Excitement filled the air in Sacramento on a cool and breezy Tuesday morning as some 500 tribal leaders and citizens, elected leaders, other dignitaries, and students gathered for the unveiling of the first-ever Capitol Park monument, near California's state capitol, that acknowledges California American Indian tribes. The historic tribute specifically recognizes the Sacramento region tribes of Wilton Rancheria, Ione Band of Miwok Indians, Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians, Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians, Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians, and Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians.
Tribal leaders, lawmakers, students, and other dignitaries will be on hand on Tuesday, November 7, 2023 for the unveiling of a historic monument dedicated to memorialize the Native Americans in Capitol Park on the grounds of California’s state capitol in Sacramento, California. The capitol stands on the ancestral lands of Sacramento tribes that still exist today. The timing of the unveiling coincides with Native American Heritage Month.
Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a state assembly bill that proponents hope will speed up the California State University system's return of funerary objects and human remains to tribes. Assembly Bill 389 requires a number of changes to the system for collections that were supposed to have been be returned years ago.
Two bills signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday, October 10, 2023, will hold California university systems accountable for the proper repatriation of Native American human remains and other cultural items to the appropriate Native American tribes. The 1990 federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGRPRA) and its 2001 state counterpart, CalNAGPRA, require government entities, including universities, return Native American remains and artifacts be returned to appropriate tribes. The need for bills signed into law on Tuesday gained attention in June when an auditor’s report cited the CSU system’s lapses and blunders in failing to ensure the timely return of Native American remains and cultural objects.
Assemblymember
James C. Ramos (D-San Bernardino)and Yurok Tribal Chairman Joe James
today issued the following statement upon learning of the governor’s
veto of AB 273 which would have established additional requirements
for social workers, probation officers, and juvenile courts when a
child