Ernest H. Siva, Dorothy Ramon Learning Center President

Dorothy Ramon Learning Center, Inc., now has a building and adjacent lots in the heart of downtown Banning’s new Arts District. Here, the Learning Center and its publishing arm, Ushkana Press, will offer nonprofit programs and publications that save and share Southern California’s American Indian cultures, languages, history, and traditional arts.

The Nonprofit has been working since 2003 without a building. The Learning Center’s new home on the corner of Hays Street and San Gorgonio Avenue will need remodeling. Planning is under way for components that include: a reference library focused on Southern California Indian nations; a children’s center, a recording studio for language, oral histories, music and more; a gathering hall; a kitchen; exhibit and gallery space; and, a gift shop.

The Learning Center also is acquiring two adjacent vacant lots. This property, just over onequarter acre, will allow outdoor activities, extra parking, and a botanical garden. “We want to make it a place of beauty as well as a place to gather and work,” Vice President June Siva said. “This land, with the building, makes many things possible.”

Siva said, “We are excited about the activities and programs we’ll be able to hold in our new Center. We can have a place for lectures and films, singing and dancing, maybe even a concert series. There will be a room for workshops (making flutes, rattles, baskets and more). We’ll be able to hold classes there, and to start, the Serrano language and culture class currently held in the Morongo Tribal Hall will move to the Center temporarily, until we are ready to begin renovation. We’ll be able to record and listen to interviews and oral histories. There will be gallery space to display art and opportunities to sell art works on consignment. There will be a kitchen so we’ll be able to hold receptions and catered meals.”

“We plan to write a letter to the 29 Indian communities in Southern California, inviting them to submit art work and written materials to be displayed in our Center. We want to tell their stories in their words. Since our mission is to save and to share, we want to reach out to surrounding communities. It’s amazing how many people live close to Indian reservations yet know very little about the people who live there. There is a great interest in learning, and our Center can help.”

A major fund-raising campaign is under way to help pay for the new Learning Center. The 501(c)(3) Nonprofit relies solely on donations and grants and invites everyone to help.

P.O. Box 1510, Banning, CA 92220
www.dorothyramon.org
info@dorothyramon.org

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

What is Dorothy Ramon Learning Center?

The Learning Center and its publishing arm, Ushkana Press, are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public-benefit corporation that preserves, documents, and shares the cultures, languages, history, and traditional arts of all the American Indian nations of Southern California.

What does the Learning Center do?

Since 2003, we publish scholarly work and educational materials through Ushkana Press; we provide and encourage cultural activities and traditional arts such as singing, storytelling, and hands-on projects for kids; we work with Tribal members to restore and revive cultures and their languages; and we work as a liaison with scholars, universities, museums, and others studying Southern California Indians.

Who is involved?

Dorothy Ramon Learning Center is not part of any Tribal government or reservation. Instead, the Learning Center is a Nonprofit overseen by a Board of Directors, led by founder and president Ernest H. Siva (Cahuilla/Serrano). The Board includes Tribal members and leaders from across Southern California.

Who is Dorothy Ramon?

She was an elder knowledgable in traditional ways and recognized as the last “pure” speaker of the Serrano language, that is, the last person who thought and dreamed in Serrano first, before English. In her final years before her passing in 2002 she worked tirelessly with a linguist and helped save the region’s own Serrano language and much cultural knowledge. Her nephew, Ernest H. Siva, formed the Learning Center to carry on and expand her work to include all Indian nations of Southern California. Dorothy Ramon symbolizes those Indian elders, brought up knowing their languages and cultures, who are willing to share this knowledge.

What does Ushkana Press publish?

The Nonprofit’s publications include Voices of the Flute book and CD (2004), which offers the words, music, and songs of three Southern California Indian nations, most of these ancient and timeless songs in print for the first time; Standing Firm: The Mission Indian Federation fight for basic human rights (2005), a history of the birth of the Mission Indian Federation, a ground-breaking organization that helped Indians fight for rights and Tribal sovereignty; The Road to Maarrenga’: Serrano Memories of a Long-Ago Ceremony at Mission Creek (2005), a story published for the first time, in the Serrano language, of a little girl’s journey in the early 1900s to a ceremony in the High Desert of Southern California. The place and the ceremony are gone, the elder has passed away; the language is making a comeback; but through this book, all continue to teach part of our national heritage.

Who pays the bills?

We are a 501(c)(3)Nonprofit corporation operating under federal and state laws. We rely solely on individual donations and grants. We invite everyone to help save and share these endangered cultures, crucial to our national heritage.

Where is the Learning Center?

We currently offer numerous programs throughout the year in partnerships with other Nonprofits, schools, museums, and at conferences and Tribal venues. We have built a strong community of support. We recently acquired a building in the heart of downtown Banning’s fledgling Arts District and plan renovation work so we can offer expanded programs, exhibits, and activities. Our Nonprofit has a modest budget and will need to secure grants and donations. Meanwhile we’re also building a virtual Dorothy Ramon Learning Center at www.dorothyramon.org.

How can people reach Dorothy Ramon Learning Center?

E-mail: info@dorothyramon. org • Website: www.dorothyramon.org
Phone: (951) 849-4676 • Mail: P.O. Box 1510, Banning, CA 92220

Contact: Ernest H. Siva, Dorothy Ramon Learning Center President
Phone: 951.849.4676. E-mail: siva@dishmail.net

Posted on June 12th, 2007 by admin
Filed under: Education