Museum of the American Indian - Miwok Park, Novato

Located in Marin County on a site of an actual Miwok Village, the Museum is dedicated to providing the people of Northern California with programs and exhibits that deepen understanding and appreciation of Native American cultures. The Museum gallery is home to a permanent collection of exhibits, as well as displaying new and rotating exhibits. This native indigenous museum, the only one of its kind in the Bay Area, was founded in 1967 in response to the rapid development of Marin County. Construction activity in the county unearthed masses of archaeological objects related to the original inhabitants of the region, the Coast Miwok people. The Museum was originally designed to serve as a repository for these materials. Today, the museum still houses a large collection of Coast Miwok artifacts; however, the scope has broadened considerably and its programs and collections represent Native American cultures from across the entire continent. Cultural property on display includes Navajo textiles, Eskimo carvings, Plains beadwork, birch bark baskets, and Northwest Coast masks. These treasures are displayed in the various exhibits to help both adults and children understand and appreciate the diversity and beauty of Native American art and culture.
The Coast Miwok Indians were hunters and gatherers whose ancestors had occupied the area for thousands of years. About 600 village sites have been identified in the area. They were also considered skillful craftsmen in basketry, flint knapping and clamshell bead making. The Coast Miwok lands covered present-day Novato, Marshall, Tomales, San Rafael, Petaluma, and Bodega. The Southern Pomo people are from the Sebastopol area. Many of the Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo people still live within their ancestral territories. In 2000 the Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo tribes were restored to federally recognized status as The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. marinindian.com