Indigenous Relationships with Coastal Prairie Plants with Alex Tabone

Indigenous Relationships with Coastal Prairie Plants with Alex Tabone

Saturday, Nov. 13, 10am – 12pm

Coastal prairie habitats have long been tended by Indigenous people along the coast of present day California. During this demonstration outside the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, Alex Tabone will share how the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band and their ancestors have used ingenuity to turn the bounty of the Santa Cruz area into delicious meals for millennia.

We will use the traditional process of making food from the seeds of grassland plants, following the whole process from the coastal prairie to the dinner plate. We will all taste our native food creations and participants will have the opportunity to craft and take home a looped cooking stick out of oak shoots.

Accessibility
-Bring a sharp knife if you can for preparation of our looped cooking sticks (we will have some available if you can’t)
-This program will occur outside in the amphitheater behind the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History. There is a paved and accessible path down to the amphitheater, but to enter into the program space you will need to pass through some shallow steps/ledges.
-This program will occur rain or shine. If it rains we will have canopies, but please plan on being amongst the elements. In the case of extreme weather we will cancel.
-Follow local guidelines for COVID safety at the time of the program

About the presenter
Alex Tabone is a California State Park Ranger and naturalist who has researched traditional technology from the California central coast and worked with the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band on traditional food revitalization programs.