By Curtis Driscoll, Aug 29, 2019, Willits News
The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors at Tuesday’s meeting proclaimed that the second Monday in October will now be Indigenous Peoples’ Day in Mendocino County.
The move changes the day from its current Columbus Day designation to Indigenous People’s Day. Some county websites still list Columbus Day as a holiday.
As part of the proclamation, the supervisors directed staff to begin working toward making the Monday in October an official county holiday. Making it an official holiday also means the county will close some county buildings and services like the courts and libraries on Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
The proclamation recognized that “Indigenous Peoples’ across the United States, in the State of California and in the County of Mendocino, were subjected to genocidal policies that often deprived them of their ancestral lands, their freedom and their lives; and sought to eradicate the language, culture, social and family ties of Indigenous Peoples.” It also recognized Indigenous Peoples’ many historical and current contributions to Mendocino County and that the county should celebrate all the different governments, entities and cultures of Indigenous Peoples in the region.
Tribal leaders and representatives from the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians, Tribal Council of the Guidiville Indian Rancheria, Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians, Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Indians in Willits, Little River Band of Pomo Indians in Redwood Valley, among others, also spoke at the meeting. All voiced their support for the proclamation. All of the representatives said the proclamation was an essential step in the right direction and thanked the board for issuing the proclamation and recognizing the vital contributions of Indigenous People.
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