Honoring Our Relatives
Honoring Our Relatives
A series of events inspiring love between plants and people
Amah Mutsun Botanical Illustrations
Opening Reception Friday, February 13th Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History 6:00 – 8:00 PM
An exhibition featuring illustrations of culturally important plants by Amah Mutsun tribal members and UC Santa Cruz student artists
More event details here:
The Teachings of Plants
Saturday, February 14th UC Santa Cruz Hay Barn
10:30-12:30 Career mentoring (students only)
1:00-4:30 Speakers, tea, and participatory art (open to all)
A public symposium with keynote speaker Sage LaPena and an all indigenous speaker panel focused on living in kinship with plants
More event details here:
Sage LaPena is an Herbalist trained in both Traditional Native American and Western herbalism protocol. Sage is mixed-blood Nomtipom and Nomsus Wintu, with roots in the high country and along the waters of the Trinity River and Upper Sacramento River. Certified as a Clinical Herbalist since 2006, Sage began her training in the ways of plants as a child, working with Traditional Healers and respected Elders from local Tribes of Northern California. Her principal mentor, Mable McKay, was a well-known Traditional Healer, last Pomo dream doctor, activist, and world-renowned basket weaver, of Cache Creek Pomo and Patwin descent. Sage has had many positions in Botanical, Medical, Cultural and Restorative Environmental fields. Sage is currently the Manager of the Healing Ways Department and a Traditional Practitioner at Sacramento Native American Health Center (SNAHC) where her focus is diabetes management, women’s medicine, and the building of Traditional Healing practices and protocols. Sage has been teaching about Plants and People for 40 years, with a focus on diabetes for over 20. A lifetime of learning and hard work has led her to where she is today. Her goal is restoring plant knowledge and medicine to the community and securing a place for Traditional medicine to native clinics throughout California and across the country.
Undergraduate Student Awardees for the Amah Mutsun Native Plant Illustration collaboration
Undergraduate Student Awardees: Maddy Arnold, Polina Bondar, Shaylie Lozinto, and Livia Morton for the Amah Mutsun Native Plant Illustration collaboration with Norris Center Art + Science Director Karolina Karlic and Arboretum Executive Director & Steward of the Amah Mutsun Relearning Program Rick Flores.
Collaborative Project
This project, a collaboration between the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band (AMTB), the Amah Mutsun Relearning Program (AMRP) at the Arboretum & Botanic Garden, and the Norris Center for Natural History, will engage students in illustrating culturally significant native plants and documenting their traditional uses.
Over the next year, student artists will collaborate closely with AMTB members to create twelve new botanical illustrations, which will be combined with previously created works to form a 22-plant portfolio. Accompanying text, developed by AMTB and Amah Mutsun Land Trust (AMLT) staff, will provide public information regarding the importance of each plant. A separate document, for tribal members only, will inform tribal members of culturally sensitive information. The final collection will be available online and showcased in a 2026 public exhibition at the Museum of Art and History, alongside artwork by tribal members.
This project not only highlights the deep cultural and ecological knowledge of the AMTB but also fosters meaningful collaboration between our student artists and Indigenous stewards. We look forward to sharing this important work with the public!
