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Indian Canyon Hollister, CA

1 Indian Canyon Road, Hollister, CA, USA

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About Event

This will be our 23rd Annual Storytelling and Indigenous Gathering. This year's event will be taking place - December 10th 2022 at 1PM. Costanoan Indian Research, Inc. is proud to present this Annual Storytelling Event. This annual gathering was started in an effort to build connections and to educate relocated American Indians and non-Native Californians of the rich cultures and histories of Native California. The Indian Canyon California Indian Storytelling Event is held in Indian Canyon, the only federally recognized “Indian Country” along costal Northern California between Sonoma and Santa Barbara. Additionally, Indian Canyon is the only land that has been continuously held by Ohlone People. Indian Canyon is under the stewardship of Ann-Marie Sayers, Tribal Chairwoman of Indian Canyon - Costanoan Ohlone People. Ms. Sayers has opened her great-grandfather’s trust allotment to all Indigenous people in need of land for ceremony. Currently, Indian Canyon hosts seven sweat lodges, a round-house area, an arbor and between 30 – 40 areas for individual prayer and ceremony. Additionally, Indian Canyon provides important research and exchange opportunities students across the Bay Area including San Francisco State University and DeAnza State’s American Indian Studies on Native California and ethno-botany as well as hosting numerous interns from UCLA, USCS, JFKU, among other educational facilities. Get tickets by emailing Kanyon@kanyonkonsultingl.com or Cash/Check at the Gate.
LEARN MORE >>>>> HELP OUR FUNDRAISING EFFORTS

Event Schedule

The Indian Canyon California Indian Storytelling Event begins with a ceremony honoring all four sacred directions followed by a day of California and other Indigenous people’s storytelling, music and dance.
All the participating storytellers, musicians and dancers are all active participants in Indian Canyon. Costanoan Indian Research, Inc. decided to open participation to all Indigenous Peoples in order to create understanding and solidarity between Indigenous Peoples.
The Indian Canyon California Indian Storytelling Event is the only Native California storytelling event held on traditional lands that is open to the public. The event will occur on December 10th, 2022 at Indian Canyon in Hollister, California. A historic prayer run has occured for our Summer Storytelling event to open the event in a good way (Runners and Allies will journey from Mission San Juan Bautista Mission Saturday Morning, to Indian Canyon into the Afternoon).

Part 1 Opening
  • Morning - Afternoon - Community Gathers + Potluck Prep

    Community, Allies, Supporters will gather in Indian Canyon -- Offering a prayer at the Healing pole and Sharing a meal Coffee, Water, Healthy Snacks Donations accepted

  • 1PM - Opening

    Introduction song/musich by guest, and Welcoming by Ann-Marie and Kanyon Sayers-Roods

  • 1:30 Line Up

    To Be announced

  • 3:30 pm - Lunch Time

    Our Goal is Potluck - Bring things to share - As we fundraise we aim to collect donations of Local Organic Veggies, Food Availible TBA Plates by Donation
    ~$5 - $10 is nice (no one is turned away) $20 helps the others

Part 2 after break
  • ~4:15PM~ - Line Up

    To Be announced

Before and After Interested?

  • Before - Planning

    Would you like to volunteer for this event? Volunteer SIGN UP - email Admin@kanyonkonsulting.com

    If you would like to HELP INDIAN CANYON please check out this link.
    So much time and energies are needed for events that we put on. Feel free to check out our WISHLIST for ideas.

  • After Clean Up

    Care to stay later, help clean up, tell stories into the evening - start a fire sing and dance into the night? Let us know. We pride ourselves in making this a NTLB - no trace left behind. With any indigenous gathering we always follow our personal protocol - by leaving the place as good as or better than it was before our presence.

Promotional Video

Organization Presence

Organizational History
The Costanoan Indian Research, Inc. was formed in 1993 receiving a 501©3 status that same year. The specific purposes for which this non-profit corporation was formed include:

  • Creating local, national and international programs designed to improve and enhance the cultural image of California Indians through greater public exposure of Tribal history, heritage resources and products.
  • Establishing greater influence over public policies and programs affecting indigenous peoples and the environment.
  • Identifying and implementing projects (economic, social and cultural development) in order to improve the cohesiveness and self-sufficiency of the Costanoan/Ohlone people.
  • Providing traditional lands for the indigenous peoples to carry out their own tribal ceremonies and to share their traditional way of living in balance and harmony with the environment.

  • Ann-Marie Sayers - Founder and Executive Director
  • Kanyon Sayers-Roods - Creative Director and Executive Assistant
  • Jose Juan Gorena - Caretaker and Custodian
  • Everyone who supports Indian Canyon - Lodge leaders, ceremony attendees, volunteers, students, etc.

Speakers of the Event

Renewing and affirming the need for continuity of life and ceremony.

Below is a quote from an interview Ann-Marie Sayers had with Santa Clara University, this article was published in their Alumni Magazine.

For Ann-Marie Sayers, the situation appears challenging but not dire. “There are a number of Native Americans who get caught up in the linear thinking of our society and the struggle to survive, and [with the fact] that it’s difficult to connect with their culture on a ceremonial basis,” she says. But she also sees those struggles yield results. Sayers has opened the land of Indian Canyon as a Living Indian Heritage Area, making it available to all indigenous people in need of land for ceremony.

Indian Canyon receives upward of 6,000 visitors a year from around the world, including Aborigines from Australia, Maori from New Zealand, and indigenous peoples from South America and Alaska. Another couple thousand annual visitors are students of Indian history from local colleges and universities. And each year Indian Canyon holds major ceremonial events for local Native Americans, including the California Indian Bear Dance and a storytelling gathering. In terms of Costanoan Ohlone, Sayers estimates that about 200 from the Bay Area come to Indian Canyon on a regular basis.

From the peaceful, leafy canyon in which her cabin sits, Sayers looks out on the wider world and sees a revitalization taking place: organizations and tribes engaged in preserving and bringing to life their languages, stories, songs, and ancestral lands. Indigenous ceremonies are being revived. Tribes continue to push to regain a trust relationship with the government—with the near-success of the Muwekma Ohlone offering encouragement.

The Indians in California are alive and well, their practices intact, Sayers says. “Their spirit is waking up.”

Speaker
Ann-Marie is the chairwoman of the Indian Canyon Nation and director of the Costanoan Indian Research Center, Inc. She is the traditional caretaker of Indian Canyon, the only sovereign Indian lands in central coastal California. Ann Marie is a recognized local, national, and international California Indian leader focusing on environmental protection, repatriation, and religious freedom.
Ann-Marie Sayers

Founder and Executive Director
Indian Canyon and CIR

Speaker
Kanyon Sayers-Roods is Costanoan Ohlone and Chumash; she also goes by her given Native name, Hahashkani, which in Chumash means "Coyote Woman". She is proud of her heritage and her native name (though it comes with its own back-story) and is very active in the Native Community. She is an Artist, Poet, Published Author, Activist, Student and Teacher. Daughter of Ann-Marie Sayers and was raised in Indian Canyon, trust land of her family, which currently is available for anyone in need of ceremony. Kanyon's art has been featured at the De Young Museum, The Somarts Gallery, Snag Magazine, and numerous school projects. She is recent graduate of the Art Institute of California, Sunnyvale, she majored in web/graphic design and interactive media. She has strengths in many mediums of art (fine arts, native craft, digital arts, etc). She is motivated to learn, teach, and continuing doing what she loves, Art.
Kanyon Sayers-Roods

Creative Director and Executive Assistant

Speaker
More Honored speakers to be announced
Guest Speakers

To Be Announced

Partners/Sponsors

Our Esteemed Partners/Sponsors for this event

Through the efforts and help of amazing friends, family, and volunteers of Indian Canyon, with the prayers and energies of collective ceremony participants we are so very happy we can put this annual public event on every year.

Partner Brand Partner Brand Partner Brand Partner Brand

FAQ

Questions About This Event

1 How much does this event cost?

Costanoan Indian Research is a local non-profit organization, our annual storytelling gathering is a fundraiser for all of the efforts of Indian Canyon.

A suggested of: $20 per adult, $10 per student, any children age 12 and younger are free. We will not turn anyone away - donations of all levels are accepted

Indian Canyon is an off-the-grid location. Cash - Checks - Money Orders are accepted. Sorry, we can not accept Credit Cards for transactions.

We have a few vendors, raffle table and we have lunch, be sure to bring extra funds for fun, food, and community fundraising.
 

EventBrite Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/indian-canyon-storytelling-23rd-annual-indigenous-gathering-tickets-65226638632

2 Where is Indian Canyon?

Nestled in the secluded Cienega Valley, in between Hollister Hills State Park and Thousand Trails RV park, in San Benito Country, Hollister

~ From Hollister: from HWY 25 merges into San Benito St. go right on Union Rd. go 0.3 mi., left on Cienaga Rd. which ends in a T-junction, continue right, go 9.4 mi., right on Grass Valley Rd. go 0.1 mi., left onto gravel road in vineyard, continue to follow ribbons and signs.

~ From San Juan Bautista: HWY 156 E go 4.2 mi., right on Union Rd. go 3.6 mi., right on Cienaga Rd. which ends in a T-junction, continue right, go 9.4 mi., right on Grass Valley Rd. go 0.1 mi. left onto gravel road in vineyard, continue to follow ribbons and signs.

3 How to contact the organizers of the event?

You can reach Ann-Marie Sayers personally through her email or phone. ams@indiancanyon.org or call her 831-637-4238

Kanyon is handling all of the media, PR, volunteer coordination. Feel free to drop her a line or check out her website - www.indiancanyonlife.org/ksr. indiancanyon.kanyon@gmail.com or 408-673-0626

4 What type of event is this?

Off-The-Grid ~ Family Friendly ~ Drug and Alcohol free event.

We cater to those suffering from NDD - Nature Deficit Disorder. Come outside, under the sun and dappling shade of the oak trees. Listen to the birds of the Canyon, come to where the community gathers and listen to stories being told down from generation to generation. Every year, there is an excedingly excellent turnout for our annual storytelling event in Indian Canyon. This spot is the only land within traditional Ohlone/Costanoan territory (around the San Francisco Bay section of California), or, for that matter, within coastal California between Santa Rosa and Santa Barbara, that is owned by Indian title in trust with the Federal government. So, it is the only 'Indian Country' in this vast region; most other traces of Indian land ownership have tragically been lost and not yet regained. Descendants of Ohlone, Costanoan, and other California tribes work hard to raise awareness about this history. We are proud to present our 18th Annual storytelling and Indigenous gathering for the community to enjoy and learn from.

5 Is this event dog friendly?

If you have a socially well-behaved, leashed canine companion, we do not mind if they join you. So long as they are maintained and taken care of. We have a few residents with canines, we just want to be sure if you bring your companion, they don't mind crowds of people, families with young children, and the guardians of the land all around them.

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