On Tuesday, July 17, 2012, the California Valley Miwok Tribe met with representatives from the San Joaquin County Historical Society & Museum, Mr. David R. Stuart, Executive Director and Ms. Robin Wood, Education & Visitor Services Manager. The meeting was held at the CVMT Tribal Offices located at 10601 N. Escondido PL, Stockton, California.
CVMT’s Tribal Council extended the invitation to Mr. Stuart and Ms. Wood to visit the Tribal Offices upon the request of Tribal Elder and Certified Indian Artisan Mildred Burley and Tribal Member Daveen Williams, whom expressed their interest in contacting representatives from the San Joaquin County Historical Society to propose holding a meeting/workshop in which the attendees could experience the local Miwok culture and customs by actively participating in a hands-on demonstration involving the construction of traditional Miwok handcrafts; such as deer bone rattles, pine needle medallions, and pine needle baskets, which have been passed down for generations.
The meeting was conducted and overseen by Vice Chairperson Anjelica Paulk. The demonstration began with Tribal Member Daveen Williams instructing the attendees on how to make the deer bone rattles. Next, Ms. Rose Mose, Tribal Member of the Calaveras Band of Mi-Wuk Indians (and a Cultural Preservation Advisor to CVMT), showed the participants how to make pine needle medallions. Lastly, Tribal Elder Mildred Burley explained the process involved in weaving a pine needle basket and demonstrated those steps, using a new, unfinished basket she had recently begun preparing.
After the workshop concluded, the California Valley Miwok Tribe officially presented a tribal flag to the San Joaquin County Historical Society. Original flags are kept at the CVMT Tribal Offices at 10601 N. Escondido PL, Stockton, CA, 95212. Previously, a flag was given to the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC, and is currently on display there. The flag that was given to the San Joaquin County Historical Society at this meeting is also intended to be displayed in the near future at the San Joaquin County Historical Society & Museum in Lodi, CA. The meeting ended with the San Joaquin County Historical Society representatives being given a personal tour of the California Valley Miwok Tribe’s “Wall of Achievement”, showing the long history of this proud tribe.
The Tribe would like to thank Mr. David R. Stuart, Executive Director of the San Joaquin County Historical Society & Museum and Ms. Robin Wood, Education and Visitors Services Manager of the San Joaquin County Historical Society & Museum; and a special thank you to CVMT Tribal Elder / Certified Indian Artisan Mildred Burley, CVMT Tribal Member Daveen Williams and Ms. Rose Mose, Tribal Member of the Calaveras Band of Mi-Wuk Indians / Cultural Preservation Advisor to CVMT, for their participation and contribution to today’s meeting.
