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American Indian Historical Society
1) To study, interpret, and disclose the facts concerning the history of the American Indians, to preserve and protect the remaining evidence of Indian customs, arts, and cultures, and to correct the historical record as to the true story of the Indians and their contributions to civilization; 2) To inform and educate the public at large concerning the history of the American Indians; 3) To work for the education, the good and welfare, and the cultural development of the American Indians (Minutes of the American Indian Historical Society Board Meetings, July 14, 1964, accession #012.009.001). The society was also to be "non-profit absolutely" and "non-political absolutely."
The Costos and the society continually sought to reach wider audiences, in Indian country and beyond. In 1971, they launched The Weewish Tree, a publication for Indian children, which ran steadily for a decade.
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In
1964, Rupert and Jeannette, a Cahuilla man and Cherokee woman,
helped found the American Indian Historical Society with
individuals from the Tolowa, Quechan, Maidu, Hupa, Ohlone,
Karuk, Navajo, and Paiute tribes. Rupert Costo
served as its first and only president, from the society's
advent until its dissolution as a corporation in 1986. Based
in San Francisco, the society's initial objectives comprised
the following:
In the years that followed, the society took concrete steps
to protect Native gravesites, correct state textbooks, organize
conferences, promote Native artists, defend land claims and
water rights, and publish journals, newspapers, and books.
In 1964, the society produced the first issue of 
In
1968, the Society led a campaign in Sacramento for state
legislation to protect Indian arts and crafts. In 1969, it
organized a series of teacher workshops in California to
address curricular
issues. In 1971, it established the Indian Arts and Crafts
Commission, which sponsored several art exhibits in San
Francisco.
All of these activities and many others are well documented
in the 
In 1973, they started Wassaja –
the title of which derived from the Yavapai name of Dr. Carlos
Montezuma, "whose life was dedicated to the struggle
for our people for self-determination" – a national
newspaper of American Indian life and affairs. The paper's
creators saw it as "The Indians' Signal for Self-Determination."
Its first issue ran twenty-four pages and included articles
on water rights, self-determination, and the importance of
knowing history in order to prevail in ongoing struggles.
"Wassaja presents facts, information, carefully sifted
out from rumors and gossip," reads the first issue, expressing
the belief of the publishers and the writers that education
was a key concern for those inside and outside the Indian
community. It further declared that "Wassaja presents
alternatives to violence," carrying forward the ethos
of the civil right achievements of the decade before (Wassaja,
vol. 1, no. 1, January 1973).