With leadership from Ethnic Studies YOLO Academy and Save California Salmon, the 6th Semillas y Culturas ~ Seeds & Cultures Summit will be hosted at the UCD Farm.

Our hope is to raise awareness and share ideas about sustaining Native California and Indigenous Meso American foodways across generations.

Register

Food will be provided. Space is limited, so please register using the link above. Event details including location and directions will be sent out by email.

Program

8:30-9:00 Registration

9:00-9:30 Welcoming

Purpose and history of Seeds & Cultures ~ Semillas Y Culturas

Melissa Moreno, Summit Founder & Colin Dixon, UCD Student Farm Director

Opening

Mike Duncan, Native Dads Network Director, & Albert Titman, Wellness Counselor at the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians

9:30-10:30 Workshop I: CA & Mesoamerican Region Foodways

California Region Workshop: Walnuts in the Region

Christina Almendariz, Maidu/Wintun Naturalist, Cultural Expert & Teacher

Mesoamerican Workshop: Legacy of Decolonize your Diet & Dr. Catriona R. Esquibel

aa Valdivia, SFSU Faculty of Decolonize Your Diet and UCD Alumni

Applied Workshop: Techniques in Propagating California Native Plants

Jolene Jindrich, Tending & Gathering Garden Specialist, and Ivy Liu, Habitat Restoration Technician, Cache Creek Conservancy

Applied Workshop: Decolonizing Our Beverages - Seasonal Teas & Slow Food

Jacquelyn Ross, Pomo/Coast Miwok & UCD Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions

10:30-11:00 Break + Q&A

11:00-12:00 Workshop II: CA & Mesoamerican Region Foodways

California Region Workshop: Acorns in the Region

Diana Almendariz, Maidu/Wintun Naturalist and Cultural History Expert, Teacher, Mother & Grandmother

Mesoamerican Workshop: Legacy of Decolonize your Diet & Dr. Catriona R. Esquibel

aa Valdivia, SFSU Faculty of Decolonize Your Diet and UCD Alumni

Applied Workshop: Indigenous Permaculture Soils & Compost

Lupita Torres, Cache Creek Conservancy Outreach Coordinator

Applied Workshop: Stewarding, Propagating, Cultural Role of Teosinte

Dr. Liza Grandia, author of Kernels of Resistance:  Maize and Mesoamerican Food Sovereignty, and Julia Schreiber, Ecological Garden Lead at the Student Farm 

12:30-1:30  Lunch

1:00-3:00 Cultural Sharing & Discussion Circles

• Discussion circle: UC Admission and Food Related Majors with Jacquelyn Ross, Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admissions
• Discussion circle: Policies around land access, ownership & stewardship with UCD EPM Students
• Screen-printing with Taller de Arte del Nuevo Amanecer (TANA)
• Walk to the Woods with student, staff and community stewards
• Music
• Garden walks
• Sharing stories & knowledge, past & future

Sponsors

• UC Davis Native American Studies
• UC Davis Department of Chicana/o Studies
• Agricultural Sustainability Institute
• Davis Phoenix Coalition
• UC Davis Environmental Policy & Management Diversity Committee

Partners

• Taller Arte del Nuevo Amanecer (TANA)
• Adelita Serrena, Yolo County Environmentalist and Indigenous Mexica Dance Leader

2024: Weavings & Interconnections

Through a series of speakers and workshops, focused on the California and Meso American foodways, participants will be encouraged to pursue education, connection, and career paths related to culture and ecology. The summit will foster a sense of belonging, community building, self-awareness, and goal setting in an intergenerational space with academic, professionals, and community leaders who are committed. The Summit creates an empowering educational space that encourages participants to continue their learning and leadership development in Ethnic Studies, Native American Studies, Chicana/o Studies,  as well as in the fields of Ecology, Sustainable Agriculture, and Culinary fields.

This event is organized by and is for community members and UC Davis students, staff and faculty. We are thankful to all our sponsors!

In anticipation of spending time at the UC Davis Student Farm, we want to acknowledge the land on which we will be gather. For thousands of years, this land has been the home of Patwin people. Today, there are three federally recognized Patwin tribes: Cachil DeHe Band of Wintun Indians of the Colusa Indian Community, Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation, and Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation. The Patwin people have remained committed to the stewardship of this land over many centuries. It has been cherished and protected, as elders have instructed the young through generations. We are honored and grateful to be here today on their traditional lands. Visit this UC Davis website to learn more about this land acknowledgement. 

Learn more about past Semillas y Culturas ~ Seeds & Cultures here.