author
Martin A. Baumhoff
1926–1983
A California archaeologist and anthropologist whose work helped shape the study of Native California and the Great Basin. His writing is grounded in fieldwork, material culture, and a lasting curiosity about how people adapted to place.
1 Audiobook
California Athabascan Groups
by Martin A. Baumhoff
About the author
Born in Camino, California, on December 22, 1926, he grew up in an orchard family and later earned his Ph.D. in archaeology from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1959. He joined the University of California, Davis, in 1958 and remained there for the rest of his career, also serving as department chair and later as Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs.
His research focused on the archaeology and ethnography of California and the Great Basin. He wrote on subjects including California Athabascan groups, Aboriginal California populations, basketry, rock art, and settlement patterns, and he became known for careful work with material culture and regional prehistory.
He died on March 27, 1983. Memorial accounts from colleagues describe him as an important figure in California archaeology whose publications and teaching left a strong mark on the field.