Thank you to all who came! Thank you to Pauline "Dimples" Murillo for sharing cultural memories and lots of laughs in a sparkling and joy-filled evening.
Columnist Michel Nolan wrote in the Daily Bulletin and San Bernardino Sun about Pauline Murillo's work to save and share American Indian cultures: Read here. And Mrs. Murillo's incredible basket collection will be on public display next week at Cal State San Bernardino! The details: WHAT: Pauline Murillo Basket Exhibit - traditional baskets of tribal people WHEN: Oct. 29-31 - Lecture and viewing of exhibit of about 30 intricate baskets, 6 p.m. Oct. 29; lecture/viewing, noon and 6 p.m. Oct. 30; lecture/viewing, noon Oct. 31 WHERE: Santos Manuel Student Union, Cal State San Bernardino COST: Free INFORMATION: Cross Cultural Center, (909) 537-7204
This respected Cahuilla-Serrano Indian elder from San Manuel Reservation has written two books that share her Native American experience while growing up on the reservation ... along with hundreds of rare photos.
Click here to view a gallery of photos from Mrs. Murillo's books, Growing Up In Two Worlds, and We Are Still Here, Alive and in Spirit.
A session with Pauline Murillo is filled with wonderful insights and cultural memories, and lots of laughter, too. She is a great storyteller! Don't miss our next Dragonfly Lecture.
The details:
When: Monday, Oct. 20, starting at 6 p.m.
Where: Dorothy Ramon Learning Center, 17 W. Hays, Banning, CA 92220.
Dorothy Ramon Learning Center won the Grand Prize this year in the Banning Stagecoach Days Merchant Spirit Contest ... The theme was "Old West" and our exhibits, including the replica Indian Village led by Jacque Nunez, offered the theme, "The Really Old West."
We're thrilled to receive this recognition for our hands-on exhibits that save and share our Southern California Indian cultures.
Last year, the first year we entered, we won first place in the small merchants' category for our window displays, a historic exhibit on Indian cowboys.
Here June and Ernest Siva display our prize plaque from the contest sponsors, led by the Banning Cultural Alliance.
This Saturday, Oct. 11, the Inland Empire Flute Circle will meet at 1 p.m. at Dorothy Ramon Learning Center, 17 W. Hays, Banning, CA. These folks love to make and play Native American wooden flutes, and they love to talk about flutes and share their flutes and their music with each other. If you're interested in flutes, you're welcome. The Yazzies, for example, will show their new flutes inspired by Dorothy Ramon Learning Center's work to save the Serrano bighorn sheep songs. (See the video of Ernest Siva playing the beautiful flute they gave to him.) Flutes Revisited We were very fortunate to host the return of Antonio Flores on Sept. 27 during the "On Board for Stagecoach Days" event. He drove down from Oakland to Banning during the night, stopped by his favorite canyon to find some downed and dead (properly seasoned) elder wood, and then arrived at the workshop promptly at 10 a.m. Immediately, Antonio was mobbed by an eager crowd of all ages, wanting to learn how to make and play a Pomo-style flute. Here is a slideshow (no audio, you'll have to play your own flute to accompany this) of some of the excitement: Hours after the event was over, Antonio and his flute-makers were still at it, still making flutes! We thank him for instilling everyone with the excitement of American Indian flutes.
We participated in sessions on song, storytelling, and history at the 23rd California Indian Conference at UC Riverside's Palm Desert campus on Oct. 3-4.
We always find this conference to be inspiring and this year's offering was no exception.
Our board member, San Manuel Chairman James Ramos, delivered a thoughtful keynote address.
There's More!
We had fun sharing with families crowding the Sept. 27 downtown Banning event, "On Board for Stagecoach Days." The theme was "The Old West," and we offered a slight twist: exhibits and displays on "The Really Old West."
A big hit was the replica Indian village and storytelling offered by Journeys to the Past, led by Jacque Nunez, Acjachemen. We thank Jacque for everything she does.
Here is talented artist and faithful supporter Lisa Patencio doing a video with her family members in the Village.
Photo by Pat Murkland
And here is Lisa's video, which also features our newest board member, her husband, Moraino Patencio. We thank them for their support!
Flutemakers Marvin and Jonette Yazzie honored Ernest Siva by presenting him with a special flute. It is made of alder and has a bighorn totem, in homage of Ernest's work in saving and sharing the Serrano bighorn sheep songs. Ernest is possibly the only person singing these songs right now. He is teaching the songs to his grand-nephew Isaac. We have received two grants to help in this work. Read more about it here.
We thank talented artist Lisa Patencio for this YouTube video:
