About Us

Upusani Cultural Center

Our Heritage

A home for our history

The Upusani Cultural Center was built to proudly display the Tribe’s history and strong cultural heritage. It is used for Tribal events, ceremonies, and community gatherings, and is dedicated to the memory of our ancestors Louie and Annie Oliver.

Upusani is the name of our village (see history) at Buena Vista Rancheria. In November 2016, we opened the doors to our beautiful Upusani Cultural Center, dedicated to the memory of Louie and Annie Oliver, the original distributees of the Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians. The center features the Tribe’s rich cultural history within Amador County.

The Upusani Cultural Center stands in honor of the Buena Vista Rancheria ancestors of the village of Upusani. It stands in the place where Susie Ganor, Casus and Lizzie Oliver, and Louie and Annie Oliver raised their families. Louie and Annie settled at Upusani and remained here until their deaths in 1972 and 1973. It is because of these two that we are able to maintain our village and have a reservation today. Today their descendants proudly carry on their traditions and love for their land as the Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians.

Dennis Goeman

Reservation Facility Manager

Dennis Goeman is the Tribe’s reservation facilities manager and has been working for the Tribe since 2015. He works with multiple departments of the Tribe on projects and development of the reservation. He also works with other tribes on cultural development projects such as Dance Arbors, Sweat Lodges, and Riggen Shacks. Dennis has always had a love for the reservation, dating back to when he was a young child — especially now that he takes care of it as an adult. He takes pride in helping the Tribe and its future generations care for and nurture the Buena Vista land.