Wiyot Tribe

The mission of the Wiyot Heritage Center is to promote the understanding, revitalization, and celebration of Wiyot culture. Recognizing culture as a dynamic process and the Wiyot as a living people, the Center's goals are to treasure the past, enrich the present, and meet the challenges of the future.

Pictured above is Wiyot Regalia.

The Wiyot Heritage Center opened in March 2007 with the exhibition "Rebirth into Womanhood:  A coming of Age Journey." The Center is home to a permanent collection of Wiyot cultural materials acquired from repatriation, gifts, and purchases. The Center also showcases temporary exhibits and a permanent display in the Community Center. The Wiyot Tribe is dedicated to the preservation and appropriate use of this collection, integrating traditional care practices with standard best museum practices.

Pictured, left to right, are Leona Wilkinson, Michelle Hernandez (this is her coming of age ceremony procession) Joycelyn Teague, Maria Aguilar, Linda Gonzalez and Cheryl Seidner.Picture by Lloyd Boyle

The Heritage Center is located at 1000 Wiyot Dr. Loleta, CA. , across from the Tribal Office and it is open to the public Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., except on holidays. Gifts and temporary loans are welcome from the tribal and local community.  Donors are encouraged to contact the museum director at cultural@wiyot.us.

During the summer of 2008, the Wiyot Tribe enlisted the artful hand of local known artist, Lyn Risling to direct the older children of the Reservation to create the Heritage Center Mural.

Pictured, left to right, are Lyn Rising, Corinne Alton, Danielle Smalling, Elizabeth Hernandez, Michelle Hernandez and Richie Green.