Honoring Indigenous Peoples’ Day

CFA members honor our Native and Indigenous friends and colleagues on Indigenous People’s Day, October 14. Indigenous Peoples’ Day is an opportunity to reevaluate history and injustices done to Native and Indigenous Peoples across the country.

Though the historic and genocidal oppression of Native tribes continues throughout what is referred to as the United States, there have been major strides by Native and Indigenous peoples and supporters of America’s tribal nations.

More than a dozen states recognize some version of the holiday in place of Columbus Day. Additionally, hundreds of cities have adopted the holiday, choosing to be responsive to Indigenous groups and other activists not to celebrate Christopher Columbus.

At CFA, members of our Native American and Indigenous Peoples Caucus lead in our advocacy for and address issues affecting Native and Indigenous faculty, students, and staff across the CSU system and in higher education.

The Caucus has drawn attention to the failures of the CSU administration to return ancestral remains and cultural items held on many campuses.

During an emotional late August 2023 legislative hearing, the CSU was reprimanded for disregarding the 2001 California Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (CalNAGPRA) for over three decades. 

CalNAGPRA was passed in response to the slow pace of repatriation in compliance with the federal law, NAGPRA. CalNAGPRA was designed to close loopholes in the federal statute and allow tribes to claim ancestral remains regardless of whether they have federal recognition.

The state audit findings and recommendations, published June 29 2023, reveal that at least 21 of CSU’s 23 campuses possess nearly 700,000 sacred artifacts. The audit team conducted on-site reviews at four sites: Chico State University, Sacramento State University, San Diego State University, and San José State University.

On October 10 2023, Assembly Member James Ramos’  Assembly Bill 389 was signed into law. The bill prohibits CSU from using any Native American ancestors or cultural belongings in teaching or research. Ramos, a member of the Cahuilla tribe, has authored several bills to hold public universities accountable under NAGPRA.

For information on CalNAGPRA campus and systemwide contacts go here. For more background go here.