JAMESTOWN CELEBRATES DAY OF THE DEAD (written in november 2023)

And we had fun! The Pebbles in a Pond Project presented a vibrant El Dia de Los Muertos Fiesta on Saturday, November 4th. With lots of help from Jamestown Elementary School, we hosted about 80 people for a Tamale and Taquito Breakfast with a mountain of Conchitas Galletas, colorful shell-shaped cookies, and big round loaves of Pan de Muertos. Chicken Ranch Rancheria of MeWuk Indians’ Tribal Council generously donated support for the breakfast. THANK YOU, CHICKEN RANCH! And our Cocineros de Desayuno (Breakfast Cooks) were Cindy Novo Lisette Sweetland, and Walker Lytle-King. Plus, we purchased plenty of guacamole from C&C Taquerio.

Best of all was the storytelling! Olga Loya, an internationally known bilingual storyteller, came to Jamestown just for this event. Joining her with a storytelling debut was Lisette Noelpáj Sweetland (Yes, the same one who helped cook b’fast). Both women told stories of growing up in two cultures and how their families came to embrace Los Estados Unidos as their home without sacrificing their love for their cultural homeland of Mexico. Olga also told rich stories of El Dia de Los Muertos, including a beautiful story that helped everyone understand the historic connection to this important holiday and the deep roots of the Aztec culture throughout Mexico’s history. Also on hand to add a musical touch was Nathan Ignacio, a talented One-Man Band musician, who lives in Tuolumne County but travels far and wide to perform.

The theme of the day’s event also centered on encouraging our local Spanish-Speaking citizens to get ready to vote in the 2024 elections. The Tuolumne County Elections Department set up a table for voter registration and voter information. Sitting with them was retired teacher and League of Women Voters-Mother Lode member Leo Russell, who is first-language Spanish, but also grew up in Tuolumne County.