The California Endowment

When we heal the land, we heal ourselves. As we celebrate Native American Heritage Day, we share the words of Caressa Nguyen, a citizen of the Ione Band of Miwok Indians and a co-founder of Sacred Lands, Native Hands. Caressa is working to restore ancestral homelands to the hands of Indigenous people and return Indigenous ecological knowledge to the land. #NativeAmericanHeritageDay #IndigenousFutures

As many Californians gather to share a meal today, we recognize the strong connections between Tribal lands, culture, and food. Karuk author and Chef in Residence at the Food Sovereignty Lab and Traditional Ecological Knowledges Institute at Cal Poly Humboldt, Sara Calvosa Olson and her son discuss the importance of community-based approaches to food sovereignty and security while preparing one of her favorite seasonal dishes.

We start this day by acknowledging the Native people of the land we live on. We stand in solidarity with our Native communities who are greeting the sun this morning on their ancestral lands. We honor everyone for whom today is a day of mourning.

Uplifting Sage LaPena this #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth! Sage is Nomtipom Wintu, Clinical Herbalist and Manager of Healing Ways Department at Sacramento Native American Health Center. The Nomtipom Wintu of Trinity County, pushed into Siskiyou and Redding, exemplify resilience in the face of immense hardship. Despite the devastation of the Gold Rush, the damming of sacred rivers, and forced displacement, they have maintained their cultural integrity and connection to the land, ensuring their traditions endure for future generations. “My Native superpower is blending traditional herbal medicine with modern knowledge to empower people, especially those managing diabetes. I specialize in teaching herbalism and promoting food sovereignty, using the wisdom of plants and cultural practices to support holistic healing and restore balance in body, mind, and spirit." My vision of the future focuses on health and wellness for California Native communities and centers on reclaiming ancestral knowledge, fostering cultural resilience, and creating access to holistic care that honors traditional practices, strengthens community connections, and ensures the well-being of future generations.

Protections for trans youth are enshrined in California's constitution—keeping trans kids in sports as other states around the country pull them from teams. California stands firm in its commitment to protecting trans youth, ensuring their right to participate as athletes and live authentically. Our kids deserve to live, play, and thrive.

Despite it all, we have so much to be grateful for. ? Grateful for our communities. Grateful for our families. Grateful for each other. Grateful for California.

SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL.

To learn about Native history is to learn about our country's and our state's often violent history—and it's essential. The youth are the future, and teaching them this true history can foster a better, more equitable way forward.

What better embodies Indigenous Futurism than the right to live on and care for ancestral lands? ? Native communities aren't going anywhere.

In the Salton Sea, a once-bustling tourist attraction was left to disrepair, leaving the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians with an important mission: rematriation. Today we recognize our siblings in the Salton Sea as they continue to fight for the land, air, and desert wildlife.