On Monday, the city of Lafayette unveiled two public projects to recognize local indigenous people on the land that they once occupied.
The Ohlone name for Mount Diablo was added to the town’s central boulevard — Tuyshtak, which means “dawn of time.” The Bay Miwok tribe was acknowledged with a work of public art on a new utility box at Mt. Diablo Boulevard and Lafayette Circle. It features an illustration of Saklan women, with the text of the city’s new land acknowledgement.
The City Council wrote a land acknowledgement statement last year, which has been read at every meeting since October. They wanted to place it publicly in the pedestrian commercial corridor. The city’s land acknowledgment task force included members of the City Council and historical society, who worked closely with local tribal elders.
Cherokee native and high school senior Bella Stratford was present for the unveiling. She heads a Native American cultural club at Campolindo High School. She wrote a land acknowledgement for the school, which the group is making into a plaque to be displayed in the main office, Stratford said.
The actions were part of the yearlong recognition of 175 years of Lafayette’s history, plus the years that preceded its naming. Like much of California, the town’s history is a story of indigenous land stewardship, followed by Spanish missions and native subjugation, followed by Mexican independence, European land grants, farming, freeways and suburbs.
“We do have people that come and work with our school children, but we don’t know of any original indigenous residents in Lafayette,” said City Councilmember John McCormick, who worked on the public recognition projects.
“For the U.S. government to treat a Native American tribe as a fellow governmental entity, a sovereign government, the federal government has a recognition process,” said Steve Kalogeras, who served on the land acknowledgment task force. He is an attorney that works with California Native American tribes on a variety of issues, including sovereignty.
“It can be done in three main ways. Congress can pass legislation saying we recognize this tribe,” he said. “There is also an administrative process where you must show you are a continuous entity with continuous governmental structure and cultural lineage dating back generations. Or your tribe could have been party to a treaty.”
Descendants of the East Bay tribes engage in cultural activities through the nonprofit Sogorea Te Land Trust, said Kalogeras. At the Lafayette Community Garden, there is a recreation of a native village, complete with a wickiup dwelling made from tules and willow. The village is open for various hours three days a week.