The 22nd annual California Indian Conference and Gathering will be unique in two ways: The event is being held at UC Davis for the first time, and the university's Gorman Museum is planning a special exhibit in conjunction with the gathering.

As many as 500 people are expected for the gathering Oct. 26 and 27, said Martha Macri, faculty coordinator for the event. She is a professor in the Department of Native American Studies, which is hosting the gathering. This year's theme is "Building Community."

A reception at the Gorman Museum is set for 5 p.m. Oct. 26 in celebration of the exhibit titled Basketry: A Collaboration of Nature and Creative Genius. The exhibit is set to open Oct. 4 and run through Dec. 12, with admission free and open to the public.

The forthcoming exhibit features the Hailstone Collection, named after master basket weaver Vivien Hailstone (1913-2000), who was Yurok and Karuk, and a member of the Hupa tribe, according to a Gorman Museum news release.

It states that Hailstone was instrumental in continuing and teaching the weaving traditions of her communities for more than 20 years, and that during this time she collected a large number of pieces by her fellow weavers.

After her death, her son Albert added some important pieces to the Hailstone Collection.

The Indian gathering is sponsored by the university's Division of Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies, and the Division of Social Sciences, as well as the Department of Native American Studies and the Department of Linguistics, plus the UC Davis Medical Center. Other sponsors are the Federated Indians of Grayton Rancheria and the Middletown Rancheria.

Organizers said the program will include research presentations, ongoing elders circles, youth and high school outreach sessions, language workshops, hand games, and tours of UC Davis and its medical school.

Registration, more information

The conference is free, organizers said, but people are asked to register in advance. This can be accomplished at the event's Web site: nas.ucdavis.edu/NALC/cicg.

For more information on the conference, contact Professor Macri, (530) 752-7086 or mjmacri@ucdavis.edu.

For more information on the basketry exhibition: gormanmuseum.ucdavis.edu.