REOPENING THE WASHOE CULTURAL CENTER PROJECT

WASHOE CULTURAL CENTER AT TAYLOR CREEK

A wooden sign with faded photographs of Wašiw culture sits at the end of an asphalt parking lot across from the Taylor Creek viewing site in South Lake Tahoe.  The sign reads, ‘THIS IS THE FUTURE SITE OF THE WASHOE TRIBAL CULTURAL CENTER WA SHE SHU IT DEH LANDS OF THE WASHOE PEOPLE”.  A closer look at the photographs on the sign and you can see who we [Wašiw] have known as the Smokey Sisters (Teresa and Joanne); who were well known and respected elders whose traditional knowledge informed numerous endeavors to preserve Washoe culture.  We do not know the exact year that the wooden sign was put up, we are guessing about 30 years ago. According to previous Washoe Tribal Chairman Brian Wallace, a VHS tape of the dedication of this site was made that included Forest service personnel, government officials, and tribal members.  He further said that the tape ran on a reel next to a prototype of the proposed Cultural Center that was on display at Valhalla at Lake Tahoe.  The 1997 Lake Tahoe Presidential Forum (ATTACHED) recognized that the health of Lake Tahoe required the return of the Washoe to the lake by the U. S. government, the governments of the States of Nevada and California, and The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, local governments, and the Tahoe community.  However, the groundwork for this project goes back well over 50 years to a landscape analysis completed in 1977 where the parking lot at Taylor Creek was selected as the best site for a Washoe Cultural Center (USDA Forest Service; Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit; Washoe Cultural Center Revisee Environmental Assessment (1998).  

Position Statement

With the approval of the Washoe Tribal governing council–by Resolution, and signed in February of 2024, Wašiw Zulshish Goom Tahn-Nu will facilitate the writing of an updated strategic plan to move forward the wishes of our elders – those that have gone before us – to build a Wašiw Cultural Center at Taylor Creek.  A WCC will serve as a central location for Wašiw seasonal return to the lake by supporting cultural activities, and as a central location for conservation collaborations, education, and regenerative tourism that centralizes Wašiw traditional culture and stewardship.  The WCC will additionally house a Washoe-Buryat International Cultural Program as a part of the Washoe Tribes Cultural Center at Lake Tahoe” as stated in a Memorandum of Understanding Between the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, and the All-Buryat Association for Cultural Development (ATTACHMENT) signed by Chairman Brian Wallace on February 14, 2003.  
[1] Indigenous Rights of Nature (IRN) IRN is a National Native led movement whose primary goal is protection of our Mother Earth.  The movement has essentially consisted of a series of dialogues culminating into an understanding of how we should be responsible to protect our generations and our people who are existing under environmental, genocidal onslaught by Corporations and Individuals who regard the Earth as a commodity and not a living breathing being to be respected and protected. 

Regenerative Tourism The Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California’s Environmental Department has numerous projects focused on land restoration and environmental stewardship.  By promoting tribal stewardship activities in tourism, visitors have the opportunity to become educated about the impact that colonization has had on Washoe lands.  They may additionally have the opportunity to contribute, participate, and at best, recognize the importance of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) on the local landscape.  Regenerative Tourism fosters collaboration and partnerships amongst all stakeholders of local tourism and encourages diversity in the local economic systems to avoid extreme reliance on tourism for a population’s survival. Regenerative Tourism centralizes Washoe traditional culture and environmental stewardship in decision-making processes in an inclusive and equitable space bringing value to the communities as well as responsibility towards the environment and biodiversity of the location.  Select the link provided here to learn more about Regenerative Tourism and view examples of these endeavors in other Indigenous and Tribal communities.