On a wooded ridge overlooking Deer Creek Canyon, a new gateway rises from the Land. Its sweeping archway is woven from willow and ceanothus, crowned with great wooden feathers, and transformed by fire.

Known as ṡam je· (sahm-yeh), meaning “fire feathers” in Nisenan, the gateway was created through a collaboration between the Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan Tribe, artist Jenny Hale, and the Bear Yuba Land Trust (BYLT), with contributions of many local artists, craftspeople, Tribal Members, and volunteers. 

Inspired by the California condor, a bird of profound Cultural significance to the Nisenan People, the gateway carries powerful symbolism of survival, revitalization, and return. Its great wooden feathers, carefully transformed and protected through fire, honor Fire as a sacred relative, protector, and renewer within Nisenan Culture. 

The use of native Culturally-meaningful materials, including incense cedar, willow, and ceanothus, connects the gateway to the Land, rooting the artwork in Place while honoring Cultural knowledge, creativity, and care of the Tribal Members who helped weave them. 

Situated along historic ridge pathways overlooking Nisenan Ancestral Homelands, ṡam je· stands as a lasting testament to the Tribe’s enduring presence and the extraordinary beauty that emerges when people contribute their unique gifts towards a shared creative vision, in collaboration with Land and community. 

Join us on December 5th at 3:00 PM for the grand opening and celebration of ṡam je· at Wildflower Ridge Preserve. Come celebrate the remarkable community collaboration that brought this artwork into being and experience this meaningful new addition to Nisenan Ancestral Homelands. 

Our newest blog explores the gateway’s Cultural symbolism, artistic process, and the many relationships woven into its creation. READ THE BLOG ṡam je· – Fire Feathers