ERASED and TERMINATED in Nevada City, California

A Blood Diamond hidden among the gems

Nevada City is known as a quaint old gold rush town in Northern California.  It’s a little over one hour north of Sacramento. Many in this area know this place. It’s a hidden gem for sure. Today, though, I am not writing about this hidden gem. Today, I discovered a blood diamond among the gems.  

This post will be written separate and independent of any other post I write about Nevada City in order to honor the beauty and importance of what I found today.  Something that came close to being erased.

Today I met the Historian Ember. A humble spokesperson of the local Nisenan Tribe.  A tribe which has not been erased in person, but on paper.  Long have I looked at this world from another perspective; from the inside out, from the upside down, through a mirror instead of right at it. 

When introducing us to a timeline on the wall. Ember stated that it was ‘disorienting’ instead of ‘weird.’  This struck a chord with me because this year, I happen to be working to remove the word ‘weird’ from my vocabulary. She said it was disorienting because if you ask a Nisenan elder “How long have your people been here?”  The answer would be ‘Since HERE has been here, we have been here.’  They cannot put a date on it. 

The historian then mentioned ‘the devastating times.’

It was but a trickle to the upcoming hour long tour. A trickle which resulted in a floodgate of knowledge, history and hope washing over me in a small space and blip of time. 

There are always two sides to every story. 

I knew immediately that she was referring to the Gold Rush Era.  The glorious Gold Rush Era–though fraught with disappointment and hardship for we white people– is taught as a time of dreamers with resilience, grit and ingenuity who finally met victory.  I’m originally from NY.  It was taught the same way to me when I was young. As a teacher in CA, it is still taught by those of us with this ingrained image of romanticism-though we know better now- and, for me, today was a pivotal catalyst to DO better. 

The devastating times. A time when a certain greed swept these lands along with a selfish genocide of humans and raping of the land. The effects of which carry on to this day. Without spewing shame or blame, the Uba Seo Gallery along with the amazing knowledge spoken so much from the heart by Ember brings life to the light still burning. 

After what sounded like more than one lifetime spent with Shelly, the Executive Director of the gallery,  Ember walked us through a millennium within just a few square feet of space. 

The spirit of forever is how I felt when I left.  

For how long have you been here?  Since forever ago.

And how long will you exist?  Forever.  

There was a Nisenan child born just last year. The Nisenan are here alive and among us. 

Like many of us humans, the woven basket, though old, torn and broken is still here and still treasured.           

The Nisenan People were erased on paper. Terminated.  That is the term used by the US government.  Many tribes were ‘terminated’ from existence by government orders. It wasn’t until the early 1970s under President Nixon that this practice of “termination” was ended. And yet, there was no reversal or restoration.  Just an end to the practice of “termination.”  At that time, tribes who had been ‘terminated’ could begin a process of applying for restoration.  As we see, some were.  This is why they have a reservation separate and sovereign from US territory.  The Nisenan, however, have not been granted that status yet.  The Nisenan are being told that they are not eligible to be restored due to an expiration of a statute of limitations.  

 Ember acted as our tour guide from the beginning, through the devastating times of the 1850s, through the language, culture, politics, architecture and art. She unhesitatingly fielded every question the audience of about 25 offered. There was a Nisenan child born just last year. I know this because one of the audience questions was “How many Nisenan make up the tribe today?”  Ember not only knew that it was 145 but also knew that the youngest child is about 1 ½ yrs old.  At the end, I already wanted to hug her when she said “I’m not a historian.”  I interrupted, and erupted with “Oh yes you are!”  Which created a well deserved applause from the intimate audience. 

Please consider taking time from your busy holiday by visiting Uba Seo Gallery. Check out their short operating hours here.  

This Friday November 26, 2022 is Nisenan Heritage Day.  It will be an online event.

Here’s a travel tip from me to you.  If you can’t make it to one of Ember’s tours, then consider a virtual tour beforehand by following these QR codes which I photographed throughout the exhibit.  Then head out there and see some of the exhibit pieces on your own.  You will be glad that you self educated beforehand. 

EVEN MORE virtual information connected with this diamond!

Visibility Through Art
This Land podcast
Follow on all their Social Media Platforms

This post is absolutely NO REPLACEMENT for touring the gallery in person. There is a wealth of information and beautiful spirit emanating from the space. I can not do it justice nor replicate that which must be felt rather than spoken or written. 

Please let me know what you know about the Nisenan or other tribes.  Let me know what you learned or were reminded of by this post and the links shared.  If you manage to make it to the Uba Seo Gallery, I would LOVE to hear about your experience in the comments below. 

See my other post about Thanksgiving Traditions.