Discovering the Bay Area’s original settlers

The city of Novato was established in 1960, but people have lived in that area for thousands of years. The city is near the center of what’s now Sonoma and Marin counties – an area that was home to the Coast Miwok tribe for centuries before the first Europeans arrived in California. Now, Novato is home to a unique place that showcases native culture from the North Bay and beyond.

KALW’s Brian Pelletier has the story.

*     *     *

BRIAN PELLETIER: From the road, Novato’s Miwok Park looks pretty much like any other community park. People walk dogs, push strollers and ride bikes. You might notice a group of kids gathered together, but you might not see that they’re surrounding some horses. Look closer and you’ll see something unusual – they’re painting the horses. 

COLLEEN HICKS: We have about 4,000 school children come every year. We’re busy throughout the school year with classes because teachers love it, it is such an interactive way to teach about Indians.

Colleen Hicks is the Executive Director of the Marin Museum of the American Indian. At first glance, like the park where the two-story museum stands, it looks like what you might expect. It’s got artifacts: feathers and photos, pottery and paintings, clothing and arrowheads. But Hicks points out the museum is not just showcasing the past.

HICKS: It is really important that people not forget that Native Americans were here and are here. So in all of my exhibits, one of the things that I do that is very important to me is I have a contemporary Native American artist in every exhibit so that you see that the culture is going on. Native American people will say all the time we’re more than our artifacts.

BRAD MARSHALL: This is part of my life. This is who I am.

Brad Marshall isone of about 3,000 people in California who claim Hupa heritage. The tribe’s ancestral lands are in the Trinity River Valley north of Redding. Marshall donated photos from his grandfather showing Hupa life: scared tribal celebrations and dancing in traditional regalia.

MARSHALL: And this is an opportunity for other people to share in the culture from which I come. And I think that’s a good thing. It gives the opportunity to see that we’re still here.

GENE BUVELOT: In Marin County they were known as the shadow people. People didn’t really know we existed.

Coastal Miwok Elder Gene Buvelot says the Marin Museum of the American Indian is the only place that tells his tribe’s story.

BUVELOT: Alot of the members thought we were Mexican or Spanish or whatever because they had Spanish surnames, but there’s no Spanish blood in them. Because when America came in after the Mexican government, they did a census about 1850 to 1852, and everyone had to have a last name. They wouldn’t just take it that you only had one name. So the land that our people was living on at the time – they couldn’t get to the areas where they were originally from but they were able to work on property – so wherever they were working they took the name of the land owner. So we have a lot of Martinez, Gomez, Sanchez, but there is no Hispanic blood in our tribe.

HICKS: The Native Americans are the invisible minority.

Again, museum Executive Director Colleen Hicks.

HICKS: People just don’t see them. I had someone say, “There are no California Indians left.” And I said, “There’s a lot of California Indians left. You just think they are Hispanic.” Each tribe looks completely different. And so you get so you have to learn to see who they are.

The museum is located on Coast Miwok land here in the Bay Area, which is now home to nearly 7 million people. Of those, fewer than 1,000 are of Coast Miwok descent. They’re recognized along with other nations in both their history and modern traditions at the Marin Museum of the American Indian. It’s a small place in a big park, but if you look closely enough, you’ll find an important cornerstone of Bay Area culture.

In Novato I’m Brian Pelletier for Crosscurrents.