The earliest peoples, the true natives of California and for that matter of North and South America - have populated this region for thousands of years. In 1769 California Indians lived peacefully in small tribes throughout the state - on the mountains, valleys, deserts, rivers, forests, and coastal inlets, from the Sonora deserts in Mexico to the verdant forest and rivers of Northern California and Southern Oregon. With arrival of the explorers, missionaries and colonists, the lives of the Native Americans were changed forever. The HDC will offer the opportunity for multiple, diverse Indian tribes to gather and present their history, customs and stories from their own perspective. The Living History Museum with its emphasis on natural history and ecological preservation is ideally suited for Native American exhibitions, many of which are based on the teaching that the land is a living part of creation and that the “human animal” is the steward of that land. There currently is no single place or institution where all the tribes in California can present their history and share traditions with the general public.