San Francisco, also known as Ohlone land, celebrated a variety of Indigenous People’s Day events across the city on Monday.
South Dakota became the first state to observe Indigenous People’s Day in 1989, and California cities such as Berkeley and Santa Cruz followed shortly after.
San Francisco formally recognized the holiday in 2018, leading to Monday’s third annual citywide celebration.
At the Yerba Buena Gardens, which hosted one of those festivals, the pride of Indigenous artists and musicians was palpable.
The event was crowded and colorful, and native music played continuously throughout the day.
"I am a mixed Apache, Arapaho, and Sioux," Lisa Moldonado, an Oakland resident, said on KCBS Radio’s Bay Current on Tuesday. Moldonado and her husband went on the first ferry to the Sunrise Gathering on Alcatraz Island.
"It was so beautiful," Moldonado said. "This is good medicine, good people. This is a feeling of home."
The festival featured musicians, dancers, and educational booths. Zines were handed out to educate people on Indigenous language, protocol, and what it means to acknowledge the Native lands that San Franciscans are occupying.
Mismin Tuuhis, also known as Coyote Woman, said that she will be sending out coloring books that are in her ancestral language. She said it’s important to not perpetuate cultural erasure.
"Native people have been deeply impacted by colonialism," she explained. "We need to honor the past in order to shape the future."
For more information about other indigenous events held in the city throughout October, click here.
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