SACRAMENTO, Calif — It’s California’s Inaugural Native American Heritage Month and part of that celebration was a parade Saturday through the Capitol Mall in downtown Sacramento.
Regina Cuellar, Chairwoman of the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians said, “it’s a really historic event.”
California is home to the largest populations of Native American in the United States with at least 109 tribes.
“Really educating the public and everybody else that we are still here and we are going to be here we are a resilient people,” said Cuellar.
That resiliency has been continually tested especially in California and Sacramento.
The state has a history of violence and oppression against Native Americans.
John Sutter enslaved indigenous people, forcing them to build Sutter’s Fort in 1840.
California's first governor in 1849 Peter Burnett fueled the enslavement and genocide of indigenous people.
Federal Indian Boarding Schools, 12 of which were found in California, where inhumane due to treatment of tribal children.
Baltazar Fedalizo is a member of Pow Wow on Parade said, “it’s been a long time coming.”
California formally apologized to Native Americans in 2019.
The location of the parade in the Capitol Mall is also significant. Until last year, a statue of Junipero Serra had been up in Capitol Mall.
Serra was a Spanish Franciscan priest and missionary.
He came to the new world in 1749 to force native people to convert to Christianity.
The bronze statue of William “Bill” Franklin now stands at Capitol Mall, which tribes say is a representation of their culture.
Assembly member James Ramos spoke to the importance of representation when the statue went up.
"We're bringing to light the true injustice that has happened against California Indian people,” said Ramos.
The month and parade also celebrated accomplishments.
Assembly member James Ramos is the only California Native American serving in the state's legislature.
“Passed AB 1703 the Native American School Act, they made the Miwok statue here, they made the parade here, they passed Public Law 202 to give tribal authority more legislative power on the reservations,” said Fedalizo
The parade is another milestone of a long history for Native American tribes in California.
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