News and Events
Welcome New Council Member
On January 18, 2026, we welcomed our new council member, Laura Siqueiros-Oldroyd. Laura’s Salinan family lineage comes from the Encinal’s aka Encinales and Avila lineages. She has been raised in the Jolon Homelands. Creator has guided her back home. We welcome Laura’s, passion, motivation, and her yearning to help the Salinan families and our community.
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Spring and Summer Events
(Tribal Members Only)
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Tour Painted Cave (La Cueva Pintada)
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View FHL Repository of Salinan Artifacts
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Honor Sacred Arch in Stoney Valley
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Visit the Palisades ​(an old gathering place for the Salinan families)
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Note: Only 20-25 tribal members per event will be allowed (not open to public). These areas are sacred to our people; small groups will be necessary.
These events will be booked on weekends. Confirmation of dates coming soon.
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Ethnoecology Workshop
​August 29-30, 2026
San Antonio Valley Community Center
Lockwood, CA
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We are honored to have a 2-day workshop with Ms. M. Kat Anderson, an American
ethnoecologist (plant scientist), writer, and educator. She is known for her work on the relationship
between Indigenous knowledge and environmental stewardship, especially in California. Her books Tending the Wild and I Sing to the Earth and She Sings Back are worth reviewing. Kat will share the importance of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), the long-standing environmental practices of Indigenous communities. Note: 30 tribal members maximum attendance for this workshop.
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If interested in any of the limited-attendance events, please email xolon@salinan.org
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Public Event
May 2026
Sol Treasures – “bringing art, culture and joy to our community”
519 Broadway St. King City, CA
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In the month of May, Sol Treasures warmly invites you to experience "The Salinan People - past, present, future.” Enjoy a heartfelt exhibit that will include photographs of our Salinan families and sacred landscapes, in addition to a beautiful Powerpoint presentation of a community that once thrived in the Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties. Learn about the ongoing efforts to educate the public and witness the Salinans' enduring spirit as they preserve and celebrate their rich legacy today.
About Us
Akii'sh (Greetings)
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For over 10,000 years, the ancient ancestors of the Salinan people have lived in deep relationship with the lands and waters of California’s Central Coast. These sacred homelands are not just places of dwelling, but the foundation of our identity, ceremony, and traditional lifeways. Our coastal territory begins in the south at Le’sam, also known as Le’saamo—Morro Rock and the Morro Estuary—a powerful spiritual place where our creation stories are rooted. From there, our lands stretch north along the viewshed of the Santa Lucia Range to Dolan Rock – Sur, encompassing places where our ancestors hunted, gathered, prayed, and thrived. Inland, our territory reaches east from the Pacific Coast into the Salinas Valley, and further northeast to the Diablo Range and Panoche Valley—lands that hold generations of memory and meaning. To the southeast, our connection continues through the Carrizo Plain and Temblor Range, following ancient paths to the foot of the Cuesta Grade. Every mountain, valley, and waterway within these boundaries carries the breath of our ancestors and the ongoing spirit of the Salinan people.
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Our ancient ancestors referred to themselves as "The People of Xolon" (hoe'lone - Jolon) and later were called the Salinan Indians by the Federal Government. The missions never recorded a name for us, but simply called us "the Indians from this Mission". We are now able to call ourselves the "Xolon People," as the ancients called themselves prior to Spanish contact.
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In 1771 the Spaniards and Franciscans established the San Antonio Mission, thereby pressuring local inhabitants to assimilate into the Mission System.
Additionally, in 1791 and 1797 the missions Soledad and San Miguel were established much to the same effect.
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Beginning in 1834 with the closure of the California Missions, many of the Xolon People "went underground", publicly suppressing their native identities for self preservation during an era of Indian intolerance.
We are grateful to our ancestors for enduring the hardships imposed upon them throughout history after Contact, which allowed the Xolon Salinan blood and culture to live on within us.
The primary focus of our people today is to honorably preserve and protect the bones of our ancestors, as well as the villages and sacred sites from the time before Contact. It is also our privilege and responsibility to continually strengthen, build, and establish who we are today, securing a future for our children tomorrow and for the next generations to come.​
