Concord Historical Society Presents: Speaker’s Series with James Benney

James is the spokesperson for the East Bay Hill People, dedicated to identifying and preserving sites inhabited by the Indigenous People of the Bay Area. James is the author of the book Native American Indian Sites in the East Bay: A Guidebook. A guidebook to site locations of Native American Indian habitats, including a Bay Area map, GPS directions, and a brief history of Indian culture in the East Bay Hills around the San Francisco Bay Area.

Central Californian Native American tribes venerated Mount Diablo as a sacred mountain. Native people visited Mount Diablo for ceremonies, rituals, and trading for thousands of years. The Volvon tribe controlled access to the slopes and peak of Mount Diablo. Over 80 villages, camps, and food preparation sites and over 2,000 bedrock mortars of every variety remain intact throughout the 100 square mile former Volvon territory.

The main Volvon Village alone features over 700 bedrock mortars spread over a ½ mile long site. Park and Water District managers, archaeologists, and some Native Americans have pursued a coordinated, calculated, clandestine policy to conceal and protect Volvon sites from what they say is an ignorant, disrespectful public.

Concord Museum and Event Center, 1928 Clayton Road, Concord, CA

Date: SUNDAY, MARCH 26, 2023
Time: 2:00-3:00
Suggested Donation: $5.00