FRESNO, Calif. – Tribal leaders gathered in downtown Fresno on Thursday to be recognized ahead of California Native American Day.
The ceremony at Fresno City Hall brought together both federally and non-federally recognized tribes from the Fresno region. Each tribe received an individual proclamation recognizing their history, culture, and presence in the area.
Among the tribal groups were the Wuksachi Tribe of Eshom Valley, Wukchumni Tribe, Traditional Choinumni Tribe, Chaushila Tribe of Yokuts, Big Sandy Rancheria, Picayune Rancheria of Chukchansi Indians, and North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians.
Fresno City Councilmember Annalisa Perea said the ceremony was an opportunity to recognize the native communities and their leaders.
“Too often, our Native American history is treated as just something we read in a history book,” Perea said. “But the people we recognize today are not simply a chapter from the past. You are here.”
The city’s proclamation marked Thursday as Native American Day in the city. But California Native American Day is observed on the fourth Friday of September each year. This year, it falls on September 25.
Christina McDonald, tribal council secretary for the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians, said bringing different tribal leaders together made the event especially meaningful.
“Being with the tribal leaders here today is very awesome,” McDonald said. “It’s hard to get everybody in one room, but when it comes to a special moment like this, it’s very awesome.”
The ceremony also included a separate proclamation recognizing “Orange Shirt Day,” which honors survivors of Indian residential and boarding schools. It remembers children who never returned home.
“We cannot change what happened in the past, but we can decide how we respond to that history today,” Perea, the councilwoman, said. “We can make room for the truth, and we can make sure that our recognition is followed by a genuine commitment to always listen and learn, and build stronger relationships with our native and indigenous communities.”
The Orange Shirt Day proclamation was presented to Michelle Lira, the Fresno Unified School District Tribal Liaison, whose father was a survivor of boarding school.
“It's been an honor today for myself, all of the tribal members up here, all of the tribal council, and also my coworkers from Fresno Unified,” Lira said. “We are the first school district in our area that does an event for ‘Every Child Matters.’”
