Monument to Miwok Leader Unveiled in Sacramento

(Photo: Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland (center) visits Miwuk tribe in Yosemite. On the left tribal chairperson Bill Leonard and Tribal secretary Irene Vasqueez. Photo credit: Deb Haaland, Wikimedia Commons)

by Sophie Austin, AP

SACRAMENTO, CA – An 8-foot-tall bronze statue of alate Native American leader known for preserving cultural dances now stands surrounded by trees in a historic park outside of California’s state Capitol building, replacing a statue of a Spanish missionary that protesters toppled it in 2020.

California lawmakers, tribal leaders and hundreds of others on Tuesday celebrated the unveiling of a statue depicting Miwok leader William J. Franklin, Sr., in recognition of the Native American tribes whose ancestral lands are now the grounds of the state Capitol.

“Finally, the California Indian people will have a monument here on the Capitol grounds for all those visiting to know that we are still here,” said Assemblymember James C. Ramos, the first Native American in the state Legislature. “We’re here because of the resiliency of our elders and ancestors.”

It is one of several moves that California lawmakers have made in recent years to acknowledge the history of Native Americans in the state. In 2019, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a formal apology for the state’s legacy of violence against Native Americans, saying it amounted to genocide. Newsom has also signed laws to promote the teaching of more Native American history in schools and to remove a derogatory slur from sites across the state.

The new statue comes after racial justice protesters in 2020 tore down a decades-old statue of Junípero Serra, an 18th century Catholic priest and missionary who has been criticized for destroying Native American tribes and cultures. The monument of Serra was torn down at a time when protesters across the country targeted statues of historic figures —including Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, Va. — whose legacies came under heightened scrutiny in the wake of George Floyd’s murder.

California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas said he hopes the monument will “cultivate a deeper understanding” of Indigenous communities and their contributions to California.