Approved as to Form and Legality
________________________
City Attorney’s Office
OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION NO. _______________ C.M.S.
INTRODUCED BY COUNCILMEMBER NOEL GALLO
ADOPT A RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING NOVEMBER 2023 AS NATIVE
AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH IN THE CITY OF OAKLAND TO
HONOR AND CELEBRATE THE CULTURE, TRADITIONS, AND
CONTRIBUTIONS OF NATIVE AMERICAN COMMUNITIES
WHEREAS, the Office of the Mayor honors the Danza Azteca group Capulli Coatlicue, which translates to Family of Mother Earth. Capulli Coatlicue came together fourteen years ago when nine-year-old Frankie Cortez asked his mother to start a danza group to support and educate the community. Since its inception, Capulli Coatlicue has practiced at Peralta Hacienda and has been part of Red Market, the Die de los Muertos Festival, and other cultural events that recognize and uplift Native American cultures, particularly the indigenous peoples of Mexico; and
WHEREAS, The City Council hereby recognizes District 1 Honoree Jackie Kaliiaa for her work in the arts and comedy to feature the Native American Community. Originally from Hayward and based out of Oakland, she is unapologetically Bay and proud of her Yerington Paiute and Washoe roots. While she may be best known for her comedy, she also has a background in urban planning and public service. Her work in planning and community service began around helping grow and protect Native American communities. While she did comedy in her spare time, during the pandemic she took a step forward to launch Good Medicine Comedy, which put on virtual comedy shows to fundraise for indigenous communities hurt by the pandemic. She has also toured alongside other native American comics in the televised ‘First Nation Comedy Experience’ and co-produces ‘Amazonians’ which showcases women comics. Jackie’s ability to raise everyone up and highlight so many voices is what makes her stand out in our community and The City of Oakland is proud this is where she calls home.; and
WHEREAS, District 2 is grateful for the opportunity to recognize and honor the work of Dallas Wahpepah, Poet and Community Wellness Site Director for the Native American Health Center’s Community Wellness Department. Dallas is known as an effective and fierce advocate for young people and has dedicated his time and expertise to supporting transitional- age Native youth, a demographic that is not only hard to reach but is often not eligible for youth programming. He is committed to supporting young leaders and understands the need for intergenerational spaces and activities in order to exchange knowledge, promote healing and continue to grow as an individual and community. Dallas has been with the Native American Health Center for decades, starting as a young person himself. Dallas’ work focuses on providing inclusive mental health, preventative care, and social services with a focus on advocacy, culture, education, and relationship building.
This holistic model of care guides the organization in treating the entire individual through various programs, services, and resources. Using harm reduction techniques with a t rauma-informed approach, Dallas and the team at NAHC create a safe space to meet community members where
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they’re at towards healing. District 2 is grateful to Dalla for his commitment to provide the best possible care in support of reclaiming identity, restoring balance, and building physical, emotional, and spiritual health; and
WHEREAS, In honor of the City of Oakland’s 2023 Native American Heritage Month Celebration, District 3 is proud to honor Jose “Peps” Garcia, an indigenous, community activist and artist who has been doing advocacy work since he was 17 years of age. His Jose's focus has been in creating and maintaining the Newcomer Safety and Success Initiative and the Young Hawks Youth Program, a youth leadership and advocacy program that centers indigenous culture and pedagogy for the purpose of healing. Jose’s current role is Manager of Safety and Security for BACR overseeing these areas across 5 California Counties. District 3 is truly grateful for the many years of service and dedication Jose has contributed to our community; and
WHEREAS, Councilmember Ramachandran and District 4 proudly recognize Crystal Wahpepah and Wahpepah’s Kitchen for their leadership and intentional centering of indigenous communities in the food scene in Oakland. Crystal is a member of the Kickapoo nation and was born and raised in Oakland on Ohlone land. Before opening Wahpepah’s Kitchen, her inaugural storefront restaurant, Crystal was the first Native American chef to compete on Chopped by the Food Network in 2016. Following this success, she began showcasing her recipes at the Indigenous Red Market on Fruitvale Avenue, a monthly event that features Indigenous music performances and entrepreneurs. She opened Wahpepah’s with the goals of recognizing that we live on stolen land, reclaiming Native food traditions, and educating the community on the health benefits of Native food. In addition to serving up delicious food, Crystal speaks around the country on the importance of reciprocal practices and reclaiming sovereignty t hrough food. Crystal is also a recipient of the Indigenous Artist Activist Award. We are honored to lift up Crystal Wahpepah not only as a small business owner but also as an activist advocating for Native communities to be seen and appreciated for their contributions in Oakland and beyond. ; and
WHEREAS, District 5 is proud to honor Natalie Aguilera, Natalie is Chief Administrative Officer at Native American Health Center. She is currently in her 17th year at NAHC and is driven by her passion to stay connected with and give back to the community. Natalie has grown with the small but mighty NAHC team and contributed to its growth from an organization of 150 staff to close to 300 today. Natalie is an enrolled member of the Oklahoma Choctaw Tribe. She rec eived a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley in 2000. Natalie has been at NAHC since 2005, her role as Chief Administrative Officer is to provide leadership in developing short and long- term business strategies and to maintain a strategic plan for the contro lled growth, expansion, and development of programs and sites for NAHC. Natalie is inspired by her Grandmother Alice Carnes who came to Oakland from Oklahoma and dedicated much of her life to serving the community through her work at the Intertribal Friendship House. As CAO, Natalie hopes to serve the Native community and through service and dedication, make sure services are available for future generations.; and
WHEREAS, District 6 is proud to honor The Sogorea Te' Land Trust, an urban Indigenous women-led land trust based in the San Francisco Bay Area, founded in 2015, that facilitates the return of Indigenous land to Indigenous people, Through the practices of Rematriation, cultural revitalization, and land restoration, Sogorea Te' calls on native and non-native peoples to heal and transform the legacies of colonization, genocide, and patriarchy.The Sogorea Te’ Land Trust has successfully worked to rematriate land throughout the city of Oakland. We encourage everyone to support the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust through the Shuumi Land Tax, which directly supports Sogorea Te’s rematriation work, establishing a cemetery to reinter stolen Ohlone ancestral remains
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and building urban gardens, community centers, and ceremonial spaces so current and future generations of Indigenous people can thrive in the Bay Area.; and
WHEREAS, Councilmember Treva Reid does hereby recognize Yvonne Marshall as District 7’s Native American Heritage Month honoree. Yvonne Marshall grew up on and off the Shoshone Bannock Reservation in Fort Hall, ID. She is enrolled as a member of the Eastern Shoshone from Fort Washakie, WY, and is a descendant of the Shoshone -Bannock Tribes and the “Agai Deka” Band-Lemhi Shoshone People. In 2007, Yvonne moved to the Bay Area after receiving a bachelor's degree in social work and gaining valuable work experience with her tribal community in Idaho. For the last 8 years, she has lived in Oakland with her husband Manny and two daughters, Joni and Lynn. Yvonne has served as a social worker with several Bay Area Native American agencies, such as the American Indian Child Resource Center, the Oakland and San Franc isco Friendship House Association of American Indians, and the Oakland and San Francisco Native American Health Center. Currently, Yvonne serves as a Cultural Programs Manager at the Intertribal Friendship House (IFH) in Oakland, CA, which began in 1955 as a result of many Native Americans relocating to the Bay Area, commonly known as the “Urban Rez”. The ability to provide intentional, foundational, and resilient programming to her Native American community speaks beyond words. Yvonne is incredibly thankful and honored to accept the Native American Heritage Month Resolution and dedicates the award to her mother, Joni.; and
WHEREAS, On the occasion of National Native American Heritage Month, Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan hereby honors and celebrates the incredible contributions of Tommy Orange. An enrolled member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma and a graduate of the MFA program at the Institute of American Indian Arts, Tommy was born and raised in Oakland. In his debut novel, There There, Tommy poignantly expressed the complexities and resilience of Native Americans in Oakland, reaching new artistic heights while bringing these stories to an international stage. For these achievements, Tommy was a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize, and was recognized with the 2019 American Book Award. Tommy’s storytelling continues with the sequel novel, Wandering Stars, available March 5
th, 2024.
now therefore, be it
RESOLVED: There are currently 57 4 federally recognized Indian Nations (also called tribes, pueblos, communities) in the United States and 630 First Nations in Canada . However, all American Indians and Alaska Natives are the original Indigenous peoples of North America; and Oakland and the entire Bay Area is Ohlone land; Oakland is located on Huchiun, in unceded Lisjan Ohlone territory, and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED: Despite historical injustices that have been happening to indigenous people throughout the world, indigenous peoples are taking their destinies into their own hands, and they are strengthening their own communities; and the Sta te of California, the Bay Area and the City of Oakland are fortunate to have a diverse community of many cultures; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED: The first to live on this land, Native Americans, and their traditions and values inspired and continue to inspire many aspects of our communities; we are fortunate to live among a global community of various indigenous people that contribute to the betterment of our communities through their work, investment, and knowledge; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED: That all communities must practice Land Acknowledgement in order to teach and promote greater public consciousness of Native sovereignty and cultural rights.
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FURTHER RESOLVED: The Native American community is fostering a new generation of leaders, working on fair and just treatment of indigenous communities by participating in efforts regarding the impacts of the global environmental crisis, public health care, and economic empowerment of all indigenous people not only in the United States but in communities throughout the world; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED: American Indians, Alaska Natives and all indigenous people have made distinct and important contributions to California, the United States, and the rest of the world in many fields, including medicine, music, art, spoken word, language, food, environment sustainability, agriculture and many Native Americans have distinguished themselves as inventors, community leaders, entrepreneurs, spiritual leaders, and scholars; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED: Native American Heritage Month is a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native people, foster awareness about the unique challenges Native and other Indigenous people have faced both historically and, in the present, and the ways in which Native communities are working to conquer these challenges; now therefore be it; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City of Oakland, City Council recognizes November 2023 as Native American Heritage Month in the City of Oakland to honor and celebrate the heritage, cultures, and contributions of Native American communities and individual; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City of Oakland celebrates Native American Heritage Month to recognize the achievements and contributions of Oakland’s Native American champions who have worked tirelessly for their communities and inspired others to achieve success through their selfless leadership.
IN COUNCIL, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA,
PASSED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:
AYES - F IFE, GALLO, KALB, KAPLAN, REID, JENKINS, RAMACHANDRAN AND
PRESIDENT FORTUNATO BAS
NOES –
ABSENT –
ABSTENTION –
ATTEST:
ASHA REED
City Clerk and Clerk of the Council of
the City of Oakland, California