Teaching Our Ways

We honor and cherish our ancestors–their knowledge, practices, arts, traditions and lifeways–as a way to ensure the well-being of our future generations. Information gleaned from our ancestors informs all of the Cultural Department’s offerings, which in turn strengthen Patwin culture and define the way forward. 

With our archives of culturally significant materials, we develop comprehensive educational programing for our Citizens as well as outside organizations. Our archival collections provide source material for a wide range of projects, from the creation of films that capture our traditional stories and modern-day activism to educational displays for public libraries throughout our ancestral territory. Yocha Dehe is the Lead Executive Producer of the film “Imagining the Indian,” a hard-hitting look at the use of Native American mascots in the world of sports that won a Best Documentary award at the Boston International Film Festival.

Cultural Events

Gatherings such as our annual Big Time event support an enduring connection with our past and with neighboring tribes through the sharing of song and dance. Big Time brings together tribes from throughout California for food, song, dance, arts and sharing; it is an event reminiscent of historic gatherings. We also participate in local Capay Valley programs, and state and national events including California Native American Day, the National Congress of American Indians and other tribal celebrations.