Experience “Music and Crafts, the Ohlone Way “, at Second Saturdays @ Peralta Hacienda, a monthly public art event series in the heart of Oakland ’s Fruitvale. Explore the world of the first people of the Bay Area through hands-on arts and crafts activities led by naturalist Dino Labiste. Watch a special performance of traditional Native dances by Marvin Marine and the Maidu-Miwok Dance Group. Listen as Ohlone elder Ruth Orta discusses her path to rediscover the practices of her ancestors, and shares the history of the original people who lived in Oakland . Park visitors will explore themes around the healing power of historical awareness and the natural world upon which all of our cultures rely. Free and open to the public. Delicious food and a special tour of the Ohlone Native Plant Garden are included.

This event is part of a series of gatherings that commemorate the history of Juan Bautista de Anza’s 1776 expedition through Northern California and the resulting Native/Spanish encounter on Ohlone land, which later became the Peralta rancho, covering 45,000 acres of land where seven modern cities now stand in Alameda County . Acknowledgment of the healing power of historical awareness, and our universal need for expression through music and art, are themes of the events. These programs address both our county’s early Hispanic heritage, as well as the impact that the introduction of Spanish culture had upon California ’s indigenous people.