Not so long ago, the prevailing wisdom held that the Miwok Indians were extinct. In protest, the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria loudly proclaimed, “We are still here.”
On Saturday, July 18, we’ll have an opportunity to trace the sometimes-forgotten path of the native people of Point Reyes in a presentation titled “Native American History: Past, Present and Future.”
The event, hosted by the California Indian Studies Program, features a dynamic quartet of speakers that includes Malcolm Margolin, founder of Heyday Press; Lindsie Bear, editor of News From Native California, a Heyday publication; writer Vincent Medina, an Ohlone Indian; and Miwok elder Joanne Campbell. It takes place from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Red Barn Classroom at Point Reyes National Seashore headquarters in coordination with the 35th annual Big Time Festival—a day of traditional California Indian dance, crafts demonstrations, book and jewelry sales and more—at Kule Loklo, a short hike from the barn.
Most of what is arbitrarily presented as our history emphasizes the past few hundred years, paying all but lip service to the thousands of years native people sustained themselves in Marin (without destroying the environment). The footprint left by a few thousand hunter and gatherers living harmoniously with the natural world contrasts with that of the hundreds of thousands of modern inhabitants all struggling to live high on the hog.
Maybe the hard-wiring of Homo dominativus propels us to behave exactly as we do; however, as the Indian lectures and classes offered by the Indian studies program—a project of the Miwok Archeological Preserve of Marin, the College of Marin and the Point Reyes National Seashor—reflect, another quality of human consciousness is a part of our biological and cultural heritage.
If we wish to learn from the lessons of the past, we could look to the long history of indigenous culture. There we might discover kernels of native wisdom that could shine light on the present climate crisis. An ethos emphasizing the need to keep the population within the earth’s carrying capacity and a cosmology grounded in a sacred relationship with the natural world might suggest some new-old directions to follow.
In her book, “Scrape the Willow until it Sings,” Julia Parker, a Coast Miwok and Kashia Pomo, writes: “So when we gather, we are always told to give offering—no matter what we have. This is paying back to Earth with the respect of a thank you. So you follow those rules. You don’t take more than you need. And do song, prayer and offering.” (Julia has been teaching basket weaving in the Indian studies program for decades, and will be back to teach at Kule Loklo on Sept. 19 and 20.)
Pope Francis recently shocked the established powers with his stunning encyclical proclaiming the necessity to rethink how we care for Mother Earth. His language rings of the Earth-centered practices that guided humanity for countless millennia. The tracks of many forgotten footsteps now call out for rediscovery.
Tickets for the July 18 presentation in the Red Barn Classroom are $49. To register, call the College of Marin at (415) 485.9305, or pay at the door. The Big Time Festival, taking place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. less than a half-mile up the Kule Loklo Trail from seashore headquarters, is free and family-friendly; bring a picnic and please leave pets at home. For more information about the California Indian Studies Program and for a list of classes in subjects such as flint-knapping, basket making, acorn processing and fire making, along with field trips to petroglyph sites and museums, visit mapom.org.
John Littleton is a retired educator living in Point Reyes Station.