Located in: Special Collections & University Archives

This collection documents the work, research, and activism of Rupert and Jeannette Henry Costo.

Rupert Costo (1906-1989), was a Native American author, publisher, philanthropist, founder of the American Indian Historical Society and the Indian Historian Press, and editor of the journal, Wassaja, as well as cattle rancher, engineer, surveyor, lobbyist for Native American land rights, and spokesman and member of the governing board of the Cahuilla Reservation.

Jeannette Henry Costo (d. 1998), Cherokee Indian, journalist, and activist in her own right, married Rupert Costo in 1954.

The Costo papers contain abundant information on American Indians, with an emphasis on California Indians and contemporary issues. Water, land, hunting and fishing rights, sovereignty, gaming, language and education are among the major subject areas. It consists of correspondence, typescripts, manuscripts, ephemera, film, photographs, articles, clippings, and other material.