SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS, Calif. April 30, 2017 - The Sequoia Parks Conservancy (SPC) in collaboration with local tribal representatives will be holding Go Native - A Native American Cultural Celebration - Saturday, May 6th, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Foothills Picnic Area across the highway from the Foothills Visitor Center in Sequoia National Park.
Go Native, organized annually in Tulare County since 2009, is a family-friendly event highlighting traditional local cultural practices and handi-crafts. Jennifer Malone, the event organizer, is a local Wukchumni Yokuts Callifornia Native American teacher and demonstrator. She says, "Bringing our traditional practices to the Parks is a great way to bring awareness to the public and to share our love and guardianship of the land with others. We're hoping this is the first of many Go Native events in Sequoia National Park."
The event will open with a cultural blessing, drumming and Yokuts history. Demonstrations include tule decoy ducks, dice games, walnut dice, soapstone carving, clapsticks, cordage, pole & hoop game, pine needle baskets, miniature cradleboards and fingerwearving.
Jessie Russett, Tribal Liaison for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks says, "We're looking forward to this event. It's the first time we're hosting it and it will be a great way to begin to bring back these traditional cultural practices into the ancestral homelands of our local California Native people."
Mark Tilchen, Executive Director of the Sequoia Parks Conservancy is excited to play a role in bringing this event to the park and to its visitors, "Native American culture and history are a part of what is Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Go Native is an opportunity for park visitors to gain a better understanding of this subject directly from local tribes."
The event is free and open to the public. See flyer for details.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
