The California Native American Monument was unveiled on November 7th, 2023 during Native American Heritage Month. Located in Capitol Park near 13th and L Streets, the bronze statue is eight feet tall and depicts Miwok community leader William Franklin, Sr. in traditional dance regalia. Franklin, who passed away in 2000, dedicated his life to the preservation of California Native culture. He was a member of the California Native American Heritage Commission, an advocate for the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990, and instrumental in the construction of three traditional roundhouses for use as community gathering spaces. Franklin also helped establish the California Indian Dance and Culture Group to protect traditional Miwok and Nisenan music and dance.
This monument replaces a statue of Spanish missionary Father Junipero Serra that was torn down by protestors in July 2020. The following year, Assemblymember James C. Ramos (District 45), the first California Native American state lawmaker, introduced Assembly Bill 338. The bill called for the construction of a new monument to California’s Native American communities in lieu of repairing the original statue. It also enabled tribal nations in the Sacramento area to participate in the planning, installation, and maintenance of the new monument. After consultation with local tribes, Sacramento artist Ronnie Frostad was chosen to create the statue. “We’re here because of the resiliency of our elders and ancestors,” Assemblymember Ramos told the hundreds who gathered for the monument’s 2023 dedication, “to show [that] the California Indian people are still very much ingrained in the thread of the state of California.”
