Traditionally, spring has been the time of the Strawberry Festival, a Coast Miwok and Pomo celebration to honor the abundant late-April harvest of wood strawberries and other plants. During the festival, Miwok dancers carry the delicate fruit into a ceremonial building hung with wreaths of wildflowers. Spring was also the time for harvesting the bulbs and corms of grassland flowers in the lily family. Among them included Ithuriel’s spear, blue dick, wild onions, mariposa lilies, soap root, and the blue-flowered camas.
Learn more about the Bay Area’s indigenous peoples at our upcoming event with naturalist Jerry Coe. He’ll discuss the history of the Coast Miwok and Ohlone people, how they survived within the landscape, and common cultural practices. Jerry will also share how the thousands of Coast Miwok had their land usurped and were forced into missions by the Spaniards. The Miwok were almost wiped out within a century because of European diseases, slavery, and genocide perpetrated by incoming Europeans. Others moved away. However, Miwok people still live in the Bay Area today, with the largest group at Graton Rancheria in Sonoma County.
Date: Thursday, April 15th
Time: 6pm – 7pm
Location: Zoom meeting (details emailed upon reservation)
Space is limited; reservations required.
Free. (Donations are appreciated.)
Questions? Contact programs@friendsofchinacamp.org or call (415) 456-0766.
Cancellations notified via email.
Illustration credit: Three Coast Miwok natives wearing various headbands and headdresses, by Louis Choris, 1816
April is the beginning of nesting season for many Bay Area birds. The majority nest April through June, mostly due to the availability of regional food. A tip: if you ever are reincarnated, you may want to think twice about coming back as a female house finch; per season they can have up to 3-4 broods, with about 5 eggs per clutch. Phew! Think of the babysitting fees! These colorful seed-eating birds are easy to ID and are often found happily tweet-tweet-deedlee-deeting a 