In Coast Miwok folklore, O’-ye, Coyote man, sends Koo-loo’-pis, the tiny but fast-flying Hummingbird, to the Sun in order to steal some of his fire for the newly created People. Koo-loo’-pis returns from a harrowing journey with a spark tucked beneath her chin. O’-ye puts the ember in Oo’-noo, the buckeye tree, where it will always be available with the spin of a hand drill.
Over the past four decades, the Miwok Archeological Preserve of…