Colonization disseminated Indigenous communities, but tribal leader says healing has begun

For the second time in three years of officially being recognized as National Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Fresno, the ceremony was held in-person on Monday morning.

“While today’s a celebration of indigenous peoples and their culture, there’s also a moment to take a pause and remember what was here before us,” said Fresno City Council President Nelson Esparza.

He noted that land where City Hall stands today once was the roaming ground for the Miwuk, Yokuts and Mono. The Tachi and Chukchansi tribes were nearby.

“We are on traditional and ancestral lands, Indigenous peoples’ lands, specifically the land where we’re standing today,” said Nelson, who was joined by council colleagues Miguel Arias and Tyler Maxwell.

Marco Alcántar, treasurer of the Picayune Ranchería of Chukchansi tribal council, thanked the city for recognizing the Indigenous.

Columbus Day, which was established by President Benjamin Harrison in 1892 and affirmed by Congress in 1934 on the second Monday of each October, is a reminder of how European explorers like Christopher Columbus destroyed the Indigenous.

“For many Indigenous people, this day has been a reminder of the devastating impact of colonization on Indigenous culture and way of life,” said Alcántar. “Columbus’ arrival in the Américas spawned acts of cruelty to Indigenous families, communities, and nations.”

Alcántar said his ancestors were “forcibly removed from ancestral lands, displaced, assimilated and banned from worship or performing sacred ceremonies.”

“For generations, federal policies systematically sought to assimilate and displace Native people in eradicating native cultures,” he added.

In recent years, federal and state governments have reached out to heal those wrongs, said Alcántar.

“These relationships continue to strengthen within the country,” he said, pointing to Indigeneous Peoples’ Day proclamations signed by President Joe Biden and Gov. Gavin Newsom.

“Since taking office, (Biden) has made great strides in improving relations with Indian Country,” said Alcántar. “He appointed the first Native American to serve as a Cabinet secretary (of the Interior), Deb Haaland, and over 50 other Native Americans to positions in the executive branch.”

Biden, said Alcántar, also directed federal agencies “to have regular, meaningful consultations with tribal officials.”

“This administration has made efforts towards helping restore and preserve sacred tribal land. He’s also made unprecedented investments in Indian County for pandemic recovery, infrastructural improvements and climate change resilience.”

Poet Christian Sorondo, a member of the Mescalero Apache tribe, read a poem.

“Our love for our relatives, our respect for all living things are a consideration for past, present and future generations,” she said. “The fact that some ancestors gave their lives their dreams in hopes that someday we might have one. That kind of love is revolutionary.”

Adriana González Carrillo, head consul of México in Fresno, noted that her country also has Indigenous roots.

“México is a multicultural country where 68 Indigenous groups live, and around 364 different mother languages are spoken,” said González Carrillo.

“In Fresno and the Central Valley of California, the vast majority are Purepechas, Mixtecos and Oaxacans. Most of these Indigenous people are farmworkers or work on packing or transporting the produce,” she said.

These Mexican Indigenous, said González Carrillo, face more challenges. That is why the Mexican government created a special program this year to help them overcome language barriers, lack of education, and lack of inclusion, among other challenges, she said.

The Mexican Consulate will work with Centro La Familia in establishing the Ventanilla de Atención a los Pueblos Originarios e Indígenas Mexicanos en el Exterior (Counter for Attention to the Mexican Indigenous Community Abroad).

Esparza and Maxwell presented a proclamation to Audrey Osborne, a historian and tribal elder of the Choinumni tribe of the Yokut Indians.

The City Council will repeat the presentation at its Thursday meeting.

Esta historia fue publicada originalmente el 11 de octubre de 2022, 5:39 p. m..