 1958 when he arrived on the desert as a graduate student in anthropology from UCLA, his gentle demeanor was recognized by the Cahuilla who allowed him to learn about their society with unprecedented access to their culture and customs....</p>
<p>The story of his introduction and then induction into the inner circles of Indian life is fascinating. He was quiet, observant and humble. His willingness to work was endearing. “When he inquired with tribal leader Jane Penn, she told him they didn’t need any rookie anthropologists hanging around. However, she said, sizing up his gentle and willing spirit, they did need help cleaning eggs… Lowell knew his way around a farmyard. Thus was born Lowell Bean’s First Rule of Anthropology and Life: Make yourself useful.”....</p>
<p>With his prodigious knowledge of the indigenous people of California he tirelessly campaigned to change the depiction of California Indians in school textbooks, creating new interest in Indian studies throughout the state. So integral did Dr. Bean become to that cause, longtime Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians Tribal Chairman Richard Milanovich presented him with a ceremonial blanket traditionally given to important elders in 2008 saying, “Dr. Bean, you have our respect and gratitude.”</p>
<p>Together with Jane Penn and Cahuilla elder Katherine Siva Saubel, he founded the Malki Press and Malki Museum on the Morongo Reservation. Through those efforts he also enabled the publication of other important scholarship.</p>