ENTREPRENEURS
Resilience Coffee in Sacramento
Resilience Coffee, a Sacramento-based roasting company, is committed to responsible sourcing and local community involvement. They source their beans from the Mayan Winds Legacy Cooperative in Chiapas, Mexico, renowned for its high-quality Arabica. Founded by Eddie Herrera, a lifelong Sacramento resident with deep ties to the local music and art scenes, also consults and trains coffee startups and previously worked as a producer for On Native Ground, a nonprofit focused on Native American representation.
Native Queens Design in Elk Grove
Founded by Elk Grove’s Virginia Queen Hedrick, Native Queens Design is a passion project born from a deep reverence for tribal heritage and a commitment to ensuring Native fashion is affordable and accessible. The vision is brought to life through crafted apparel, designed in collaboration with California tribal artists, including regalia makers and basket weavers. The first collection was released in May 2024 in collaboration with Molli Myers, a member of the Karuk Tribe and traditional basket weaver and regalia maker. Each product in the catalog is unique, inclusive and affordable.
SITA Couture in Encinitas
SITA Couture, an eco-friendly fashion line based in Encinitas, was founded by San Diego County native Sita Thompson, a former professional dancer with Native American roots. Known for its elegant, versatile designs that honor the female form, the line caters to businesswomen, athletes and active individuals. Awarded the 2020 Rising Brand of the Year by the Los Angeles Business Journal, SITA’s sustainable clothing is manufactured in Los Angeles and available through private appointments, e-commerce and over 50 spa retail shops nationwide.
Gram's Coffee House in Ukiah
Described as the first Native American-owned coffee shop in Mendocino County, Gram’s Coffee House is owned and operated by the Potter Valley Tribe of Pomo Indians. Open daily, the drive-thru café offers a variety of espressos and drinks for those on the go.
A Native Fashionista in Del Norte County
Shopaholic turned business owner, Breanna Richards, is the brains behind Bre’s Boutique in downtown Crescent City. As a local tribe member of the Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation and a community-minded woman-owned business, Richards’ creative spirit and style radiates through her trendy boho boutique.
A Satellite of Love in San Luis Obispo
A Satellite of Love Vintage is a quirky and aesthetic boutique offering a curated selection of clothing, homeware, jewelry, records, books, plants and more. Owner and DJ Malik Miko Thorne personally selects everything, curating a community space that feels like home. The shop doubles as an event space and regularly hosts maker’s markets and music shows, making it the perfect indigenous-owned stop for an afternoon of browsing.
EVENTS
The 52nd Annual Indian Fair Days and Pow Wow in North Fork
The 52nd Annual Indian Fair Days and Pow Wow returns to North Fork, Aug. 3-4 for a weekend of dance competitions, cultural music, demonstrations, displays and various food and craft vendors. The family-friendly event, known for attracting over 2,000 attendees, is one of the longest-running Pow Wows in California and the principal fundraising event for the Sierra Mono Museum and Cultural Center, one of the few Native American-owned and operated museums in the state.
Annual Me-Wuk Indian Acorn Festival in Tuolumne County
The Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians will host its annual Acorn Festival, a traditional celebration of the black oak acorn harvest with California traditional dancers, hand games tournament, Native arts and crafts and more on Sept. 14-15.
NATURE
Santa Monica's Tongva Park
Just steps from the Pacific Ocean, Santa Monica’s Tongva Park is named after the area’s indigenous Tongva people with four key sections including Observation Hill, Discovery Hill, Garden Hill and Gathering Hill. The six-acre park seeks to honor the Tongva’s deep connection to the native landscape, local arroyos and the Pacific Ocean in its design and cultivation of diverse plant life and arroyo wash landscape.
ART
Oakland Museum of California’s New Exhibition Series Spotlights Indigenous Creators
Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) hosts two thought-provoking exhibitions focusing on indigenous artists and makers embedded in local California communities. “Calli: The Art of Xicanx Peoples,” open now to Jan. 26, 2025, layers sculpture, painting, installation, poetry and more to navigate the interwoven threads of intergenerational, feminist, queer and Xicanx-Indigenous stories, offering ancestral forms of liberation and healing. Opening Nov. 8, “Born of the Bear Dance: Dugan Aguilar’s Photographs on Native California,” will show indigenous photographer Dugan Aguilar’s unique perspective as a testament to the vibrancy of contemporary indigenous California life. Working closely with Native collaborators, the exhibition will contextualize the photographic archive, gifted to OMCA by Aguilar’s family in 2022, and show the diverse and enduring impact of California indigeneity.
Placer County’s Art and Cultural Figure, Stan Padilla
Stan Padilla, a prominent painter, author, muralist and activist of California Yaqui heritage, lives in Placer County, where he runs Peaceful Valley Arts, a 13-acre sanctuary for art, culture and environmental work. For over 30 years, Padilla has enriched Auburn’s parks and public spaces with his art. His recent projects include the “LANDMARK: A Stone Poem” sculpture and a mural for Mercy Corporation housing, both in Auburn, as well as a piece in Downtown Sacramento's Wide Open Walls. He also mentors youth at the United Auburn Indian Community Tribal School and opens his Peaceful Valley Arts studios for the annual Placer Artists Tour each November.
Center Street Gallery in Placerville
Placerville's Center Street Gallery, run by James Marquez of the Foothill Indian Education Alliance, showcases art from California Indian, Native American and indigenous cultures. The gallery also offers art classes in drum making, gourd art, leather work and more, funded by grants for Native Americans of all ages. Additionally, the gallery collaborates with Arts & Culture El Dorado on the Sugar Skull Walk for Dia de los Muertos, where locals create and display ofrendas on Main Street.
Tribal Captain Mel Vernon and Diania Caudell of San Luis Rey Band of Mission Indians in Oceanside
Tribal Captain Mel Vernon and his sister Diania Caudell, members of the San Luis Rey Band of Mission Indians in Oceanside, are both deeply involved in preserving Native American culture. Vernon performs and teaches Native American flute music and authored the children’s book “Mel and the Blue Arrow,” which intertwines life lessons with Native American stories. Caudell works with San Diego County based tribes and schools teaching basket weaving history, serves on the board of the California Indian Basketweavers’ Association, and is active in the Tribal Pesticide Program Council. Together, they help organize Oceanside's Valley Arts Festival, celebrating Native American music, cuisine and art. This year’s event takes place Nov. 16 at Heritage Park.
Rooted in Heritage: Corine Pearce's Eco-Conscious Artistry in Sonoma County
Sonoma County Native American artist Corine Pearce (Wappo and Kashia Band of Pomo) is renowned for her basket weaving, which blends traditional techniques with innovative designs. Using local materials like willow and sedge root, Pearce's work reflects her cultural heritage and environmental connection. She also leads educational programs and workshops, teaching younger generations about traditional weaving and the cultural importance of Native American art, bridging past traditions with contemporary expression.
Carl Avery: Indigenous Artist in Redding, CA
"Wayken-pana Elpom," a vibrant mural on the Cascade Theatre's north wall in downtown Redding, celebrates Native heritage through the vision of Yurok master muralist Carl Avery and Wintu artists Michelle Radcliff-Garcia and Vanessa Scholfield. The 30-foot mural depicts a young Wintu girl in ceremonial regalia, a hummingbird symbolizing healing and elements of Wintu basket designs and creation stories, tracing the Wintu journey post-European settlement. Translating to "everyone is welcome in Redding," "Wayken-pana Elpom" enhances downtown’s beauty while educating visitors about the region’s indigenous history.