Native history exhibit in Healdsburg
Are you curious to know more about the Native people of inland northern Sonoma County? The Healdsburg Museum and Historical Society (HM&HS) is hosting our first collaborative exhibit with the Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians, titled “From Diggers Bend to River Rock: People and History of Dry Creek Rancheria.”
The Dry Creek Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians’ ancestral lands covered 86,000 acres in northern Sonoma County’s Dry Creek Valley. The 93-acre Dry Creek Rancheria, located in Sonoma County’s Alexander Valley, was established in 1915. The Rancheria included people of both Dry Creek Pomo and Western Wappo ancestry. Current Tribal membership is 1,238, having grown rapidly in recent years, with nearly 40% of the Tribe’s population under the age of 18; and less than 10% over the age of 55. The majority of Tribal members live in suburbs and cities within a 100-mile radius of the Rancheria.
Created by guest Curator Sherrie Smith-Ferri, Ph.D., the exhibit presents a nuanced and richly-illustrated historical overview up to the present from a Native perspective. Recently retired as the Director of Grace Hudson Museum and Sun House, Dr. Smith-Ferri has worked in the Museum field for more than three decades. A Tribe member—and elder—of Dry Creek Rancheria, she is a well-known scholar in the field of California Indian history and culture in general, and Pomo Indian culture and basketry in particular.
On display are many handmade objects, personal photos and basketry loaned by tribal families, private collectors and other museums, including U.C. Berkeley’s Hearst Museum of Anthropology and the Grace Hudson Museum and Sun House in Ukiah. Pomo and Wappo basket weavers are recognized to be among the most skilled weavers in the entire world. Many of the baskets on display were woven around 1900. They were made for sale, and thus designed to appeal to non-Native buyers. Dry Creek Rancheria weavers of the time developed a particular regional style that incorporated a variety of multi-hued, sparkling glass beads and richly colored bird feathers. Even in small numbers, historic baskets created by Dry Creek Rancheria weavers have very rarely been exhibited as a body, making this the first time that Sonoma County community members will be able to see and admire a significant body of these local art treasures. The exhibit is dynamic with new contributions from tribal members being added every week.
This exhibit has been enriched by grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Sonoma County Vintners Foundation, Community Foundation Sonoma County, Healdsburg Tourism Improvement District and Merritt and Pamela Sher Family Fund. So far, we have hosted a virtual “Celebration of Acorns and Oaks” presentation by Sherrie Smith-Ferri and Kate Marianchild in October and an in-gallery basket weaving demonstration by Clint and Lucy McKay in November. More educational activities are scheduled in the coming months, including a return visit to the gallery by basket weavers Clint and Lucy McKay, February 12, 2022, noon to 3:00 pm.
Save the Date
Discussion Panel, “Pomo Basketry: Past, Present and Future,” Sunday, January 23, 2022, 2-3:30 pm.
Join basket lovers, weavers, scholars and curators to talk about Pomo basketry in earlier times, its current condition and its possible futures. Panelists: Silver Galleto (Cloverdale Pomo), Clint McKay (Dry Creek Rancheria), Meyo Marrufo (Robinson Rancheria), Corine Pearce (Redwood Valley Pomo) and Sherrie Smith-Ferri (Dry Creek Pomo). Discussion will be moderated by ethnographer, naturalist and longtime News from Native California contributor Bev Ortiz. The free educational program will be presented at Merritt Hall, Harmon Guest House, 227 Healdsburg Avenue, Healdsburg.
The Healdsburg Museum and Historical Society is located at 221 Matheson Street, Healdsburg, two blocks east of the downtown Plaza. The exhibit is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11-4:00 pm. Admission is free; donations are appreciated. The exhibit will be on display through May 29, 2022. For more information, phone (707) 431-3325 or visit our website www.healdsburgmuseum.org.
