Carter Bailon has been filling an important role as a cultural demonstrator at Yosemite National Park, and by his count, the museum has had some 35,852 visitors while he has been stationed there. “Of those,” he tells us, “about 11,965 were contacts who either asked questions, watched my demonstration or I’ve spoken to. I’ve had 18 walks with 306 visitors or an average of 17 visitors per walk (increasing as we enter summer).”
These impressive numbers are matched by an impressive range of work performed. For a cultural demonstrator is no mere researcher, but takes a much more active role in imparting knowledge, understanding and respect of traditional native beliefs and their lifestyle, both past and present. Supporting the Yosemite Conservancy’s Connecting to Traditions Cultural Demonstrator Program and working in collaboration with the National Park Service, Carter describes the breadth of his work, which is both archival in nature and front-facing toward the public: “I work down in the museum, in what can feel like a cave absent of light, and demonstrate cultural skills such as, beadwork, cordage making, obsidian knapping, while also interpreting park history and those objects displayed within our museum. When I’m out of the museum, I’m either learning more about the park, doing prep work/chores, or I can also be found leading a ‘discovery walk.’ The discovery walk is a ranger led program/walk which runs an hour to an hour and a half in length with a range of topics. But all my walks in some capacity thread in discussion of native life/lifeways in Yosemite National Park.”
Additionally, Carter notes that the work can change depending on the season. Of course, the volume of visitors is at its greatest during the summer months, but as temperatures cool, the numbers shrink and the approach to cultural demonstration evolves. As Carter explains, “in the winter the museum does not get the steady waves of shuttlebus after shuttlebus after tour group as we do in the summer, but instead we get more intermittent waves of school groups on fieldtrips visiting the park. And with this change in visitation the work is altered in one way or another. You’re able to give these winter visitors more attention and energy, which can leave a stronger impression. One of my favorite observations in this period was when another member of our staff Eric Nelson was talking to a school group of children who initially were uninterested in his methodical creation of cordage. But with the more time he had to give to this school group, he gave them each a stick of dogbane to process, which then went to stripping, breaking, cracking, peeling to get the raw fibers which are then cleaned and twisted into cords. Once these kiddos were given that opportunity, they all got invested and what was left was an absolute mess of broken sticks on the floor and cords in their hands as they left the museum. It was great to provoke awe or nourish the curiosity of this younger crowd and give them the attention that is deserved.”
The pleasure that comes with providing more focused attention to smaller groups notwithstanding, Carter is still looking forward with excitement to a summer with “more moments for visitors to experience the park or learn histories or stories that they might’ve not known or provoke thought and question their prior assumptions.” Carter is clearly eager to share his enthusiasm with as many visitors as he can. This becomes evident when he waxes about the many fantastic moments that he’s experienced working in the park, especially when engaging directly with the wonders of Yosemite, “whether that be harvesting willow or dogbane, planting in Ackerson Meadow, releasing California red-legged frogs, or seeing the changes of the park in each new discovery walk, going from winter’s birds, snow, ‘frazil ice,’ mistletoe, to the newly sprung greenery and liveliness of spring. However, in my experience the best parts of spring are red, the snow plants, the young leaves of black oak emerging in a reddish pink color, the emerging California red-legged frogs, the heads of Western Tanagers, the brighter plumage of migratory robins.”
