Healing Through Cultural Arts
Overview:
The California Indian Museum and Cultural Center (CIMCC) was founded in 1996 with the purpose of educating the public about the history, culture, and contemporary life of California Indians and to honor their contributions to civilization. The Museum provides California Indians and the public with a first-class museum facility in which to portray California Indian history and culture from an Indian perspective.
In 2018, the CIMCC initiated the “Healing Through Cultural Arts” (HTCA) program after finding that community members had lost medicine, baskets, and regalia in several devastating wildfires. The HTCA consists of monthly traditional arts classes, providing a trusted, healing space for Native peoples to share their grief and trauma while engaging in cultural arts. These classes help community members express positive coping skills through cultural strengths and replace items lost in the fires.
Goals:
- Provide a safe and trusted space for Native community members to process grief and trauma.
- Foster positive coping skills through engagement with cultural arts.
- Replace cultural items lost in disasters and strengthen cultural identity.
- Address ongoing community wellness needs through culturally tailored programming.
Timeline:
| October 2017 | Tubbs Fire – 36,807 acres, 5,643 structures |
| October 2017 | Nuns Fire – 54,381 acres, 1,355 structures |
| 2018 | Healing through Cultural Arts series begins |
| January 2020 | Start of COVID-19 pandemic in United States |
| August 2020 | TLNU Lightning Complex Fire – 363,220 acres, 1,491 structures |
Key Activities:
- Rapid Response: Initially implemented as an immediate response to disaster, the program transitioned into a sustainable, ongoing initiative.
- Community-Driven Approaches: The program emphasizes community needs and interests, tailoring workshops to specific cultural arts, addressing relevant issues, and leveraging cultural strengths for mental and physical wellness. Workshops included Regalia making, buckskin tanning, pine nut processing, screen printing jean jackets, basket weaving and more.
- Funding and Partnerships: Collaborations with tribal clinics and other organizations expanded the program’s reach and impact. Diversified funding sources, including private, tribal, and state funders, ensure the program’s sustainability. A full list of collaborators can be found in CIMCC’s ATALM 2024 conference session materials.
- Adaptability: The program successfully adapted to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic by implementing distance learning options.
Covid-19 had a significant impact on CIMCC’s community, causing the loss of many community members. Community members also suffered economic hardship and were working on healing from grief and stress. CIMCC’s response to the hardships and challenges of the pandemic was to move HTCA classes online and mail out art kits to participants’ homes. The program reached deep into the 6,400 square mile service region during COVID-19 to connect with isolated elders and families using distance learning technology. Classes have now resumed in person at CIMCC and continue to help heal their community from everyday stressors.
Community Impact:
- Enhanced Community Wellness: Participants report significant improvements in health and wellness. Data from post event surveys show that 99% of participants have experienced positive health and wellness skills.
- Cultural Skill Development: 100% of participants learn and develop new cultural arts skills.
- Increased Cultural Connectedness: The program fosters a sense of community and cultural connection.
- Community Resilience: The program contributes to long-term community resilience in the face of disasters and ongoing challenges.
- Organizational Growth: The program has increased the organization’s visibility and community engagement. over 16,000 visitors from around the world since its opening to the public.
The Healing Through Cultural Arts program has increased Native community member and artist engagement and propelled CIMCC into becoming a long-term recovery center for the community following the North Bay Fires of 2017. The Program has become a cornerstone of their climate resilience work, which has included the transformation into a resilience hub and the integration of Indigenous social work approaches and practices into arts programming. HTCA provides an intertribal forum for practicing and expression of cultural arts, drawing diverse Native artist consultants as teachers in CIMCC’s local service region where there are 24 Tribes. HTCA has also impacted the wider community’s understanding of the importance of strength-based cultural programming for Native visibility and resilience through presentations, exhibits, and fundraising.
For more information, contact:
- Email: cimcc.interns@gmail.com
- Phone: (707) 579-3004
- Website: https://cimcc.org/
View ATALM2024 Conference Session Materials HERE.