Owens Valley Paiute-Shoshone Cultural Center

Come check out the Cultural Center! We're here until 4pm TODAY! Please call 760-873-8844, 760-784-4596 or 760-920-1177 to set up a time to come in!

The Cultural Center is OPEN TODAY for your shopping needs by appointment! Please note we will do our best to serve you, but due to the current restrictions we must ask that you schedule an appointment to visit! Please call 760-873-8844 or 760-784-4596 or 760-920-1177!

HELP US, HELP YOU During this uncertain time we would like to help shoppers see inventory via phone or text messaging. CALL US with your name and type of items you are seeking, we can help show you what items we have in stock prior to visiting or purchasing. Please be respectful, and have an idea of what you are requesting, we will not share everything in store. This is for local shoppers to pick up, no shipping at this time. CALL (760) 784-4596 OR (760) 920-1177

Date Change for Bishop site Commodity Distribution - New Date is Tuesday 12/15 8am - 12pm Drive Thru Pick up will remain in place. Yerington Paiute Tribe Commod staff will be onsite this month

POSTPONED We will have to postpone this weekends Yuuwano drive-in until another date in the month. We tried to wait the week out to see if weather conditions and covid cases decreased in our area. But at this point we feel we should hold off and postpone this event and try for another November date. The chill factor alone for this Saturday will not be a good situation to put our families in, and were hearing the information on student(s)/ staff in the schools, we don’t want to put any of our families at risk, even with all the precautionary steps being taken. Stay tuned for updates and date change information. Thank you for understanding, keep safe keep healthy.

UPDATE! GIFTSHOP SHOPPING BY APPOINTMENT FOR THE REMAINDER OF DECEMBER Because of the uptick of active COVID-19 cases in our community and the regional stay at home order, the Cultural Center museum is closed, but the giftshop is open by appointment only with other modifications. CALL (760) 784-4596 OR (760) 920-1177 TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT ... Please take a minute to review the holiday hours, dates for shopping in the giftshop are limited - please plan accordingly. Remember face masks, family social distancing, and temperature checks will be enforced.

CANCELLED - Cultural Center's Annual Holiday Market Our hope was to be in a better place in this pandemic to host a smaller outdoor market for the holiday season, but at this point, even with extra precautions, we can not in good conscience hold this annual event. Special holiday hours will be posted for the Cultural Center giftshop, note some dates are by appointment only Please plan accordingly. We will have one more giftshop buying days for our local native crafters on D...ec 14 and 15. (If you didn't know, we stock our museum giftshop with items made by our local native communities.) So this year get crafty, get creative, or shop local and support our local vendors and businesses. Have a healthy, safe, and happy holiday season. Remember your wellbeing is important - keep your strength up, laugh, be patient, be kind, be respectful, be resilient!

Although the Eastern Sierra Basketweavers Gathering did not happen this October due to health & safety concerns, on this last day of October, the Cultural Center would like to encourage everyone to carry on the tradition of basketweaving for yourself and within your families! Take what time we have left to gather willow and dogbane, reach out to our fellow communities for devil’s claw and brackenfern and always remember that basketweaving is taught down through generations. Let us remember our local Owens Valley weavers and the legacy they left behind such as Ms. Isabel Hanson, Ms. Mae Meredith and those still teaching such as Ms. Charlotte Bacoch and family, etc.

Yuuwano November 7, 2020 5pm @ the Cultural Center Round-a-bout We have decided to continue with our Annual Yuuwano on a minimal scale, DRIVE-IN STYLE.... Featuring Paiute and Shoshone Stories and Songs 25 cars can park around the Cultural Center rounda-bout. We ask community members to park and stay in your car or use lawn chairs by your car, if you are not singing or dancing. Speakers will be set up to hear MC and Singers. Masks, Family Social Distancing, and Temperature check will be enforced. These are precautionary steps we are taking for the health and well-being of our elders, singers and dancers, as well as the entire community during this uncertain time. Any questions or concerns, please feel free to email or call (760) 920-1177. See more

We were able to respectfully display a variety of images going back several decades! Thank you to our tribal community not only for the time and effort you put forth in delivering your photos, but also for your trust in providing the Cultural Center with your beloved images. These images will be interchanged, perhaps seasonally so that more Bishop Paiute families may have an opportunity to showcase their photos. If you would like to include your images, please feel free to submit your digital photo(s) to the Cultural Center at [email protected]. If you would like to submit your photo in person, please call 760-873-8844 so that we can make arrangements to scan your photo.

Here’s a sneak peak of what the Cultural Center has been up to during the last month for the Tribal Soft Opening at the new Wanaaha Casino! We announced a call-out for still life, vintage and scenic photo images to the Bishop Paiute tribal community via mass mailout, social media and KBPT 96.1 radio in September. We received an abundance of photo images from the community and tribal organizations and were able to successfully and thoughtfully display a variety of images goin...g back several decades! We would like to thank our tribal community not only for the time and effort they put forth in delivering their photos, but also for their trust in providing the Cultural Center with their beloved images. These images will be interchanged, perhaps seasonally so that more Bishop Paiute families may have an opportunity to showcase their photos. If you would like to include your images, please feel free to submit your digital photo(s) to the Cultural Center at [email protected]. If you would like to submit your photo in person, please call 760-873-8844 so that we can make arrangements to scan your photo.

Reminder TODAY is Bishop site Commodity Distribution - Tuesday 10/27 8am - 12pm Drive Thru Pick up will remain in place. Yerington Paiute Tribe Commod staff will be onsite this month.

FANDANGO TIME IN BIG PINE, CA ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2020! The festivities are different this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but we completely respect the Big Pine Paiute Tribe with adhering to the safety precautions that will ensure the safety and well-being of our community. We need to remember that this is a time of celebration, social dancing, games, and contests. We can do it all, but safely.

On this day, October 13th, marks the United States Navy’s 245th Birthday. We encourage you to acknowledge all our Servicemen, Servicewomen and Veterans for their dedication, bravery and service to the United States of America. THANK YOU FOR A JOB WELL DONE! YOU ARE WARRIORS!

The American Indian Cancer Foundation’s Indigenous Pink Day for 2020 is on Thursday, October 15, 2020, but we would like to present awareness of this event today. Our own local organization, Eastern Sierra Cancer Alliance (ESCA) is holding their 20th Annual 5k/10k Fun Run/Walk on Sunday, October 11, 2020 through Saturday, October 17, 2020, which has now gone VIRTUAL to honor family members or friends who have suffered with cancer. Our Native American loved ones have been severely impacted by cancer in some way shape or form. We’d like to encourage you to pray for those fighting the brave fight, remember & honor those who lost the battle, and acknowledge & support those who triumphed over the disease.

On this day, October 6th, 1879, the first Native American students attended Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, the country’s first off-reservation boarding school founded by Captain Richard Henry Pratt. His philosophy was to kill the Indian and save the man. Children were forced to cut their hair, replace traditional clothing with military uniforms, and speak English. They were also stripped of their Indian names, a source of cultural pride and identity. Many of those who survived Carlisle came out brainwashed and suffered post-traumatic stress syndrome. By addressing the history, sharing testimonies and providing resources, we can increase the awareness of all those impacted by boarding schools and their descendants to foster resilience and reinforce healing.

TODAY is the last day to complete the 2020 Census. We encourage you to complete the 2020 Census. Please watch our local youth encourage us all to make sure that NATIVE PEOPLE COUNT! We are so proud of them! https://youtu.be/yghXqcT7Zbs

With one (1) day left until the 2020 Census deadline, we want to reaffirm that our families count, our youth count, our elders countNATIVE PEOPLE COUNT! American Indians & Alaskan Natives had the highest undercount of any group in the 2010 Census. The 2020 Census will determine how federal funding is allocated across Indian Country and an accurate count means funding will go where it is needed most. For more information on the 2020 Census and how our youth are being educated and empowered to engage in the Decennial Census, please go to www.nativepeoplecount.org.

The last Sunday of September is observed as GOLD STAR MOTHERS DAY. This day signifies the acknowledgement of mothers who suffered the loss of a son or daughter who paid the ultimate price while serving in the line of duty. Even though the casualties of these warriors can never be filled, these powerful mothers deserve to be honored for the sacrifice of their children. HONOR and RESPECT these strong bia/hüüpi and REMEMBER our fallen heroes!