Hawaiian rich and ancient culture depends on plants, and still depends on them today.  Native plants played a vital role in all aspects of life related to ancient Hawaiian culture.  Learning about native Hawaiian plants and their medicinal and cultural uses has the capacity to connect Hawaii’s cultural past with…
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
Master artist Juana Alicia Araiza founded the True Colors Mural Project in 2008.  She directs this public mural program based in the East San Francisco Bay Area.  TCMP preserves and revives the legacy of Mexican and Chican@ Mural Movements through the teaching of its philosophy and…
Deshilado (des-ē-lah’-do), or Mexican openwork embroidery, is traditionally used on household items such as tablecloths, napkins, and linens.  Openwork embroidery is the art of removing threads from a fabric to create a design over which embroidery is made. Patricia Zavala de Arias learned deshilado from her mother in her hometown…
The Chicano mural movement began in the 1960s in Mexican-American barrios throughout the Southwest. Artists began using the walls of city buildings, housing projects, schools, and churches to depict Mexican-American culture.  Chicano muralism has been linked to pre-Columbian peoples of the Americas, who recorded their rituals and history on the…
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…
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Leah Mata

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…