The Ione Band of Miwok Indians and the Elk Grove Historical Society have collaborated on a special exhibit currently running at the Elk Grove Hotel and Stage Stop Museum. The history of these Native Americans is told with photographs, baskets, arrowheads, necklaces, native plants and other artifacts. Visitors will get an intimate view of how the Miwok lived and how they coped with American western expansion.
In addition to the indoor exhibit, there are also ambitious plans to build in nearby Regional Park a replica of a Miwok village, complete with "a roundhouse, an acorn storage, a fire pit, a barkhouse, and a grinding rock used to grind acorns and other seeds for food," according to an Elk Grove Citizen story.
In response to the new exhibit, Citizen columnist Elizabeth Pinkerton began a series of articles on the history and legacy of the Miwok. In Part 1 she describes the geography, customs, culture and lifestyle of the Cosumnes River Indians before they encountered Europeans. In Part 2 Pinkerton explains what happened when settlers first came to the area that would become Elk Grove.
What: Miwok Exhibit
Where: Elk Grove Hotel and Stage Stop Museum, 9941 East Stockton Blvd.
When: Museum is open the first Saturday of the month from 12 to 4 p.m. (runs through October)
For more info: call (916) 685-8115 or e-mail eghs@ElkGroveHistoricalSociety.com
PHOTO CREDIT: Francisco Ruiz performs a traditional dance with members of the Miwok Dance and Culture Group at Pavilions in Elk Grove Regional Park in 2007. Sacramento Bee photo by Kevin German
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