A new law came into effect in California this month mandating the inclusion of Native American history and perspectives in public education.
Assembly Bill 1821 (AB 1821) was signed by the state's governor Gavin Newsom on September 27 last year and came into effect on January 1.
For many decades official school curricula in the United States downplayed, misrepresented and erased Native American voices and history.
The new Californian law aims to provide students with a more comprehensive understanding of the state's history with regard to what Native Americans faced - and how they faced it - during the Spanish colonial and "Gold Rush" eras.
California was part of the Spanish empire, notorious for its ruthless treatment of indigenous people, until Mexico won its independence at the conclusion of an 11-year war in 1821.
In 1846 the United States invaded Mexico, ultimately seizing California (as well as Texas, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona, and parts of Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Wyoming - in total more than half of Mexico's total territory).
In 1848 the California gold rush began, leading to a wave of colonists from within the US as well as migrants from abroad pushing into the state.
These "settlers" demonstrated little to no regard for the rights and welfare of Native Americans, and were supported by US military forces using extreme violence to drive First Peoples from their land.
Assembly member James C. Ramos, a Serrano/Cahuilla man and the first California Native American elected to the state legislature, authored AB 1821.
"For far too long, California's First People and their history have been ignored or misrepresented," he said in a statement.
"Classroom instruction about the Mission and Gold Rush periods fails to include the loss of life, enslavement, starvation, illness and violence inflicted upon California Native American people during those times. These historical omissions from the curriculum are misleading."
AB 1821 amends the California Education Code to ensure that social science instruction at the elementary and secondary levels incorporates Native American perspectives.
For students in grades one through six, the curriculum must now include a foundational understanding of the Spanish colonisation of California and the Gold Rush Era, emphasising the treatment of Native Americans in these periods.
For students in grades seven through 12, the law requires any instruction covering the Spanish colonial or the Gold Rush Era also addresses Native American perspectives.
Native News Online reports that the legislation builds on previous efforts, such as the 2022 California Indian Education Act, which encouraged school districts to collaborate with local tribes to incorporate Native American history into their programs.
The new law has particular significance for 4th-grade students, as this grade traditionally focuses on California history, including the missions, the Gold Rush, and the state's path to statehood.
Prior to AB 1821 coming into effect, the inclusion of Native American experiences was encouraged but not mandatory.
