Multiple Horizons: Tribal Perspectives From the Confluence
Multiple Horizons: Tribal Perspectives at the Confluence
Presented by the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians Exhibits and Collections and Traditional Ecological Knowledge Departments:
The Nisenan village of Pusune lies at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers. It is the birthplace of Pamela Cleanso Adams, matriarch of the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians’ Adams Clan. Our Tribe’s connection to this land and these waters is transcendental and timeless. We are the First People and the perpetual stewards.
The Confluence tells us a story of the interconnectivity of our rivers, just as we are connected to the water and the life it gives us, the land, and all living beings. Our ancestors fished these rivers when they were abundant with salmon. They lived and gathered along these waterways when the tule still grew, the elk still hid, and the water was clear. Although the landscape and the Confluence have changed, we remain. We continue the gathering and the traditional teachings, we bring back the medicine, the ceremonies, and songs. We are the survivors of disease, colonization, genocide, and removal. We return to the Confluence to remember, to reconnect, to teach, and to learn.
Our Traditional Ecological Knowledge department was created to help preserve our traditional lifeways, natural resource management, and spiritual practices so that these teachings can be passed down through the generations. Traditional knowledge and cultural revitalization are vital elements of who we are as tribal people.
The convergence of contemporary art and Traditional Ecological Knowledge creates an avenue to educate the public through our Cultural Arts. We would like to thank the SSBMI Language Department and the Tribal artists who have come forward to represent the Nissim Pawenan of the Sacramento Valley including Daniel Burnett, Jacky Calanchini, Olyvia Calanchini, Sharon Campbell, Jaime Lanouette, Pete Olvera, Sophia Olvera, Weh-ay- nic Peyron, Daniel Sandoval, Kat Solares, Malissa Tayaba and the SSBMI Education Center.
The SSBMI Exhibits & Collections Center and the Traditional Ecological Knowledge Department would also like to extend their gratitude to the Crocker Art Museum’s Community Gallery program and staff for the opportunity share our experiences and raise awareness about who we are, past, present, and future.
View the Crossroads Exhibition
