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SEPTEMBER
Special Cultural Events in Celebration of Native American Week
The State of California has declared the fourth Friday of September Native American Day. In celebration of this special occasion, a series of Museum-sponsored events begins on Wednesday, September 24 and concludes on Saturday, September 27 - honoring the beliefs and traditions of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians and other Native people.
Native American Day Proclamation
Native American Day celebration begins with a proclamation issued by the City of Palm Springs.
• Wednesday, September 24, 2008
9:30 am
• Palm Springs City Hall Steps
3200 East Tahquitz Canyon Way
• Admission is Free
Live Native Performance at VillageFest Downtown Palm Springs
In observance of Native American Day, dancers, musicians, and storytellers perform at VillageFest in the heart of downtown Palm Springs.
• Thursday, September 25, 2008
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
• Intersection of Palm Canyon Drive and Tahquitz Canyon Way
• Admission is Free
Native American Day
For two days only, the
Museum will exhibit one of the most famous baskets of the Cahuilla culture. Never before displayed at the Museum, the Ramona Basket will be displayed Friday, September 26 and
Saturday, September 27.
The love story of Ramona Lubo
(Cahuilla) and her husband Juan Diego
has been told in film and on stage. Presented each year at the Ramona Pageant in Hemet, CA,
the story recalls the marriage of Ramona and Juan, and culminates with
Juan’s tragic death in 1877. In her bereavement,
Ramona created a basket with a large five-point star in the center, surrounded
by small star forms and crosses symbolizing her desire to join her husband in
death. The basket is now a focal point of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla
Indians basket collection.
• Friday, September 26, 2008
10:00 am - 8:00 pm Open House
• Agua Caliente Cultural Museum
219 S. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs
• Admission is Free
Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day 2008
The celebration of Native American Day 2008 concludes on
Saturday with Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day featuring Native skills and
crafts on the Village Green, the Ramona Basket display, and a special
opportunity for Museum members (new and current) to receive Smithsonian Magazine.
• Saturday, September 27, 2008
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
• Agua Caliente Cultural Museum
219 S. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs
• Admission is Free
OCTOBER
Living Traditions Class
Gourd Rattle and Song
Learn the basics of making a
gourd rattle and the singing of bird songs with O’Jay Vanegas, Director of
Education of the Agua
Caliente Cultural
Museum. In addition to discussing the history of
rattles and materials used to make them, class participants will decorate a rattle and increase their understanding of traditional
Cahuilla music.
• Saturday, October 18, 2008
10:30 am - 5:00 pm
• Agua Caliente Cultural Museum
219 S. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs
• Fee: $15
NOVEMBER
Spirit Keepers Lecture
Sticks, Stones...& Other Things
What would you do if your
family arrived in Palm Springs
and there were no houses, electricity, supermarkets or refrigeration? How would
you survive? This in-depth panel discussion focuses on survival skills of
the Cahuilla people. Topics include traditional hunting, gathering, and environmental management. The lecture is based on the Museum’s
current exhibition Sticks,Stones…& other Things.
• Wednesday, November 5, 2008
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
• Mizell Senior Center
480 S. Sunrise Way (at Ramon Road)
• Admission is Free
Living Traditions Class
Coil Juncus Basket Making
Lorene Sisquoc (Cahuilla/Fort Sill Apache), Curator of the
Sherman Indian
Museum at Sherman Indian
High School and Board member
of the California Indian Basket Weavers Association, leads a two-day introductory
course in the traditional art of coil juncus basket making. This two-day
workshop requires participation for both days.
• Saturday, November 15 & Sunday November 16, 2008
Sat. 10:30 am - 5:00 pm; Sun. 11:00 am - 4:00 pm
• Agua Caliente Cultural Museum
219 S. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs
• Fee: $50 (includes materials)
DECEMBER
Living Traditions Class
Fire by Friction
Create fire using the
ancient method of fire-making by friction. In this hands-on workshop, Tony
Soares, a local ceramist whose work is part of the Museum’s permanent
collections, will teach the many aspects of fire-making including material
collection and the use of tinder and tools.
• Saturday, December 6, 2008
10:30 am - 4:00 pm
• Agua Caliente Cultural Museum
219 S. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs
• Fee: $15
Special Cultural Event
Singing the Birds (Wikitmallem Tahmuwhae)
Bird Song and Dance Festival
Come celebrate traditional bird
singing and dancing. Through the ages, bird singing and dancing have been an
important part of Native culture for tribes in southern
California and other regions of the Southwest. This day-long event
features honored bird singing groups and dancers.
• Saturday, December 20, 2008
11:00 am - 8:00 pm
• The Pavilion Auditorium
400 S. Pavilion Way (Sunrise Park), Palm Springs
• Admission is Free
the Pavilion Auditorium is located off Baristo Road. Parking and entrance are
located between the Palm
Springs High
School and the Palm Springs Public Library.
JANUARY
Living Traditions Class
Net Making
Cordage and nets were
essential survival tools for most California Indian tribes. Nets were used to
trap game, carry food, and transport water storage containers. In this class,
renowned author and researcher Paul Campbell provides instruction on the making
of a traditional carrying net.
• Saturday, January 17, 2009
10:30 am - 5:00 pm
• Agua Caliente Cultural Museum
219 S. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs
• Fee: $20
Spirit Keepers Lecture
The Tragically Hilarious Life & Art of Gerald Clarke
Considered to be one of California’s rising Native artists, Gerald
Clarke, Jr. (Cahuilla) is an enrolled member of the Cahuilla Band of Indians. Using mixed-
and multi-media art, his creativity focuses on issues affecting contemporary
Native American life. Mr. Clarke’s work has been exhibited throughout the United States and abroad, and is represented in
collections of the Agua Caliente Cultural
Museum, the Heard
Museum in Phoenix,
and the Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis.
He will speak on his development as an artist and his views of contemporary
Native American art and culture.
• Wednesday, January 21, 2009
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
• Mizell Senior Center
480 S. Sunrise Way (at Ramon Road)
• Admission is Free
FEBRUARY
Spirit Keepers Lecture
History of the Indian Canyons
The majestic Indian Canyons are
a signature Palm Springs
tourist destination for visitors from near and far. Palm, Andreas, Murray, Tahquitz, and Chino
Canyons are the ancestral home of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians.
Join us for a dynamic panel presentation and discussion about the history and
challenges experienced in managing this local
natural wonder.
• Wednesday, February 18, 2009
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
• Mizell Senior Center
480 S. Sunrise Way (at Ramon Road)
• Admission is Free
Living Traditions Class
Native American Toys and Games
Play traditional Native American games and learn about their important roles in the daily lives of southern California tribes. Blossom Maciel (Cahuilla/Apache), cultural presentor of Mother Earth Clan Programs, demonstrates traditional toys and discusses their role in Native child development.
• Saturday, January 21, 2009
10:30 am - 4:00 pm
• Agua Caliente Cultural Museum
219 S. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs
• Fee: $10
Special Cultural Event
Live Native Performance at VillageFest Downtown Palm Springs
In celebration of the Festival of Native Film & Culture (March 4-8), the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum will present Native American performers at VillageFest in the heart of downtown Palm Springs.
• Thursday, February 26, 2009
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
• Intersection of Palm Canyon Drive and Tahquitz Canyon Way
• Admission is Free
MARCH
Special Cultural Event
Festival of Native Film & Culture
Now in its eighth season, the Festival of Native Film & Culture is one of the nation’s most highly regarded festivals of its kind – featuring the best in films by, about, and starring Native Americans and other Native people. The Festival includes feature films, documentaries, and short films from some of today’s premier Native American and indigenous film makers.
• Wednesday, March 4 through Sunday March 8, 2009
• Camelot Theatres, 2300 E. Baristo Road, Palm Springs
• Click here for schedule of screenings and film synopses
• Ticket prices: $10 adult; $7 senior(55+)/youth (16-); $40 All-Access Pass
Spirit Keepers Lecture
Ethnobotany
Willie Pink (Cupeño/Luiseño) has worked in California Indian Arts for over 30 years as a consultant in the field of cultural resource protection. He is skilled in the traditional craft of basket weaving, pottery making, flint knapping, arrow making, and soapstone carving. Specializing in ethnobotany, he will present a fascinating lecture on textiles and edible plants indigenous to the Coachella Valley.
• Wednesday, March 18, 2009
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
• Mizell Senior Center
480 S. Sunrise Way (at Ramon Road)
• Admission is Free
Living Traditions Class
Agave Fiber Skirt Class
Skirt making is an intricate traditional craft. Willie Pink (Cupeño/Luiseño), ethnobotanist and consultant for the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, teaches participants to create skirts of their own.
• Saturday, March 21, 2009
10:30 am - 5:00 pm
• Agua Caliente Cultural Museum
219 S. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs
• Fee: $25
APRIL
Living Traditions Class
Field Trip: Los Angeles Mural Tour
The City of Los Angeles is home to hundreds of murals created by talented artists from around the world. O'Jay Vanegas, mural artist and Director of Education for the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, will lead this one-day tour of Native American- and Chicano-themed murals.
• Saturday, April 4, 2009
8:30 am - 7:00 pm
• Fee: $50
MAY
Special Cultural Event
Live Native Performance at VillageFest Downtown Palm Springs
Setting the stage for this year's Southern California Indian Storytelling Festival, the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum presents Native American
performers at VillageFest in the heart of downtown Palm Springs.
• Thursday, May 14, 2009
6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
• Intersection of Palm Canyon Drive and Tahquitz Canyon Way
• Admission is Free
Special Cultural Event
Southern California Indian Storytelling Festival
California Indian
storytellers weave tales based on indigenous oral traditions and languages. Daytime
events include basket weaving circles, a children’s story time, and Native
American vendors. Presented by the California Indian Storytelling Association
and Agua Caliente Cultural
Museum, this incredible
Native cultural experience includes a special evening event entitled Story as Song.
This Festival is made
possible, in part, by funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, Agua Caliente
Cultural Museum,
the California Indian Storytelling Association, and public contributions.
• Saturday, May 16, 2008
10:00 am - 5:00 pm & 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
• Mizell Senior Center
480 S. Sunrise Way (at Ramon Road)
• Admission is Free
Living Traditions Class
Desert Reptiles and Insects
Desert naturalist, Jennifer Purcell, will bring a wildlife experience to the Museum. a special treat for all. Come see some of our desert's most unique creatures. This presentation will be a unique opportunity for children and adults to experience, first-hand, many of the desert's live hidden treasures.
• Saturday, May 30, 2009
10:30 am - 1:00 pm
• Agua Caliente Cultural Museum
219 S. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs
• Fee: $5
JULY
Kids Explore Summer Program
Enjoy activities such as creating a reed basket, making gourd art jewelry, playing California Indian games…and so much more! In the Kids Explore summer classes, children
ages 5 – 12 learn while having fun.
• Wednesday, July 1, 8, 15, 22, & 29, 2009
10:00 am - noon
• Agua Caliente Cultural Museum
219 S. Palm Canyon Dr., Palm Springs
• Admission is Free
To register or request more information on classes, lectures, or other special events of the Education Department, call 760-778-1079, Ext. 113, or please click here.
