Beyond Borders Cultural Exchange
Promotion of binational cultural collaboration in the Baja California, California, and Arizona region.
Workshops and expeditions in Baja California bringing together indigenous cultural specialists and people from both sides of the border.
Support for indigenous community initiatives, participation of indigenous artists and plant specialists in binational tribal activities.
Quick Highlights:
Bringing people together to support the revitalization of traditional arts and environmental knowledge
Research beyond borders
About Us
Our Story
For over 3 decades, our team has been supporting indigenous cultural and environmental specialists of Baja California through the organization of cultural exchanges in collaboration with US tribes, museums, universities, parks and organizations in California and Arizona. These educational activities encourage cultural revitalization on both sides of the border by providing logistical and technical support for Native Baja Californians to share their knowledge of traditional arts such as pottery, basketry, fiber arts and ethnobotany with tribal members, students, and others on both sides of the US-Mexico border. Funds for applied research, projects and educational experiences in Baja California that align with our goals may also be channeled through our Cultural Exchange program.
How we work
Funders interested in supporting our program or specific educational experiences through our California non-profit organization may contact us. Please note, we are not a foundation and do not provide funding.
Our values
Cultural revitalization, reinforcing shared cultural ties, binational collaboration
Where We Work
Anthropologist Michael Wilken-Robertson’s research and advocacy work with Native Baja Californians has explored traditional arts (pottery, basketry, oral narratives and song), ethnobotany, history, languages and cultural landscapes of the indigenous peoples of the northern Baja California region. He has developed lifelong collaborative relationships with native artists and traditional authorities to foster cultural revitalization and sustainable community development. His fascination with native plants and the natural landscapes of the Californias has inspired him to explore the many ways that humans have interacted with their environments, from the ancient past, into the present. His book Kumeyaay Ethnobotany: Shared Heritage of the Californias honors the legacy of traditional environmental knowledge in the region. Wilken-Robertson received his MA in Applied Anthropology from San Diego State University and has taught in the anthropology department at California State University, San Marcos.
Doctor of Geography from the University of the Alps (UJF) in Grenoble, France. A translator, cartographer, university professor, and language teacher, I have participated in binational projects since 1995 and in projects with local indigenous groups since 2005. I have worked as a translator, facilitator, and coordinator of workshops related to traditional cultural activities in Baja California, California, and Arizona. I worked in the public sector at the Mexican National Fisheries Institute and as an advisor at the National Institute of Anthropology and History.
Botany has always been present in my academic background; my social service project involved translating a botany book. My undergraduate thesis focused on the relationship between vegetation and topography in the Sierra Juárez, Baja California. My master’s thesis on land use in the Tijuana River Basin included a study of general vegetation cover. I have also translated ethnobotany books.
Community Partnerships:
Indigenous cultural and environmental specialists
NGOs:
research
Tecate Community Museum Online Library Catalog
San Diego Archaeological Society—Bajacalifology
This webpage was developed in 2002 by a multinational group of anthropologists seeking to foster the development of the discipline in Baja California, promote closer communication and cooperation between researchers, disseminate accurate information, and encourage an appreciation of and protection for the peninsula’s unique cultural heritage.
- Spanish version: Baja Anthropology – Baja California and Southern California
- English version: Baja Anthropology – Baja California and Southern California
Contact Information
Michael Wilken-Robertson
Mailing Address: PO Box 122229, Chula Vista, CA 91912
in order of preference-
Email: mikewilken@yahoo.com
WhatsApp call or message: 619-578-3149
Phone (US): San Diego, CA USA (619)-578-3149
Phone (Mexico) 52 646 148 9008