Mother and daughter work to preserve native traditions and California's wetlands

For Diana Almendariz, tule is more than just a plant. It's a connection to her ancestors, her Native American heritage and the land and she's determined to make sure those traditions continue for future generations.

As California's wetlands disappear, the risk of losing the cultural knowledge and traditions tied to these ecosystems increases. Almendariz and her daughter, Christina, are working to preserve both through traditional tule practices and an exhibit highlighting the relationship between Native communities and California's wetlands.

For more than 30 years, Diana Almendariz has worked with tule to keep her cultural traditions alive, creating baskets, dolls, ducks and other traditional items.

"It's like a big sponge. I can squish it, and it holds space. And it also feels to me like clay. I can mold a lot of things out of it," Almendariz said.

She draws on her Maidu, Nisenan and Wintun heritage, using skills and knowledge passed down through generations.

"I just love to work with it, you know? It's just really fun. I like to make baskets, I like to make the dolls and stuff. I like to make tule ducks the most," she said.

But tule was never simply a material for crafts. For Native communities, the plant was an essential resource used for food, clothing and everyday necessities.

"They ate the root of the tule and the root of the cattail, and everything had a use," Almendariz said.

Now, she's helping pass that knowledge down to her daughter, Christina, who hopes to share those traditions with her own children.

Christina said she recently talked with her young daughter about basket making and the possibility of gathering materials together.

"I was telling her I would like to go gather and take her with me. And she was like, 'Yeah, Mom, I would love to do that,'" Christina said.

The family hopes to preserve these traditions through an exhibit called "Good Fire, Living Water," which explores the deep connection between Native Americans and California's wetlands.

With more than 95% of the state's historic wetlands lost, the exhibit highlights what's at stake beyond the environmental impact. The decline also threatens the cultural practices, traditional knowledge and ways of life that have depended on these ecosystems for generations.

For Almendariz, restoring wetlands is essential to keeping those traditions alive.

"We're trying to build the numbers up again. So the way we build them up is having a healthy environment," she said.

For this mother and daughter, protecting California's wetlands means protecting more than wildlife and natural resources. It means preserving a cultural connection to the land and ensuring the stories, skills and traditions of their ancestors continue to be shared.

"Good Fire, Living Water" is on display at the Davis Arts Center through Nov. 13.