Native American
How A Coast Miwok Warrior Led To San Quentin Prison
California Interstate 580 crosses the San Francisco Bay via the Richmond-San Rafel bridge with Contra Costa’s Richmond on one end and Marin County’s San Rafael at the other end. However, right at the tip of the peninsula, near San Rafael, sits Point San Quentin and the little community that shares its name. Of course, for …...
Chief Truckee: Old Winnemucca, the Paiute Leader Behind the Name
Truckee is best known today as a Sierra Nevada mountain town near the California-Nevada border, but the name reaches deeper than ski trips, Donner Summit, or the Donner Party. It is also tied to Chief Truckee, a Northern Paiute leader remembered as Old Winnemucca and Captain Truckee. Long before emigrant trails, wagon routes, and...
Chief Marin: A Bay Area Leader Who Left An Enduring Legacy
Born into the Huimen tribe, also known as the Licatiut, Chief Marin, real name Huicmuse, came into this world during a tumultuous and violent period of California’s history. Throughout his life, Huicmuse faced one ruling nation after another and continued to fight for his beliefs, the injustices faced by Native people, and his...
California Native American Petroglyphs and Pictographs To Visit
Native American rock art refers to the images created by Indigenous peoples on rock surfaces. However, I would argue that “art” isn’t an accurate term for these fascinating drawings, paintings (pictographs), carvings (petroglyphs) and ground designs (geoglyphs). Instead, I would categorize these rock arts as “timeless...
Native American History in California National Parks
California’s national parks and monuments preserve some of the state’s most powerful landscapes, but many of those places were important long before they became public lands. Across the state, Native American history is connected to lava beds, coastal villages, desert springs, oak woodlands, rock art sites, island communities,...
Californians That Should Have Giant Native American Statues
After researching Native American statues in California, it’s easy to see that there are many historical Native American men and women that deserve a fitting tribute like this. I’m sure one could compile a list of prominent Native Americans throughout the history of California that consists of thousands of names. However, for the...
California’s Native American Statues To Visit
California is home to a rich and diverse Native American history with over 100 distinct tribes. One way that Native American cultures have been honored is the naming of California places after some of the tribes and their famous leaders. Another way of honoring these great cultures, though there’s still much more needed, has been...
Native American Sacred Sites in California: A Respectful Guide
California Native American sacred sites are not just historic places on a map. They are living cultural places tied to creation stories, ceremonies, burial grounds, villages, trails, mountains, springs, lakes, caves, rock art, and the ongoing identity of California’s Indigenous communities. Some Native American sacred sites in...
California Pow Wows 2026: Schedule, Dates & Visitor Guide
California pow wows are vibrant cultural gatherings that bring together Native American communities to celebrate tradition, dance, music, and heritage. Held throughout the year across the state, these events offer visitors a unique opportunity to experience living traditions while respectfully learning about Indigenous cultures. Whether...
Native American Names of Places in California
California is home to 58 counties, nearly 500 cities and towns, and thousands of natural landmarks, including lakes, rivers, mountains, valleys, deserts, and coastal places. Many of those names trace back to California’s deep Native American history, including tribal names, village sites, Indigenous leaders, landscape descriptions, and...
