Union Democrat

Orange Shirt Day memorial honors Native Americans

• What: Orange Shirt Day Sunset Memorial: Honor the Courage of Children

• When: 6-8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30

• Where: Courthouse Square, Washington Street, Sonora

• cost: Free

A sunset memorial service will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30, at Courthouse Square in downtown Sonora to honor the more than 200,000 children who were victims and survivors of North America’s Indian Boarding School system.

The event is billed as the area’s first Orange Shirt Day Memorial, and participants are encouraged to wear orange shirts to the event.

The service has been organized by descendants of survivors, working in close partnership with Chicken Ranch Rancheria of California Me-wuk Indians and the Tuolumne Band of Me-wuk Indians.

“We’re joining communities in the U.S. and Canada to remember,” said BZ Smith, a descendant of survivors. “These tragedies marked a time in our history that has torn across generations.”

Across the U.S., more than 400 schools run by missionaries or government agencies were established with the express purpose of destroying Native American cultural traditions. Twenty-five of these schools were in California. By far the largest California school was Sherman Institute in Riverside. Sherman was modeled after the infamous Carlisle Institute, a place where numerous children died. Many Me-wuk children were shipped to Sherman. Children of Sierra Nevada tribes were also shipped to Stewart

Boarding School near Carson City, Nevada. Still other California Indian children were shipped as far away as Pennsylvania.

During the memorial, two tribal Elders will speak of how the Indian Boarding School system impacted their lives.

Atta Stevenson, an Elder of the Cahto Tribe of Laytonville, attended Stewart Indian Boarding School, near Reno, Nevada. Jessie Riddle, an Elder of Pit River Nation, will discuss her mother’s experiences at Stewart. Riddle will also address how Indian Country has been affected by these years of systematic dismantling of indigenous cultures.

Dr. Stephanie Beaver-guzman, a member of Hoopa Valley Nation, will be the officiant for the sunset service. Dr. Guzman-beaver, a faculty member of Columbia College, has helped build a strong Native Studies program at the college, which has seen a rise in enrollment among Indigenous students.

Tribal leaders from both local Sovereign Nations will participate in key roles.

Kyle Cox, vice-chairman of the Tuolumne Band of Me-wuk’s Tribal Council, will open the ceremony with a land acknowledgement address and a blessing. Lloyd Mathiesen, Tribal Council chairman of Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Me-wuk Indians, will close the event with an address on the future of indigenous citizens.

Two descendants of survivors, both locals, will speak.

Shelley Muniz, part of Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations, will outline the history of the Indian Schooling system. BZ Smith, a member of Wyandotte Nation, will tell the story of Phyllis Jack Webstad, a member of Canada’s Northern Secwepemc Nation, who founded Orange Shirt Day in 2016. Smith notes that Spanish explorers brought Franciscan priests to California for “preaching and teaching the savages” as early as 1545.

“That was almost 100 years before the French and English colonials began their efforts at conquering the original people of North America,” she said.

Merci Rust of Tuolumne Mewuk and the Women’s Group will lead drumming for healing.

Then Mark Dyken, a longtime supporter of indigenous community life, will bring Grandmother Drum, a large Big Time/powwow drum. The service will include a public art display, depicting these drastic impacts on Native American children.

Organizers request that attendees keep in mind that this is a memorial service where reverence and respect will be necessary. They also request that people wear orange shirts or orange ribbons, in honor of this occasion. Bringing a camp chair and flashlight is suggested. Face masks to prevent viral contact are also recommended with the understanding that this is a matter of choice.

“We have no idea how many people will attend,” said committee member Smith. “Throughout history a lot of Native People died from smallpox, influenza, and tuberculosis. So, bringing a mask could protect you from any modern-day viruses. You decide.”

The local Orange Shirt Day organizers hope that this event will return in 2023.

For more information, leave a message or text Smith at (209) 559-7697.

— Submitted by the Orange Shirt Day committee

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2022-09-28T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-09-28T07:00:00.0000000Z

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