Museum of the American Indian

The Museum of the American Indian is one of the little known treasures of Marin County. Situated on an actual site of a Miwok Village, the Museum is devoted to Native American culture and is the only one of its kind in the Bay Area. The Museum also serves as an educational center to over 6, 000 elementary children each year. The Native American artifacts and reference materials are irreplaceable and provide a unique opportunity to learn about the local native life ways. The Museum was founded in 1967 in response to the rapid development of Marin County. Construction activity in the county unearthed masses of archaeological objects related to the original inhabitants of the region, the Coast Miwok people. The Museum was originally designed to serve as a repository for these materials. Today, the museum still houses a large collection of Coast Miwok artifacts ; however, the scope has broadened considerably and its programs and collections represent Native American cultures from across the entire continent. Artifacts on display include Navajo textiles, Eskimo carvings, Plains beadwork, birch bark baskets and Northwest coast masks. These artifacts are displayed in the various exhibits to help both adults and children understand and appreciate the diversity and beauty of Native American art and culture.. The Museum offers programs for elementary schools that explore the history and culture of Native Americans of California and other regions of the country. These programs fulfill State of California curriculum for social studies. Other educational programs presented by the Museum include, ( Camp Coyote, a summer program for 6 to 12 year olds ), a six part lecture series for adults, traditional story telling by Native elders, in-depth professionally produced exhibitions that explore traditional art forms and annual public events such as Trade Feast The Coast Miwok Indians were hunters and gatherers whose ancestors had occupied the area for thousands of years. About 600 village sites have been identified in the area. They were also considered skillful craftsmen in basketry, flint knapping and clamshell bead making. The Coast Miwok lands covered present day Novato, Marshall, Tomales, San Rafael, Petaluma and Bodega. The Southern Pomo people are from the Sebastopol area. Many of Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo people still live within their ancestral territories. In 2000 the Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo tribes were restored to federally recognized status as The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria.