You know then that on the right hand of the Indies, there is an island called California, very close to the side of the Terrestrial Paradise, and it was peopled by black women, without any men among them, for they lived in the fashion
of the Amazons.  They were of strong and hardy bodies, of ardent courage and great force.... And their Queen was
called Califia.
                                                                                                    From a translation of La Sergas de Esplandian by
                                                                                                Garcia Rodriquez Ordonex de Montaivio, circa 1510

This piece consists of a carved female figure, covered in copper, carrying large bundles of clothing and washbasins balanced upon her head.  She is a symbolic combination of many formidable ladies.  Foremost, she is Califia, the Amazon-like Queen of the mythical island Califia after which California was named.  This piece pays tribute to the many women of color who began as laundresses during the gold rush who, cleverly taking advantage of the miners, became wealthy women of the west.  She also stands as a contrast to the activities of the miners who raped the earth of its minerals and muddied the waters.  She is a spirit of cleansing, mending, and healing.  She is the spirit Yemaja, an African Diaspora deity who is the mother of all waters and the spirit of patient creativity.

This figure stands approximately six feet tall and the bundles rise another seven to eight feet making her a towering 13 to 14 feet tall.  She is carved wood and clad in oxidized copper giving her a blush-green tone.  Her bundles are strung upon a steel rod that rises out of a used washtub resting upon her head.  The bundles are carved from a lightweight core and covered in used clothing and lengths of fabric.  The tower is then topped with an enamel washbasin and pitcher.  Her base is wood covered in a decorative metal ceiling tile.