CALIFORNIA INDIAN STUDIES PROGRAM

College of Marin Community Education Department In Partnership With The Miwok Archaeological Preserve of Marin And The National Park Service

("COMPS")

Here are the revised schedules (as of 1/22/13), class descriptions and instructor bios for our year long program featuring ten different class offerings. Completion of any five leads to a “California Indian Studies Certificate of Completion.” One of the two Core Classes, which are offered at Big Time in July of 2012 and 2013, needs to be included in the group of five. However, interested individuals may enroll for just one or any number of the classes should they choose. The program opens at the Kule Loklo Big Time on July 21 of 2012 and continues through Big Time on July 20 of 2013 one year later.

Summer Quarter 2012

INTRODUCTORY CORE CLASS:

This is the cornerstone class with guest speakers who will introduce various aspects of California Indian culture and history. A brief overview of each class in the yearlong series will be presented and an opportunity to attend the annual Kule Loklo Big Time follows. Betty Goerke will review the variety and complexity of Native populations in California and their marked regional differences. The wide diversity in geography and environment and its influence on cultural practice will be discussed. The earliest evidence for "First Americans" will be addressed both locally and throughout the state. In his presentation, Ralph Shanks will include an overview of basket weaving traditions in California.

Date: July 21, 2012, Saturday, 9:00-12:00

Site: Point Reyes National Seashore

Instructors: Betty Goerke and Ralph Shanks

(See biographies for Ralph and Betty below)

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CALIFORNIA INDIAN BASKETS

This is a guided Field Trip to the Hearst Museum in Berkeley to view their substantial basket collection and learn more about California Indian basket weaving past and present. Ralph will share his extensive knowledge and understanding of the art and craft of this still vibrant practice based on the decades of his research. He'll talk about cultural history and aesthetic appreciation, as well as current efforts to maintain and expand the basket weaving tradition both locally and throughout the state.

Date: August 16, 2012, Thursday, 9:00-1:00

Site: Hearst Museum in Berkeley

Instructor: Ralph Shanks (MA)

Ralph is the president of the Miwok Archaeological Preserve of Marin (MAPOM) and is widely regarded as a leading authority on California Indian baskets. He's published the first two books in a series of three on baskets from each of the three general regions of this state and Oregon. Volume I: Indian Baskets of Central California: Art, Culture and History (2006) has become a classic with excellent text and lovely photographs. In 2010 Volume II: California Indian Baskets came out. Ralph teaches at the university level and continues to conduct scholarly research. He's worked extensively with Native American cultural leaders, weavers and elders. See the website: www.mapom.org to order his books.

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Fall Quarter 2012

Basketweaving

In this class, with nationally renowned basket weavers Julia and Lucy Parker, participants will focus on creating their own traditional California basket from materials gathered with reverence and thanksgiving. Lucy and Julia will not only offer training in the art and craft of making a basket, but on the more informal level, share their understanding of the wisdom and practices gathered from generations of California Indian cultural experience. We are, indeed, privileged to include them in our program.

Dates: September 15-16, 2012, Saturday and Sunday, 9:00-4:00

Site: Kule Loklo in the Point Reyes National Seashore

Instructors: Julia (Miwok/Pomo) and Lucy Parker (Miwok/Pomo/Paiute)

Julia Parker has been demonstrating traditional basketweaving as a ranger in Yosemite Valley for some forty years. She continues to teach in schools, colleges and museums both locally and nationally. Her baskets appear in museums all over the world. She believes that by teaching students to weave she's not only offering them a sacred skill but also connecting them in a magical way to our history and environment. Lucy Parker, her daughter, has learned from the master and passes those practices down to the wider public as well as her own offspring. You might want to Goggle "Julia Parker" to learn more about the contribution of this dynamic family who have been described as a national treasure.

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INTRODUCTORY FLINTNAPPING

Arrow, spear and drill points and knife blades of obsidian (volcanic glass) and chert have been made in California for thousands of years. In this introductory class you will learn about styles of points and blades, and how they were made and used. You will also see numerous examples of stone tools and the different kinds of stone used to produce the points. Your own flintknapping kit will be provided and used to make obsidian points. Participants must be sixteen years or older.

Date: October 20, 2012, Saturday, 9:00-4:00

Site: Kule Loklo

Instructor: Ken Peek

Ken has been flintknapping for over twenty years and is a lifelong student of California history, geology, archeology and primitive skills. He has presented numerous flintknapping workshops and demonstrations for the East Bay Regional Parks District in Henry Cowell State Park, at Kule Loklo in the Point Reyes National Seashore and in public schools.

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WEAVING A POMO STYLE COILED WILLOW AND SEDGE BASKET

Ed's vision for the class is to offer individuals a well-rounded knowledge of the basket making experience with a presentation of the complete process and beliefs surrounding it. Participants will have the opportunity to create their own basket. As we work we'll learn about California weaving traditions, plant cultivation, harvesting, processing and the variety of styles. We'll discuss the ethics of nature stewardship, the principles of regenerative land management and the spiritual practices of Native people. Students are asked to bring clippers, a sharp knife and a large bowl.

Dates: November 17-18, 2012, Saturday and Sunday, 9:00-4:00

Site: Kule Loklo in the Point Reyes National Seashore

Instructor: Ed Willie (Pomo/Wailaki)

Edward has been learning from other California Indian basket makers for over two decades and now teaches adult classes in the art. Over the years he feels he's learned the most from the students of the highly respected Mabel Mckay, as well as members of the California Indian Basketweavers Association. He's participated in most of the events they've hosted since 1991. As he explains, "When one first begins to study this tradition, it draws you into a whole world that becomes a part of your lifestyle. To make traditional baskets you have to learn how to cultivate, manage and listen to the natural world."

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Winter Quarter 2012-13

INDIGENOUS CULTURAL PRACTICES

This class will offer a broad overview of California Indian lifeways through the presentation of hands-on artifacts, storytelling, games, tools, foods, social organization, environmental ethos, spiritual practices, and worldview with a focus on Kule Loklo, the recreated Miwok Village. Park personnel and teachers will find this class particularly useful. The option to join in a Native led Roundhouse Solstice Ceremony that evening will be available and is highly recommended as an opportunity to experience traditional ritual practices.

Date: December 22, 2012, Saturday, 9:00-4:00

Site: Kule Loklo (or nearby indoor venue if inclement weather)

Instructor: John Littleton

John holds master degrees in both Education and Cultural Anthropology and is now retired after some forty years of teaching. In the classroom he focused considerable attention on an appreciation of California Indian cultures and the importance of environmental education. John developed many of the approaches listed in the course description in helping both adults and young people understand the connection between Native Peoples and the natural world. You can check out his new children's book on related themes at: www.rampageofthe gluttonmonsters.com.

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Winter Quarter 2013

INTRODUCTION TO PALEO TECHNOLOGY

Join us as we explore universal hunter-gatherer skills used by humans all around the world. You'll learn basic and essential living skills through a number of hands on activities. In the class we'll: make fire with handdrill and bowdrill fire kits; process dogbane fiber and make string; practice hunting tools, including throwing rabbit sticks and spearthrowers and shooting bow and arrows; play the hoop and pole game; learn basic stone and woodworking techniques through beadmaking, shaping and polishing stones and grinding pine nuts. A full day.

Date: March 16, 2013, Saturday, 9:00-4:00

Site: Kule Loklo

Instructor: Tamara Wilder

Tamara has been practicing, teaching and demonstrating "paleotechnics" (ancient crafts of indigenous people) since 1989 and has been offering school programs across Northern California since 1998. She regularly teaches at the California School of Herbal Studies, Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, Point Reyes National Seashore and the Mendocino Art Center. She's coauthor of the book Buckskin, and demonstrates ancient living skills for museums, fairs and schools. She is also featured on the History Channel in the Modern Marvels show entitled "Leather." Check out her website at: www.paleotechnics.com.

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Spring Quarter 2013

PETROGLYPHS AND MIWOK CULTURAL HISTORY

This will be a guided Field Trip to the ancient petroglyph site on Ring Mountain in Tiburon, Marin County and how it was saved from development. We'll discuss the geography and geology of this area and learn to indentify typical rock formations associated with petroglyphs. We'll consider the possible interpretations and purposes of these sites. As we hike up the mountain, we'll develop an appreciation for the variety of local plants and animals that were utilized by Native Californians. And, we'll consider the history and culture of the Miwok people who lived here, including Chief Marin for whom the County was named.

Date: April 13, 2013, Saturday, 9:00-1:00

Site: Ring Mountain in Tiburon, Marin County

Instructor: Betty Goerke

Betty has been teaching anthropology and archeology at the College of Marin for over thirty years. She has conducted archaeological fieldwork in California, Colorado, Greece, Holland, Kenya and India. Betty has authored numerous books and articles and produced several videotapes including "Archaeology: Questioning the Past." In 2007 she published Chief Marin: Leader, Rebel and Legend: A History of Marin County's Namesake And His People, which has been widely acclaimed as the authoritative biography of this pivotal individual in Miwok culture and history. See: www.heydaybooks.com,

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TRADITIONAL ACORN PREPARATION

For thousands of years California Indians relied on the noble acorn as a mainstay of nutritional sustenance. Lois Connor (North Fork Mono and Chuckchansi) will provide participants with an opportunity to experience acorn preparation with traditional tools, methods and accompanying environmental wisdom. From pounding the nuts into fine flour, to leaching, to cooking and then enjoying the acorn mush, folks will have a chance to immerse themselves in the lifeway that successfully sustained Native communities for all those years. Each student will take home a fire starting kit and a small bag of unleached acorn flour to practice the leaching at home.

Date: Saturday, August 17, 9:00-4:00 and Sunday, August 18, 9:00-12:00

Site: Kule Loklo in the Point Reyes National Seashore

Instructor: Lois Connor

Lois Connor sits on the Tribal Council of the North Fork Mono and has worked for decades to preserve the culture and values of her people. Often known as "The Acorn Lady," Lois keeps the ancient indigenous tradition of acorn preparation alive and well. And, she enjoys sharing the associated wisdom, which is grounded in a respectful relationship with the Creator's garden. As a basket weaver, who learned from close family members, Lois has taught and offered basket making demonstrations for many years. She's been active in the California Indian Basketweavers Association (CIBA) since 1991.

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TRADITIONAL JEWELRY MAKING, STORYTELLING, TULE CRAFTS AND CULTURAL WISDOM

Wila! Come! Explore the Coast Miwok culture with Sky Road Webb (Coast Miwok) and Alicia M. Retes (Mayo, Yaqui and Cherokee). These engaging storytellers and artisans will introduce Miwok cultural arts with hands on instruction. You'll be making shell beads, abalone necklaces and tule crafts, as well as building a mini tule boat. You'll learn Coast Miwok games, creation stories and a "Happy" song using clapper sticks. The class begins with a tour of /Kule Loklo, /the Miwok Village, and includes some time in the Round House to connect with the Spirit of the land. This is a class open to both adults and chaperoned children from eight to twelve years of age.

Date: Saturday, November 2, 2013, 9:00-4:00

Site: Kule Loklo in the Point Reyes National Seashore

Instructors: Sky Road Webb and Alicia M. Retes

Sky Road Webb is of Marin Miwok ancestry from Tomales Bay. He works at Inter-Tribal Council of California, which provides programs supporting the preservation of life, land, and culture. Sky dances in Kule Loklo Round House Ceremonies and teaches jewelry making to numerous youth groups. He employs the conservation strategy of "learn, practice, share and teach," offering Native cultural presentations and hands-on traditional craft demonstrations to a wide range of audiences. Alicia M. Retes is a multi-talented artisan and interpretive guide with over 25 years of presenting classes focused on Native cultural practices. She teaches at the Museum of the American Indian in Novato as the Interpretive Instructor providing tours and classes for over 4,000 students a year from the Greater Bay Area. Her work is influenced by personal wildlife adventures combined with respect and appreciation for Native traditional arts.

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Summer Quarter 2013

INTRODUCTORY CORE CLASS II

CULTURAL HISTORY AND PRESENT STATE OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS AND CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION CEREMONY

This final class in the series and the first in the year to come will provide a view of present day Indian cultures with a gaze into the future through a series of lectures by Native Californians. Emphasis will focus on the traditions, practices and worldviews of contemporary indigenous people. At the close of this session, the College of Marin Certificate of Completion Ceremony will be held for those participants who have completed five of the eight classes. Participants will then have the opportunity to experience the Kule Loklo Big Time at the nearby recreated Miwok Village.

Date: July 20, 2013, Saturday, 9:30-12:30

Site: Point Reyes National Seashore

Instructors: Eva Salazar (Kumeyaay), Bradley Marshall (Hupa), Vanessa Esquivido (Wintu) and Sherry Smith-Ferri (Pomo)

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