For several months, cultural practitioner Diana Almendariz has been showing people how to use tule reeds to recreate a variety of Native American tools.

On Sunday, July 21, Almendariz worked with about 25 people who were weaving tule mats, helping them select reeds and tying them together as part of the Tending and Gathering Garden Steering Committee’s efforts to teach cultural history.

The remaining Mat-Making Workshops will be in conjunction with Tule Fun Days and are scheduled for Sundays, Aug. 18 and Sept. 15. The workshops run from 9 a.m. to noon and involve lessons on Native Americans as much as they do about the intricacies of mat making.

Almendariz is a naturalist, educator and practitioner of Maidu/Wintun, Hupa/Yurok culture, heritage and experiences. She has worked for the California Indian Museum, Effie Yeaw Nature Center and as a restoration specialist for the Tending and Gathering Garden at the Cache Creek Nature Preserve.

She has often spent hours showing people how to use native reeds and grasses to set small, controllable fires during workshops on “cultural burning” at the Cache Creek Nature Preserve.

In December 2023, Almendariz spoke during the unveiling of a “Story Trail” at Capay Open Space Park that features 24 brightly colored panels that children and their parents can use to learn more about nature and the area’s history. The “Trail,” located on County Road 85, was created by the Yolo County Library and General Services Department’s Parks Division.

At Sunday’s mat making workshop, Almendariz first explained how to weave water-logged tule reeds together using strands of tule grass.

Typically, the mats could have been used for sleeping or put together to carry or store food supplies.

To arrange to attend future workshops, people can email the Cache Creek Nature Preserve at cachecreeknaturepreserve@gmail.com.