He said he doesn't feel personally hurt by this, because he is somewhat disconnected from his tribe's — the Yuroks — traditions and history, but he wishes more people knew about it.
Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law requiring public schools to teach students about Spanish colonization and the California Gold Rush to include information on the mistreatment and contributions of Native Americans during those periods.
Under this law, the state Department of Education will consult with local tribes when it updates its history and social studies curriculum framework after Jan. 1, 2025.
The new law will primarily affect the fourth-grade history curriculum, which will require students to learn about the plight Native Americans faced in the country. When learning about California history, students will read stories relevant to California missions, the discovery of gold and statehood, which impacted Indigenous communities. Prior to the bill, it was only recommended for school districts.
For example, the California missions began in the late 18th century as an effort to convert Indigenous populations to Catholicism and expand Spanish territory. There were 21 missions between 1769-1833.
Due to the missions, the death rate of Indigenous people during this period rose exponentially, with its population plummeting from 72,000 to 18,000.
This is not the first time the state has updated its curriculum regarding Indigenous American history. In 2022, the governor passed the California Indian Education Act, which encourages school districts to work with local tribes to help develop relevant curriculum and classroom materials.
At Davis last year, Batt's history teacher taught about Squanto from the Patuxet tribe, the Nez Perce and Paiute tribes and the role of Sacagawea with Lewis and Clark. He said they also learned about the Lakota Sioux.
"My teacher did a good job explaining different tribes in detail, but I'd really like to see more about where Indigenous tribes are today and how they're continuing their traditions," he said. "Knowing more about their current challenges and achievements would help people see that Native American culture isn't just history — it's still alive."
Batt believes learning about Indigenous American culture can provide his peers a broader perspective on what has shaped this country and help show the inequalities this demographic has faced.
"Learning about Native American contributions, like our knowledge of medicine and plants, shows how advanced our culture was before everything was disrupted," Batt said. "A lot of that knowledge was ignored or taken away, and people don't realize how much Indigenous communities lost and contributed to today's world."
Batt is a member of the Yurok tribe. The Yuroks have 5,500 members, with the majority living in Del Norte and Humboldt counties in northern California.
Batt said the Yuroks have a rich tradition of basket weaving with bear grass, beadwork and salmon fishing. His grandmother Ada Charles was a traditional basket weaver for about 95 years, he said.
"She taught others the craft, spoke the Yurok language and gathered materials for medicine baskets made for luck or protection," he said. "Some dances, like the Brush Dance, were held all night to heal, while others lasted up to a week."
According to Historical Modesto, there are two tribes that reside historically in this area, the Tachi-Yokuts and the Miwoks.
(c)2024 The Modesto Bee (Modesto, Calif.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
