Honoring Our Past, Shaping Our Future
“The future of humankind lies waiting for those who will come to understand their lives and take up their responsibilities to all living things.”
~ Vine Deloria, Jr., Native American Scholar
The California Indian Museum and Cultural Center (CIMCC) exists to honor and advance the cultural vitality, sovereignty, and resilience of California Indians, recognizing their enduring relationships to land and place. Led by California Indian expertise, we amplify traditional knowledge, lifeways, and voices. Through education and advocacy, we deepen public understanding of California Indian histories, cultures, and contemporary leadership.
As a dynamic and innovative museum and cultural center that provides exhibits and educational programs for diverse audiences and serves as a resilience hub for Native communities, we represent and champion California Indian knowledge, perspectives, and voices, and work to change systems by increasing California Indian visibility and authority within them.
Equally, we aim to honor and advance the contributions of California Indians to civilization. To achieve this, CIMCC uses various strategies, including education, research, truth-telling, re-framing narratives, youth empowerment, and establishing cross-cultural alliances. As a facilitator of Native perspectives, CIMCC offers a secure and nurturing cultural home for Native peoples. Our exhibits, educational programs, and online media are diverse forums that support Native youth, elders, artists, and culture-bearers in their efforts to share Native perspectives with a broader community.
We strive to inspire a more compassionate, equitable, and unified society based on reciprocity and shared care for our collective future, one in which California Indians thrive and continue to lead with courage and excellence.
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