The City of Lafayette will hold a ceremony on Monday, April 8 at 2 pm at the corner of Mt. Diablo Blvd. and Lafayette Circle in downtown Lafayette to unveil two projects that symbolize the City’s commitment to honoring indigenous heritage and recognizing the rich history of this land.
At the brief ceremony, Lafayette Mayor Gina Dawon will unveil two projects:
- A new utility box wrap that features an illustration of Saklan women and the City’s new land acknowledgement statement, and
- A new street sign at Mt. Diablo Blvd. and Lafayette Circle, incorporating both “Mt. Diablo Blvd.” and “Tuyshtak” – name of the mountain used by Ohlone, which means “dawn of time.”
Background:
In early 2023, as part of the yearlong recognition of 175+ years of Lafayette’s history, the City Council appointed a task force to lead the community journey in considering whether Lafayette should adopt a form of land acknowledgment. In October 2023, the City Council accepted the recommendations of the Task Force and adopted the land acknowledgment statement and related actions, including the new utility box wrap and the bilingual sign featuring the Ohlone name for the mountain.
Lafayette’s Land Acknowledgment Statement:
Many communities and institutions have adopted land acknowledgment statements, whose purpose is to show respect to the indigenous people and their descendants who are still part of the community, to take a step toward undoing the intentional erasure of the history and culture of the indigenous people, and to inspire everyone to learn more about that history and to reflect on what it means to occupy space on unceded indigenous lands.
We acknowledge that Lafayette is part of the unceded, ancestral homeland of the Bay Miwok people. The Bay Miwok and neighboring Ohlone people have lived in and moved through this place for thousands of years. They stewarded and shaped this land for hundreds of generations. We express our appreciation and gratitude for this profound legacy, which enhances and contributes to our lives to this day. We will strive to honor this land and strengthen our ties with the Indigenous communities that continue to live and work in our East Bay region as our neighbors and community members. We acknowledge and honor them and their ancestors, elders, and next seven generations.
For more information, visit the City’s website at https://www.lovelafayette.org/why-lafayette/land-acknowledgment
