Press Release: September 1, 2026

The Autry Museum of the American West Presents Promised Lands: California's Unratified Treaties and Native Resilience

A shallow, round bowl with beaded decoration on the inside and a hanging fringe of coins, beads, and shells around the rim. — Silver Galleto (Cloverdale Rancheria of Pomo Indians). Grey willow, sedge, redbud, dogwood, hazel, metal, copper alloy, and sinew. Autry Museum; 2026.2.1

(Sept. 7, 2026—Los Angeles, CA) The Autry Museum of the American West invites you to preview its newest exhibition, Promised Lands: California's Unratified Treaties and Native Resilience, which explores the history of federal treaties and the complexities of treaty history in California. Through archival materials, contemporary Native artwork, and the images and voices of local Tribal communities, the exhibition fosters a more nuanced understanding of our shared history while highlighting the enduring relationships Native communities maintain with their ancestral lands. By centering Indigenous perspectives, Promised Lands celebrates Native resilience and the powerful sense of place that continues to shape community identity despite the absence of ratified treaties.

Promised Lands: California's Unratified Treaties and Native Resilience is created by the Autry Museum of the American West in collaboration with the National Museum of the American Indian and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.

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