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When I was eleven, my school took a field trip to Sly Park for a few days. My mom, Christa Barrera, came along, as she always did for her firstborn. The days were filled with camp activities, hikes, and games, and when I look back, I mostly remember the fun I had as a kid.…

By Tori McConnell Saying farewell is never easy… nor is it always necessary. That’s why in most Indigenous languages we don’t say it often. So, with the ending of my position, I don’t feel like saying goodbye. I feel like I’ll be back in another way on another day because of what this internship has…

By Morning Star Gali and Filiberto Nolasco Gomez For the crime of existing Douglas ‘Chief’ Stankewitz, a Monache man from Big Sandy Rancheria, was the first person sentenced to death when California reinstated the death penalty in 1977. Stankewitz was the longest serving inmate on death row until California Governor Newsom  issued a 2019 executive…

A first person narrative in honor of 2026 California Indian Day By Tori McConnell “When we had a brush dance for my son at Katimiin, I remember seeing Willard sitting under a tree afterwards … I came up to him and we started talking, and he said that this is what he wants to do…

By Terria Smith (All photos by Terria Smith) Libraries have been a core part of my existence for as long as I can remember. When I was a little girl, my mom would take me to our local library for story time. In the summer months, when Coachella Valley temperatures would reach beyond 100 degrees,…

Review by Tori McConnell “[Native American science] isn’t tested through the scientific method. It’s tested through generations”, says Ryan Spring, Cultural Research Associate for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Spring is an Indigenous professional featured in an upcoming collaboration between Vision Maker Media and PBS Nova. This film titled, “Knowledge Keepers”, visits four distinct Indigenous…

Heyday’s Berkeley Roundhouse Program (the California Indian Publishing Program) along with the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria are in the fifth year of partnering on a yearlong paid internship. We are looking for candidates who are either near college graduation, who have recently completed their college/university education, or who are early in their professional writing…

By Jeanne Ferris Growing up in Los Angeles, I saw TCL Chinese Theatre (then Grauman’s) as iconic as the Hollywood Walk of Fame. At about eight years old, I visited the famous footprints and handprints of celluloid heroes. I remember bending down and stretching, enjoying the rush of blood to my head as I tried…

By Tori McConnell In a recent hearing at the California Senate Standing Committee on Education, Chad Mays of the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians testified that in data collected on student demographics there is a 70% undercounting of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) students nationwide. Assembly Bill 1581 is seeking to change that in California.  The…

By Tori McConnell  Most of us who grew up in California remember the infamous fourth grade California history unit. For generations, all fourth graders across California were taught that our state history began with first contact: the California mission system and the Gold Rush. Some of the quintessential parts of the curriculum for fourth grade…

 By Tori McConnell One of Indian Country’s largest yet most controversial events, the Gathering of Nations (GON) Powwow happening at the end of this week, has announced 2026 as their final convening. They’ve named it, “The Last Dance”, a title that reflects on some 40-odd years of memorable moments including massive grand entries, titillating contests,…