Shiwaya Peck, a member of the Maidu tribe of modern-day Plumas County, has been weaving baskets for nearly sixty years. She learned as a child from her grandmother, Nellie Peck, and her aunt, the renowned weaver and elder Lily Baker. As a master artist in ACTA’s…
Traditional Hupa, Yurok, and Karuk Baby Basket Weaving
Proyecto Purépecha was created with the mission to create an extensive and vibrant Purépecha (a native people of Michoacán, Mexico) community in the San Joaquin Valley and California at large. Proyecto Purépecha works to restore and flourish Purépecha food, language, music, and dance in the Mexicano/Michoacano community residing in the San Joaquin…
About the Organization Raices Cultura’s mission is to create a space for artistic and cultural expression, to promote healthy communities, and to strengthen the voice of the Eastern Coachella Valley. Since 2005, in an effort to build community through the traditional arts, Raices has held an annual…
The Thai Community Arts and Cultural Center was founded in 1992, for the purpose of preserving and promoting Thai arts and culture in the United States. The organization is based in Los Angeles, whose population of Thai and Thai-descended people is the largest one of outside…
Oaxacan arts and culture
Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a Mexican celebration with indigenous and Catholic roots. Observed on November 1 and 2 each year, the holiday honors deceased friends and family. Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars (ofrendas) honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and…
The Chumash historically inhabited the central and southern coastal regions of California, in portions of what is now San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles Counties. As many other Native peoples, the Chumash wore special regalia during song and dance ceremonies. Chumash regalia includes a broad range…
Hawaiian hula is an indigenous dance form accompanied by oli (chant) and mele (song). The oli and the hula dramatize and accentuate the mele, which carries valuable information: history, genealogy, religion, geography, geology, etc. There are many styles of hula which have been divided into two main categories. Kahiko…
In 2013, the Asociation de la Pelota Mixteca de California Central received funding from ACTA’s Living Cultures Grants Program for the Festival de la Pelota Mixteca, taking place each weekend between May and June. The Oaxcan game of pelota is played by men utilizing an ornate…
