I am of Patwin Wintun, Nisenan Maidu, Hupa, Yurok, Aztec, Cherokee, English and Irish origins. The federal government recognizes me as 3/8 Californian Indian. I am a total of ¾ Native North and Central American heritage.

I was born and raised in Sacramento-which is my native homeland. Home to the Nisenan Maidu, our villages, livelihood, flora, fauna and people were devastated by the future gold rush. So that is not a period of history I appreciate. Our people believed gold was a stone that would devour all who possess it. If an Indian had to make a choice to participate in gold activities to support their family, there were no laws to protect them.  In fact, it was perfectly legal to shoot an Indian on site for gold panning. If anyone wanted to hire an Indian to work for them, the Indian was in terrible danger, because they might be taken by bounty hunters. Because of this, it is amazing my great grandfather, Pamalo, survived and had a family. His son, George Nye was able to survive and maintain a living while also continuing the living culture.  Because of his dedication, I continue his traditions. 

Tule (Schoenoplectus acutus var. occidentalis) has been my creative muse for 30 years. It still thrives in the rivers and marshes of California. Many of the native plants my people gathered for basketry have all since been depleted. Much of the watershed is now polluted, making it unsafe for gathering many traditional plants. Tule is one of the few gatherable plants that is available and accessible, although it is not nearly as abundant as it once was. Neither are the keepers and practitioners of this tradition, which is probably why there is enough to allow me my homeland materials. It also allows me to pass these ancient traditions on to my family, so we can breathe renewed life into it.

As you travel around the city by parks and near the rivers, you will find it here and there. Like my people, it is one of the original inhabitants of the Sacramento Valley. I am a descendant of Maidu Nisenan (language dialect) and Wintun Patwin (Language dialect) from my grandmother who was full blooded.  She still carried a dialect and possessed great knowledge of uses of medicinal herbs, yet not enough knowledge of botany to be able to identify the plants.

Originally, I used tule to recreate a village site in a park called The Effie Yeaw Nature Center. Effie, a German lady, knew my auntie Marie Potts (Maidu). They often found themselves working alongside each other sharing the mission of teaching and saving environments. The Effie Yeaw Nature Center was a site where the first reproduced village, intended for educational services, would be built. I was privileged to be the first descendant in my homeland to be a naturalist to teach about my people to the public school system. Thus began my great interest in “tule”.

My need to learn more led me to the thought that I could use tule to practice weaving so I may build my skills as a basket weaver. I had started making many types of baskets from tule. I first noticed the use of tule for basket making in a museum. I have seen many different types of baskets made from tule. There are berry gathering baskets, egg baskets and storage baskets.  Until that point, I didn’t know we used tule for baskets.  As I dove into an immersion of traditional life skills, “tule” became my teacher.  If I needed to make something—I used tule. It may have not been the best material for the job at hand;  however, it is abundant, easy to prepare, soft to the touch and easy to grow. If it isn’t available in your area, you should consider making a pond and planting it. It is a beautiful plant. When it is growing healthy it is the most wonderful deep green color.  

I love to gather tule when it is at its tallest. I have stood in marshes with the mud and water past my ankles while gazing up through the tule to the blue sky. The trail I make zig zags and shades me from the heat of the day while the water cools me. When I am in the midst of the reeds looking towards the sky, I can only imagine I am a tiny ant walking through the grass in a well manicured lawn. In the marsh, I am home, with my thoughts, the birds, and my ancestors. That is the best feeling on Earth.

It is a feeling that I want to ensure that my daughters and my grandchildren can also experience, and this is why I have always included them in all my tule-related activities. My journey with tule began with its cultural significance, but as with all things in Wintun culture, tule has taught me that the cultural and the ecological are interwoven. Tule, along with cattail, is at the heart of the marsh economy. These plant relatives ensure the richness and health of our soils, reintroducing minerals and microbes that are necessary for regeneration of cycles of life. In the absence of tule and cattail, soils across California have become impoverished. I am now in the process of working with ecologists and scientists to renew our understanding of how we can restore the wetlands. It is clear that cultural knowledge about tule is a critical part of the tools required in this endeavor. This is not only about recovering lost traditions, but about evolving new ones to meet the needs of the present.

We have made great strides in the last decade in reviving the practice of cultural fire, despite a century and half of laws and restrictions that have been designed to keep us from our own traditions. At one of the last cultural burns, I passed a newly lit coal to my daughter Chrissy, who passed it on to her daughter Julie. It made me realize that passing the coals has multiple layers of meaning – it is the literal act on one hand, but more importantly it is the act of passing on knowledge, passing on traditions, so that the past and the future can be woven together with the present. My family’s stories have always been interwoven with the stories of continued cultural use as caretaking, and the discipline required to maintain a healthy environment. I am working to ensure that will continue to be so, and that the cycle of life goes on…