ERASED

An Educational Exhibit of the History of Legislative and Legal Erasure

November 5th, 2021 - September 15th, 2022

This exhibit was much more informative and content-driven than previous exhibits the gallery produced in 2021. Erased constituted the first time that local history has been publicly reviewed and discussed from a Nisenan perspective in Nevada City. The Erased Exhibit features six sections, each highlighting different aspects of Nisenan History, Culture, and Erasure, beginning with a timeline from the Indigenous Nisenan Perspective. Erased brings focus to anti-Indian legislation, the negation of Tribal sovereignty, and the lasting impacts of forced assimilation that continue to affect the Nisenan. It is our hope this educational exhibit will have a lasting impression on people and engage them in a way that has not been done before.

For the Nisenan, who have carried on a robust tradition of oral history “since a time immemorial” (or over 13,000 years), storytelling has particularly significant and complex implications. Tribal oral history is a precious resource and form of social capital through which culture is transmitted and preserved. However, in a political climate deeply affected by genocide, acute vulnerability, and erasure, the process of cultural revitalization through storytelling and curation is a very delicate endeavor.

Virtual Tour

“To deal with oppression and racism is one thing, but to deal with being erased and erasure is much more difficult."

-Malcolm Margolin

Erased asks provocative and poignant questions of its audience:

What responsibility do we as American Citizens hold in terms of understanding the brutality and mistreatment of Native children during the "Indian Boarding School Era"?

Boarding Schools fit all 5 of the United Nations criteria for genocide, one being, "Forcibly transferring children of the group, to another group."