Native American Day at Capitol Park

Last week, California State Parks and PlaceWorks staff attended Native American Day at the California State Capitol Park in Sacramento. Our team engaged with Native American and non-native participants about ongoing projects, including the Tribal Lands Acknowledgements, Interpretation and Exhibits project, the Arts in California Parks project, and the Historic Interpretation and Evaluation project. Participation and engagement activities were aimed at gathering insights from attendees to inform future project goals.

We asked attendees to respond to the question “What would you wish visitors learned about California Native Americans when they visit State Parks?” We received a variety of great ideas and feedback, ranging from language and history, flora and fauna education, and cultural demonstrations.

As part of this effort, California State Parks is also evaluating existing interpretive materials for accuracy, inclusion, and cultural sensitivity. Tribal members and the public were invited to place stickers on the two questions that they felt were the most important to ask and provide any additional feedback via sticky notes.