Leadership, Partnership, Stewardship: Reclaiming the Name of Sue-meg State Park
The California State Park and Recreation Commission recently voted to change the name of Patrick’s Point State Park in Humboldt County to Sue-meg State Park as a part of the Reexamining Our Past Initiative. This name change – the first so far among the California State Park System – will more accurately reflect the history and culture of the Yurok people that have historically tended to this land on California’s coast.
We celebrated this significant step toward acknowledging the legacy of colonialism and discrimination against Indigenous communities and honoring efforts to move forward with a virtual event featuring representatives from the Yurok community, California State Parks and the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom.
The Yurok Tribe has demonstrated what it truly means to respect and preserve land, and to advocate for a state park name that more accurately uplifts local history and culture. To the Yurok people – Parks California again celebrates and congratulates your leadership in protecting and honoring these great outdoor spaces.
“There’s going to be a new generation coming up that only knows the name of Sue-meg.”
California State Parks Director Armando Quintero
If you want to experience the magic of the event for yourself, watch the recording below:
Thank you to everyone who made this event possible! Including our wonderful guests:
- Joseph L. James, Yurok Tribal Chairman
- Sherri Provolt, Orick District Representative
- Victor Bjelajac, State Parks North Coast Redwoods District Superintendent
- Armando Quintero, State Parks Director
- Geneva Thompson, Assistant Secretary of Tribal Affairs, Natural Resources Agency
- Wade Crowfoot, Secretary for Natural Resources
- Christina Snider, Tribal Advisor to Governor Newsom and Executive Secretary of the Native American Heritage Commission
Moving Forward to Restore Indigenous Lands
Many of our speakers – including the California Natural Resources Agency’s Assistant Secretary for Tribal Affairs, Geneva Thompson – expressed a shared goal to restore Indigenous ownership and stewardship of ancestral lands and co-manage natural resources.
Stay connected to the Yurok Tribe, visit their website, and learn about the Reexamining our Past Initiative by visiting State Park’s website. To learn more about this State Park and the historical and cultural significance of the Yurok Tribe and Sue-meg Village, we invite you to revisit this ParkSpeak event!