The campaign by hundreds of Fresno High alumni and other supporters to retain the school's Native American mascot image intensified this week with a lawsuit asking the Fresno County Superior Court to intervene in the dispute. The lawsuit, filed Monday by San Francisco attorney Ryan Griffith on behalf of petitioner...
California Indian Tribe Gets Back Big Sur Ancestral Lands
BIG SUR — A Native American tribe has reclaimed a small part of ancestral lands on California’s scenic Big Sur coast that were lost to Spanish colonial settlement nearly 250 years ago. The Esselen Tribe of Monterey County closed escrow on 1,199 acres about 5 miles inland from the ocean...
Junípero Serra Statue Removed From San Luis Obispo Mission
Statues of Junípero Serra have been defaced in California for several years by people who said he destroyed Native American tribes and their culture. Monday, the Catholic Church had the San Luis Obispo Mission statue of Serra removed from its perch. The Tribune' reports the statue was brought down by a...
Native American Woman Removed From Land O’Lakes Packaging
ARDEN HILLS, Minn. — The Native American woman who has graced the packaging of Land O’Lakes butter, cheese and other products since the late 1920s has quietly disappeared. Known as Mia, the woman was shown sitting in a serene landscape of lakes and woods. That landscape remains on the Minnesota...
Most Distant World Ever Explored Gets New Name: Arrokoth
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The most distant world ever explored 4 billion miles away finally has an official name: Arrokoth. That means "sky" in the language of the Native American Powhatan people, NASA said Tuesday. NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flew past the snowman-shaped Arrokoth on New Year's Day, 3 ½...
San Francisco School Draws Crowd to See Mural Some Call Racist
SAN FRANCISCO — Over 100 people packed the lobby of a San Francisco public high school to view a controversial mural criticized as racist and degrading for its depiction of black and Native American people. Officials allowed visitors to see the "Life of Washington" mural for two hours on Thursday...
Do You Feel 'Harmed' by Historic George Washington Mural?
SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco will spend up to $600,000 to paint over historical artwork at a public school depicting the life of George Washington, a mural once seen as educational and innovative but now criticized as racist and degrading for its depiction of black and Native American people. The...
Newsom Apologizes, Calls Treatment of Native Americans Genocide
Gov. Gavin Newsom formally apologized Tuesday for violence, mistreatment, and neglect inflicted on Native Americans throughout California's history, saying it amounted to genocide and pushing the state to reckon with its dark past. The Democratic governor met with tribal leaders at the future site of the California Indian Heritage Center,...
In Many States, Legalizing Sports Betting Hinges on Tribes
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Native American tribes have emerged as key players in the legislative debates over whether states should legalize sports betting, with some opposing the idea because it could threaten their casinos and others supporting legalization only if they retain a monopoly. In many states, tribes are fighting...
Warren Struggles to Move Past Native American Heritage Flap
WASHINGTON — Sen. Elizabeth Warren is on the verge of launching a presidential campaign that should be all about her vision for the future. But first she has to explain her past. For the second time in two weeks, the Massachusetts Democrat apologized Wednesday for claiming Native American identity on...