I'm honored to have been invited to perform during this exhibit's closing reception. I'll be performing from 4:30-5:30pm. All ages are welcome. More info about the exhibit below.

In partnership with the Miwok Heritage Center, Amador County Arts Council (“AmadorArts”) invites you to learn about the role Miwok people played in the war efforts in history. This exhibit includes pictures and information about the Miwok people and patriotic acts in which they participated. Little is known of these acts or that, in many instances, the Miwok were not citizens of the countries that they represented in these skirmishes. Miwok people are proud of their contribution in forming California, defending the United States and are happy to serve.

This exhibit chronologically highlights the indigenous Miwok men and women that have volunteered to serve in the United States Armed Forces.

As mentioned in a past Time-Life article, in 2008 Congress declared the Friday after Thanksgiving to be Native American Heritage Day. One of the points listed as the reasoning to honor these indigenous people and to create the resolution states: “These people have volunteered to serve in the United States Armed Forces and have served with valor in all of the Nation’s military actions from the Revolutionary War through the present day; and in most of those actions, more Native Americans per capita served in the Armed Forces than any other group of Americans.”

The Miwok are indigenous to what is now Northern California, who traditionally spoke related languages. The Miwok in Amador, Calaveras and Tuolumne counties spoke dialects of what is classified as the Sierra Miwok languages.

The Miwok Heritage Center is a 501(c) 3 non-profit based out of Ione, California, under the direction of Glen Villa, Jr. Established in 2015, the Miwok Heritage Center was founded to preserve, promote, and interpret the history and culture of the Miwok people.