Lafayette has recently taken action to raise awareness about Native American heritage and show the local native community the respect they deserve. Lafayette has started a land acknowledgement, recognizing the Bay Miwok people.
The Lafayette Historical Society posted an artful photo of the Land Acknowledgement statement wrapped around one of the town’s utility boxes. This box can be viewed at the corner of Mount Diablo and the Lafayette Center. Also, the street sign at the corner has been changed to add the Ohlone name for Mount Diablo, “Tuyshtak” translating to “dawn of time”.
Advisor of Campo’s Native American Culture Club, Shannon Sieckert said, “the significance of a land acknowledgement is to first and foremost call attention to the fact that we’re on unseeded ancestral land and to take ownership of colonialism as a legacy that we are connected to if not individually responsible for. Also, I think to uplift the names of tribes that have previously been erased.”
Founder and President of Campo’s Native American Culture Club, senior Bella Stratford said, “land acknowledgements are ultimately a symbol of respect and a reminder of where we are.” She attended a meeting in Lafayette about their Land Acknowledgement developments. While she “wasn’t a part of the planning process they did have a task force and was invited to check that out.”
Sieckert said and appreciates that, “it seems like they [the Lafayette city council] worked in collaboration with local groups, which I think is really empowering. Anytime you’re going to talk about somebody you should involve them in those conversations…I love the visual artwork aspect of it too because it doesn’t just give a name, it gives a visual authentic representation.”
Campolindo also has a Land Acknowledgement plaque for the Miwok people in the process of being made. Stratford said, “[Senior] Maya Schwartz is working on making it in the woodshop class and it will be displayed in the office.” Schwartz, vice principal of the club said, “It was kind of our goal at the beginning of the year to make this plaque and we talked with the principal to have it approved.”
Strafford thinks “It’s super cool we’re doing land acknowledgements and they’re becoming more common. They do one before every city council meeting. It’s a great reminder of the rich history and is an important step towards diversity and inclusion.”
Sieckert is excited for the completion of Campo’s in progress plaque, “I’m not sure exactly what the language of our land acknowledgement will look like. But I think it’s just going to help students be more curious and be more specific about the way they speak about the land,” she said.
Embracing our communities’ efforts will contribute to important change and provide opportunities to honor the rich Indigenous peoples’ heritage all around us.
