Exploring the life of respected Pomo Doctor/Dreamer Essie Parrish
NATIVE FACES/NATIVE PLACES: Indigenous Peoples of Marin & Sonoma Counties Essie Parrish: Kashaya Pomo Doctor discussion and viewing of rare footage by Otis Parish, cultural liasion, UC Berkeley's Hearst Museum.
Essie Parrish, Kashaya Pomo doctor and cultural preservationalist who
provided spiritual focus for her people is the topic of an upcoming lecture and
the subject of rarely seen footage 7 p.m., Nov. 12 at Creekside Room, Dominican
University of California in San Rafael.
Parrish is the last of four
spiritual leaders believed sent to guide the Pomos, Born Essie Pinola, she was 6
years old when her people, the Kashaya Pomo (Stewart's Point in northwestern
Sonoma County), acknowledged her as their ''dreamer.'' The term can best be
translated to mean ''visionary'' but also includes ''doctor'' or ''healer,'' as
well as ''priest'' and ''prophet.
Her spiritual gifts, particularly the
ability to prophesy and interpret dreams, drew scholars to her. Parrish was
''discovered'' by the most noted anthropologists of the time, including the
University of California’s Alfred Kroeber and Samuel Barrett.
Her son Otis
Parrish, cultural liasion, Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology, University of
California Berkeley will present the talk.
Each lecture examines local
California places and faces from a Native Californian perspective. Future
subjects include Chief Marin and Milton “Bun” Lucas.
This series is
co-sponsored by Marin Museum of American Indian, Expressions Series, Humanities
Department of Dominican University of California, Federated Indians of the
Graton Rancheria, Marin American Indian Alliance, and Marin Community
Foundation.
The museum’s goal is to promote an awareness and
understanding of Native American history and culture. It is the only museum in
the San Francisco Bay Area devoted exclusively to Native Americans from all
regions and offers a range of programs that include “Camp Coyote” for children,
“Tales Around the Campfire” as well as ongoing exhibits of rare indigenous toys,
artifacts and tools and a special display of kachina dolls.
A $5 donation
is requested. For more information, call 415-897-4064 or visit www.marinindian.com.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2003/10/prweb85201.htm