History

In October 1999, an excavation crew working on the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts uncovered a Patwin Indian village site and 13 burials. After university officials complied with state and federal laws protecting Native American gravesites, it became clear that there was a need for greater understanding and awareness of Indigenous cultural practices and traditions. Several faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students in the UC Davis Department of Native American Studies wrote to then-Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef sharing their concerns and emphasizing the importance of proper and respectful actions in the excavation of this (or any) sacred site. 

At the request of the faculty, Chancellor Vanderhoef agreed with forming a committee. Members of the committee included professors from the Department of Native American Studies, students, staff, and key administrators, as well as Bill Wright, prominent Patwin tribal elder from the Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation of the Cortina Rancheria. Elder Wright, a recognized Indian doctor, healer, and sweat lodge leader, was deeply respected among the Patwin and other Native American communities throughout California. 

The committee began its work in 2000 with the goal to honor the Patwin heritage and spiritual connection to the land, Patwin ancestors, and all Native Americans at UC Davis and in the region. As the committee’s meetings and work progressed, the Native American committee members’ feelings of anger, grief, and sadness lessened, due principally to the recognition that the administrators on the committee demonstrated, through their words and actions, a sincere commitment to the project. This shift allowed the committee to come together genuinely for the common purpose, with a generosity of spirit, remembrance, and healing. 

The work that began more than 26 years ago continues at UC Davis. Learn about the past and current committee members and the efforts underway to honor Native Americans at UC Davis. 

A timeline of events and related news articles are included below. 

  • 2000: Elementary School Students Visit Sacred Archeological Site
  • On Tuesday, January 18, 2000, the California Aggie published an article titled "Elementary school students visit Center of the Arts building site." The article stated that developers on the construction site for the UC Davis Center of the Arts – which would later be named the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts – had discovered human remains and sacred cultural items that belonged to members of the Patwin tribe. Archaeologists working with the developers opened the site for an elementary school field trip of 30 students and showed them bone fragments of animals and other sacred cultural items. The field trip and desecration of the sacred site raised significant concerns, anger, and frustration. Read the article in the California Aggie. 

    Read an article written by Juan A. Ávila Hernández, a lecturer in the UC Davis Department of Native American Studies, and review historical documents that include letters, news articles, photographs, and drawings related to the Native American Honoring Project.
  • 2000: UC Davis President Larry Vanderhoef Establishes Committee
  • UC Davis Department of Native American Studies faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students are outraged by the desecration of the sacred site and write to UC Davis Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef. The letter emphasizes the importance of proper and respectful actions in the excavation of this (or any) sacred site. At the request of faculty, Chancellor Vanderhoef agreed to form a committee, with members that included professors from the Department of Native American Studies, students, staff, and key administrators, as well as Bill Wright, prominent Patwin tribal elder from the Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation of the Cortina Rancheria.  

    The Native American Honoring Project Committee began its work with the goal to honor the Patwin heritage and spiritual connection to the land, Patwin ancestors, and all Native Americans at UC Davis and in the region. As the committee’s meetings and work progressed, the Native American committee members’ feelings of anger, grief, and sadness lessened, due principally to the recognition that the administrators on the committee demonstrated, through their words and actions, a sincere commitment to the project. This shift allowed the committee to come together genuinely for the common purpose, with a generosity of spirit, remembrance, and healing. 
  • 2002: Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts is Dedicated
  • Video to come.
  • 2006: Plan for the UC Davis Project to Honor Native Americans is Completed
  • Following an open Request For Proposal process, UC Davis selected Far West Anthropological Research Group to assist the Native American Honoring Project Committee in its work. Working closely with the committee, Cultural Resource Research and Consulting, and Quadriga Landscape Architects, Far West Anthropological Research Group produced the "Plan for the UC Davis Project to Honor Native Americans," in May 2006. The detailed 34-page plan provided design concepts for installations at 10 sites across the UC Davis campus. 

    UC Davis launched the Native American Honoring Project's first phase, the creation of the Native American Contemplative Garden, a site that would lie between King Hall and the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts. Read an article about the planned project. 
  • 2009: Native American Contemplative Garden is Dedicated
  • A dedication ceremony was held on November 14, 2009, in the Native American Contemplative Garden, a new outdoor reflective space honoring the Patwin who once lived on the land that would become UC Davis. The garden was the first phase of the UC Davis Project to Honor Native Americans. 
  • 2019: Prayer Stone at Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts is Unveiled
  • On September 26, 2019, UC Davis held a ceremony and unveiled a granite plaque known as the Prayer Stone in front of the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts titled "Voices, Drums, Whistles. Sing, Dance, Remember." The marker features a blessing by Patwin Elder Edward "Bill" Wright that encourages people to remember the Patwin who originally inhabited the banks of Putah Creek where UC Davis stands today. Read an article about the ceremony and the Prayer Stone.

    Juan A. Ávila Hernández, committee member and lecturer in the Department of Native American Studies, published an article in the Spring 2020 edition of News from Native California. The article discusses the history of the Native American Honoring Project and the unveiling of the Prayer Stone at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts. 
  • 2021: Committee Member and Patwin Elder Edward "Bill" Wright Dies
  • Patwin Elder Bill Wright, a key member of the Ad Hoc Committee to Honor the Patwin and Native Americans at UC Davis, died on September 26, 2021. He assisted the committee, guiding the group as it formulated a campus-wide plan to install historical markers, a contemplative garden, signage, public art, and cultural exhibits to honor Patwin history, culture, philosophy, and community on campus. Read Elder Wright's obituary, published on October 5, 2021, and written by Professor Emerita Inés Hernández-Ávila in the UC Davis Department of Native American Studies. 
  • 2022: Native American Honoring Project Committee is Reconvened
  • In October 2022, Provost Mary Croughan reconvened the Native American Honoring Project Committee and renewed its charge to implement installations as funding becomes available. The provost said that the "installation of monuments across the campus will serve as important visible reminders, educating our campus community, and honoring Patwin and Native Americans." Read about the committee's work.